Since it started with, ironically, the ‘Scarlet Witch and Vision’ series, and with exceptions such as ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, ‘Thor Love & Thunder’ and, especially, ‘Moon Knight’ —maybe the best of the stage to date—, I have experienced a deep disenchantment in front of the macro-project of La casa de las ideas.
It is evident that Kevin Feige and his team have spent a long time trying to freehand lifting the heavy slab that meant the closure of the Saga of Infinity with the fantastic duo made up of ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’; a point and followed that they have had to overcome, mainly, based on letters of the new faces that will take over from Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and company.
To the problems inherent in these introductory feature films —and episodic productions—, formulaic and cut by the same pattern that does not differ excessively from what was offered to us in ‘Iron Man’ almost three decades ago, we must add what I like to define What the evil of “trailer movies”; tapes whose narrative is more focused on planting seeds for the future than on providing decent stories and, as far as possible, autonomous.
Under this scenario, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ arrives to save on the horn the first stage of the Saga of the Multiverse; and it does so with a blockbuster that once again brings a certain maturity to the MCU, minimizing the comic factor and successfully combining a geopolitical thriller, hints of war films and the canons of contemporary superhero cinema in an adventure that is as solid as it is hopeful.
The importance of the characters
Perhaps the first thing that surprises about the new ‘Black Panther’ is the enormous consistency it exhibits despite having faced circumstances as complex as it is dramatic during its creation process. The loss of Chadwick Boseman forced to discard the written material and technically start from scratch, but Ryan Coogler and company have overcome adversity projecting its focus on the most important element of any film: the characters.
I won’t get tired of saying it, but a treatment of characters to match is what, ultimately, ends up elevating a title over its counterparts, and the case of ‘Wakanda Forever’ is a good example of this. In this way, the remarkably constructed dramatic arcs of Shuri and Namor —protagonist and antagonist of respectively— enrich a narrative that, despite being functional, sins from conventional and the usual house brand licenses are taken.
And the fact is that, as expected, we find ourselves before a 100% house brand piece that spruce up your hefty budget with a commendable technical bill that minimizes —although it does not make it disappear— the negative impact of visual effects and that relies on a great production design to mold some exceedingly attractive, although irregular setpieces. Special mention for a night chase sequence that pales the massive battle of rigor that presides over the climax.
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But, above this logistical deployment and its corresponding dose of adrenaline, stands the figure of a Coogler who, in addition to perfectly controlling the audiovisual language to narrate with brilliance an epic spread over 161 minutes that pass like a sigh, impregnates with discursive intention what could well have been limited to the umpteenth hollow artifice no higher aspirations.
Thus, the director and co-writer, together with Joe Robert Cole, puts together an interesting portrait of mourning after a loss, the frustration derived from it, the ins and outs of revenge and, what is much more interesting, about colonialism and its generational legacy; the latter channeled through a namor who arrives at the MCU enriched by his interesting racial reinvention and who stands out as one of the great villains of the franchise so far.
Although it raises scenarios and brings to the fore characters that will be essential for the future of the Multiverse Saga, If ‘Wakanda Forever’ benefits from anything, it is from its status as an —almost— independent feature film. Gone are the burdens of continuity and shared cosmos, being able to afford the luxury of telling a compact story and, to a certain extent, self-conclusive, which for the first time in a long time gives the feeling of being in front of a “real” movie.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ may not be the best entry in the entire Marvel Universe but, without a doubt – and although this, a priori, does not mean too much judging by the precedents – it is the best of the entire Phase 4; and shows that when it doesn’t work like a fordist factory of churros without a soulMarvel Studios remains a factory capable of tell stories to keep the big screen alive and stimulate the fandom with a minimum of quality.