By Grace Khai

Please note: this movie review may contain spoilers.

A kingdom named Wakanda, made up of highly advanced technology combined with traditions and vibranium. The kingdom was hidden away from others; only people of the kingdom had access, until one day someone was able to break through. Someone who also had access to vibranium and had a kingdom of his own; they were even stronger than them, and he threatened the kingdom of Wakanda. The recent movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a marvelous movie that is action-packed, but also mesmerizing with overall beautiful cinematography. It contains a look at different cultures and their situations they have to deal with. I will be discussing why Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is worth watching and how it portrays the American government and their habit of colonizing.

Let’s begin by taking a look at the Kingdom of Wakanda and the clothing and accessories the people have when they are having a funeral. They were wearing white colored traditional clothing alongside white markings on their faces. Letitia’s Wright’s character, Princess Shuri, wore a white funeral shroud and tusk earrings. It’s interesting because Shuri isn’t usually the traditional type of person, but for T’Challa, she was going to pay respects to him. The main antagonist of the movie is Talokanil, who has gills made out of prosthetics along with his pointed ears and winged ankles. He also has digitally created ear jewelry painted to appear like blue jade. Everyone’s outfits were really detailed and went along with the character’s vibe, which really helped their appearance vocalize their personalities. Besides the costumes and the make-up, let’s talk about the kingdoms that we see in the movie beginning with Wakanda: Amazing architecture and the mix of modern-like feel to a traditionally influenced culture. It was as mesmerizing as always, but then I saw Talokan and it was honestly so ethereal. Even the background music,“Con La Brisa” by Ludwig Göransson, adds to this magical feeling when the scene with Namor and Shuri comes on.

This movie perfectly portrays that women are just as powerful as men and can fight for the people they love and care for. They can fight just as well or even better than men. It was very empowering because it was really nice to see everybody work together and think of a solution to the problems they encounter. With Shuri’s intelligence, she was able to build and create amazing technology to enhance their traditional weapons.

In the past, we have seen many countries and their fair share of colonization. The British and colonizing Jamestown, the French and colonizing parts of Canada, the Spanish and colonizing parts of now Central America and South America. These countries all did this for more power over each other. They wanted to be the most powerful country of all. This can relate to how different countries wanted to invade Wakanda to be able to get their hands on vibranium. If they were to be in possession of vibranium, it could make them the most powerful being in the whole world. They could potentially make devastating weapons. Who knows what catastrophic outcomes could happen? Possibly World War 3 with the use of vibranium weapons? But unlike in actual history, Wakanda was able to stand against these forces and fight for their home. They were able to protect their lovely country of Wakanda. They were able to protect all of their possessions and belongings, especially the vibranium that is only found in Wakanda.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a magnificent cinematic masterpiece. Ranging from the storyline to the videography. The editing and remastering of CGI was very realistic too, so nothing too out of the place. Every single scene was aesthetically pleasing and something to look forward to. The producers of the movie were able to implement methods that keep the viewer engaged with the movie – either on the edge of their seat or soaking in emotion coming from the movie. The message and pain experienced throughout the film deeply touches your heart, so be prepared to feel every emotion known. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever leaves you satisfied with the ending, and very emotional.