The long-anticipated addition to the Black Panther series, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, came out around a month ago on November 11th. I watched it over Thanksgiving break, and it was an amazing movie that surpassed my expectations. 

Given the recent criticism Marvel has received over its newer movies, namely Thor Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, I was a little scared that it would end up without a plot and disappointing visual effects. However, Wakanda Forever was actually surprisingly very well-written and produced. 

The cast was majority returning, with the addition of Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the main villain. Letitia Wright plays Shuri, the previous Black Panther’s sister, who has stepped up to take the role. The movie focuses on at first, Shuri’s internal struggle with grief and self-discovery, and later a major threat to Wakanda by the rest of the world. 

The plot of the movie, although complicated, still remained engaging and didn’t really lose me as quickly as other Marvel movies have. Namor is introduced as a complicated character, and the viewers can see both the good and bad sides of his motives. As he and Shuri go from friends to enemies, the plot stays interesting and sinister. 

While it was nothing brand new for the Marvel universe, this movie was surprisingly effective in getting its messages across and keeping the action fast-paced while also balancing a good amount of plot and character development. The introduction of the underwater people of Talokan was new, however, and it kept the audience hooked and interested. 

All in all, the movie kept people interested and entertained for all two hours and 41 minutes, something that it often takes work to do. The new characters and branches of the universe that unfolded were interesting and I am excited to see the MCU dive deeper into the background and story of the Talokanil people and Namor himself. Watching this in theaters also enhanced the experience even further, and I would definitely recommend going to see this movie as soon as possible!