Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

After the death of Chadwick Boseman, it would have been impossible to try to do a sequel to the original Black Panther without their feeling something missing. Fortunately, and surprisingly, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever not only gives us a really good movie but is also a great tribute to the late actor. This sequel and MCU entry, it being the 30th film and last movie entry of Phase 4, sees Wakanda being threatened by another secret kingdom rich with vibranium, though being underwater and led by Namor. Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister, must learn to figure out how to protect both her kingdom and a young scientist that Namor wants as she takes over the mantle of Black Panther. Returning to direct and cowrite alongside Joe Robert Cole, Ryan Coogler doesn't just make a well made superhero film, but also a well crafted political thriller with great action sequences. Boseman is greatly missed and the film manages to pay huge tributes to him and his character but is done in a way that feels therapeutic and cathartic. The biggest flaw is probably the scenes dealing with Everett Ross and the reveal that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is his ex-wife and head of the CIA due to them dragging a bit. There are really good effects, especially in showing Namor's underwater kingdom and his flight capabilities, though often there are obvious green screen effects and it's obvious that having too many projects in one year does affect aspect to their projects such as the cgi. The movies's cinematography from Autumn Durald Arkpaw is exquisite at showing how different many of the locations are, the music from Ludwig Goransson enhances many scenes while Rihanna belts out an incredibly passionate song deserving of an Oscar nomination, and its editing from Michael P. Shawver, Kelley Dixon, and Jennifer Lame all give the film a quick and well paced feel. Returning and new cast members all give strong performances, whether it's Letitia Wright as Shuri or Angela Bassett giving such a passionate performance as Queen Ramonda that she was given an Oscar nomination, or Tenoch Huerta Mejia as the ever imposing Namor and Dominique Thorne as Riri Willians who becomes the Iron Man inspired Ironheart. Phase Four of the MCU has been one of the franchise's most challenging eras due to how many projects they've churned out at once between the movies, shows, and specials, but Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a strong entry that not only takes a silly character like Namor and makes him serious but is a wonderful tribute to one of the best actors the MCU ever had. Over all: 100%

2022 top list so far:

1. Top Gun: Maverick

2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

3. The Black Phone

4. Nope

5. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

6. The Northman

7. The Batman

8. Pearl

9. Lightyear

10. Dog

11. Everything Everywhere All at Once

12. X 2022

13. Scream 2022

14. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

15. Bullet Train

16. Halloween Ends

17. Thor: Love and Thunder

18. Jurassic World: Dominion

19. Black Adam

20. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

21. Uncharted