By Sarah Wandor
Movie Critc Columnist
I was surprised to not be groaning in frustration within the first ten minutes of this film. Surprisingly, it actually took itself seriously and didn’t have any of the cheap humor Marvel movies are known for.
The opening scenes set up parts of the conflict well and didn’t break the intensity by cracking a joke, but rather gave a clear view of where the people of Wakanda were, emotionally and politically.
However, this film quickly turned into a flatline. The eerie entrance of the sea people—which had an excellent setup—was quickly ruined by the imagery of crewmen walking over the edge of the ship. It was supposed to be reminiscent of siren calls from ancient myths bringing sailors to their doom, but it came off as incredibly fake.
It’s like watching robots deciding to go for a swim instead of humans being lured to their deaths. There is no terror or exhilaration, just boredom. The filmmakers could have used almost any other plot device to bring the crewmen to their demise and it would have looked far better, caused more suspense and made it clear that the sea people are a force to be reckoned with.
Another flaw is the film’s habit of jumping from one place to another, both in terms of location and emotion. The film will show a serious scene or topic being discussed and then will jump to a scene that is not only completely different in content, but also on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum.
The film lacks logical progression and breaks scenes up more than is necessary. This creates the impression that narrative connections in the story are only very loose. The film seems to split at points instead of flowing together freely.
This also happens to the film’s characters, who lack logical progression from moment to moment. They are totally inconsistent, with their emotions and reactions going from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye. One moment they have it all together and the next, they turn into a panicked wreck.
To have such instability be convincing in a character, there has to be hints of it early on in the narrative. This film totally fails to reveal its characters’ traits convincingly. The way characters behave is jarring and doesn’t help the plot or the audience’s connection to the protagonists and antagonists.
Yet the biggest flaw of “Wakanda Forever” is its lack of heart. In the film, T’Challa, the original Black Panther, has died and left behind a sister, mother and country.
Though this is supposed to be semimajor plot point in the film, it is never fully committed to. The filmmakers talk about the grief of the characters but never allow it to escalate or come to a head. We never see an outburst or outrage at the loss which is still affecting them.
The film’s creators should have taken the initiative to write those difficult moments, allowing the character to confront what is behind them, ahead of them, and—especially in a film that focuses on grief—within them.
It’s those moments that define a character and can define a movie. It’s those moments we remember the most, as they are the most touching, motivating and memorable.
Yet the film’s ending is lackluster at best because we never saw those moments and we never saw the characters, especially Shuri, develop. An ending that could have been so emotional, impactful and heart-wrenching falls flat because there was no buildup of emotion.
Feeling is part of what makes a film impactful and spectacular. Though CGI, fight scenes and costumes are a part of every movie, without feeling and heart, a film becomes little more than a mechanical thing sifting through blank frames.
Although it is better than many Marvel movies that have come out over the past few years, “Wakanda Forever” is a film that never fully committed to having a heart.