Wakanda Forever is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Throughout the film the characters process grief after the death of T’challa. The film takes plenty of time in the film to allow characters to actually process emotion; some scenes in complete silence allows viewers to really process with the characters.

Wakanda Forever also introduces new characters such as Riri Williams and Namor, the leader of Talokan. Right from the start, Namor is one of the most riveting villains yet. He makes it clear how powerful and dangerous he and the rest of Talokan are. His motivations are clear and reasonable because of his upbringing being a child who witnessed the horrors of conquistadors

Riri Williams is a new addition to the MCU as well. She is an intelligent college student who helps defend Wakanda from Talokan. The film also saw the return of Killmonger, the antagonist of the first film; his scenes with Shuri were incredible and had actual weight to the plot.

Like the first film, Wakanda Forever is groundbreaking for Black representation in films. This time around, Indigenous representation takes the spotlight. Indigenous actor Tenoch Huerta, is outspoken about the lack of representation in Hollywood.

The soundtrack for the film was also powerful and grand, with many standouts like PinkPantheres and Rihanna. Rhianna dropped her first song in over six years, delivering powerful vocals during the end credits of the movie.

There are, however, some cons with the pacing of the movie. Throughout the film there are scenes with Agent Ross which tend to happen after intense moments. These scenes take the viewer out of the emotional moments to watch something that doesn’t contribute much to the plot.

The film did a great job with the character development for Shuri and the side characters. The film takes time to develop the characters from comedic relief to characters who actually process grief in the movie. Stand out moments like the U.N speech and exploration of Talokan really help build the already massive MCU. Another plus is the action between the Dora Milaje and Talokan’s elite warriors such as Attuma and Namora.

Rhaja Allen, a 10th grader, also gave her thoughts: ”I think that the movie was cool and sad but it did drag on at the end.”

Critics had similar views about the 3rd act and final battle between Shuri and Namor. The most confusing part was Wakanda fighting Talokan on a ship, which was not the smartest tactic for them, causing the death of many Wakandans.

Kymara Asburry, a freshman gave her thoughts on the film: l”I just felt like the movie was pretty good I think it might be better than the first one”. With overall good reviews, Wakanda Forever is considered one of the best movies from Phase 4.