Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever est spectaculaire et coloré : grâce à ses personnages, ses décors, ses costumes et aux excellents arrangements de Göransson, le compositeur de la bande originale. Mais il est également trop long, avec des dialogues répétitifs ressassant les mêmes élements, un « méchant » puissant mais sans véritable personnalité, un monde sous-marin loin d’être aussi élaboré que celui d’Aquaman, et des idées reprises d’autres films Marvel qui ne fonctionnent pas ici (comme les armures d’Iron-Man et le fait de voler à l’intérieur). Le premier Black Panther avait surpris par son esprit distinctif, et par sa mystique africaine convaincante sur les racines ethniques d’un nouveau mouvement de super-héros qui fonctionnait très efficacement. Il s’agit là d’une formule Marvel toujours digne d’intérêt, mais modifié uniquement pour la forme. (06/03/2023)

Des costumes, décors, maquillages, danses et créations théâtrales qui en mettent plein la vue, toujours et encore jusqu’à plus soif. L’intrigue commence de façon aussi basique, futile et scénaristiquement bancale qu’elle ne se termine et se résout. Et en fait, ce qui s’y passe n’a aucune importance, parce que Black Panther : Wakanda Forever ne sert que de lien entre les films de la franchise et de vitrine pour nous présenter de nouveaux personnages. Ryan Coogler a pratiquement reçu un chèque en blanc pour pouvoir faire tout ce qu’il voulait et ces 160 minutes sont un cafouillage absolu. On peut apprécier que le réalisateur n’ait pas lâché de gags toutes les cinq minutes comme dans Thor : Love and Thunder, mais même comme ça, les petites touches d’humour sont lourdes et handicapent le film comme une jambe plâtrée. Certes, les visuels sont réussis et ont de quoi enchanter le public, mais pour moi, c’est un film totalement inutile qui rejoint ceux de la phase IV de Marvel et leur nullité. Remarque : il n’y a aucune scène bonus après le générique de fin, donc vous pouvez rentrer chez vous directement. (10/11/2022)

An enchanting and transcendent cinematic experience. Absolutely Beautiful! Marvel is back on top and Ryan Coogler has made the most complex and mature Marvel movie ever. Black Panther sets up a powerfully emotional and sad funeral from the opening, with all of Wakanda mourning in grief and it's very palpable. The plot then shifts a year and a brilliantly written political drama begins to unfold (the Queen's speech at the UN is like something out of an Oscar drama, not to mention the speech in Wakanda, everyone was holding their breath there!). The battle for vibranium begins and the new undersea civilization of Talokan comes into play with a stunningly filmed city, impressive depiction of life there and most importantly a villain who quite possibly is one of the best Marvel has ever created, Namor! Anti-hero, snake god, a symbol with good motivation, great backgrounds (the flashback with the conquistadors is great!), and the insight into Mayan culture was also brilliant. Tenoch Huerta is a strong cast hit and whenever he's on set he rips everything from action, to dialogue to dense drama for himself. I also enjoyed Namor's main fighters, they really commanded respect and that fight on the bridge with Okoye is an action packed treat. I liked the way the film is conceived in a very serious, adult, fateful and emotional way. There’s probably the least humour of all the Marvel films, but given the mood that's a good thing. The music is amazing, with Ludwig Göransson delivering another masterpiece and deserving another Oscar. The song “Con la Brisa” during the Talocan introduction is burned into my heart and I listen to it all day, but every single piece fits like a glove and I had my soundtrack list increased by at least 5 tracks. Best music in cinema this year without a doubt. I also enjoyed the action, even though there isn't much of it, it’s grounded, it's not the typical CGI mess where everything just explodes, but it cuts to the chase beautifully. The invasion of Wakanda is filmed in such a way that it takes your breath away, and the finale on the ship is such an epic carnage that it could be compared to the battle in Avengers. There are interesting themes and ideas running throughout the film, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into African culture again, the politics, drama, action, visuals, music, epicness and emotion all work, this is simply one hell of a mature film that has something from everyone and it all works flawlessly. I got goosebumps several times and even held my breath a few times. The peace and quiet in the cinema was really palpable, everyone was blown away. Audiovisual porn, brutal action, emotional inferno, that's all you need to know. Oh, and Letitia Wright handled it more than well. 9/10. (13/11/2022)

This return to the more traditionally constructed Marvel films of yesteryear is certainly welcome. It's nice Black Panther, except for a few moments, tries to look serious – within the confines of a superhero movie, of course – and doesn't make idiotic jokes like Thor. It probably wouldn’t been fitting, since mourning for Chadwick Boseman, or in this case T'Challa, is supposed to be one of the pillars of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And it's a bit of a problem. Because as we are mourning, we are introduced to quite a few new characters and an undersea civilization whose city we also have to look into. And while it's all nice and visually imaginative, the first half seems to forget that the film has to have a plot. The second Black Panther doesn't really get going until about an hour in, and unfortunately it comes too late, because by the closing credits Ryan Coogler doesn't have time to properly involve the new (and often old) characters in the plot and there's just too much going on. The moments when the film turns into a fine political thriller, at least for a while, or when the characters start to deal more with their emotions and traumas, are interesting. But having to deal with a huge amount of stuff and build up to the big finale, or rather the big finale and even bigger invasion of Wakanda in the middle, results in even the two and a half hours being simply too little to serve up everything they wanted to cook up. Not to mention that Letitia Wright unfortunately doesn't have the talent to pull off the lead role in such a complex story, and that Riri Williams, the future driving force, has so far profiled herself as more of a whiny sidekick than someone I'd want to see on screen more often. (10/11/2022)

A modest, sensitive, and respectful tribute to an icon, who for inexplicable reasons appears in a movie that lasts three hours. Sometimes less is truly more, and I could have done without several of the action scenes. Whether it was due to budget constraints or the difficulty of filming, the first half of the film practically takes place in darkness, shadow, or underwater every time there's a fight or something particularly dramatic happening. I can't explain how a last farewell to Chadwick Boseman, a therapeutic guide to coping with the loss of a loved one, a political thriller, a battle of empires, and an effort to overcome one's own shadow can all work together, but somehow it does. Maybe thanks to the phenomenal Angela Bassett, maybe thanks to the long-awaited, but inevitable, appearance of the titular suit. 70% (07/07/2023)