The Legacy of T’Challa The infamous fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has already drawn a ton of criticism. Too many projects juggling too many heroes, a lack of a clear narrative thread like in the first three phases, a flood of secondary and uninspired characters, and a mountain of inconsistencies — all of this has been laid at the feet of Kevin Feige and his creative team by fans both loyal and disappointed. And against this backdrop came the final film of the phase, meant to usher the MCU into its fifth. Its name: "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever". To be honest, I was impressed by the trailer. I hoped that the epic tone shown there would carry into the movie itself — and I wasn’t disappointed. The film certainly feels grand. There are plenty of beautiful scenes and settings. Yet despite the looming threat of a massive global war, the movie still feels oddly small. Even with a conflict brewing between continents and the ocean itself, I never really felt the same level of power and scale that earlier team-based Marvel films managed to deliver. Visually, though, it’s top-notch. The cinematography is gorgeous — Marvel still knows how to make its worlds look convincing. That said, I wasn’t impressed with how the new Black Panther was realized. The visual effects team clearly slipped up there. The suit design and rendering don’t quite reach Marvel’s usual blockbuster standard; the early MCU films actually looked more realistic in how they portrayed superhero armor. On the flip side, the expanded worldbuilding — especially Wakanda’s futuristic tech and the introduction of an entirely new underwater civilization — is spectacular. Credit where it’s due: the filmmakers know how to impress with detailed sci-fi technology, weapons, gadgets, and gear. And both nations, Wakanda and Talokan, look fantastic — rich, believable worlds that feel like they could exist. Still, I can’t help but notice that the further the MCU goes, the more detached its worlds become from any sense of real-world physics. The first films at least pretended to play by physical laws; now we’re in full-blown fantasy mode, where extreme altitude and underwater pressure barely inconvenience the characters. There are plenty of heroes on screen, and the writers do a good job intertwining their stories and motivations. These threads ultimately lead toward a large-scale war — but, again, it’s mostly fought between the Wakandans, a small handful of humans, and the underwater dwellers. The conflict looks spectacular but somehow feels self-contained, almost sterile — as if it exists outside the larger Marvel universe. The cast does solid work. Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, and Tenoch Huerta deserve special mention. Their portrayals of Shuri, Ramonda, and Namor respectively are strong and convincing. But it helps that the script gives them far more screen time than anyone else. Namor’s motivations are well developed — his speeches carry weight, shaped by everything he’s witnessed, and his actions feel driven by logic and fear for his people’s survival. Meanwhile, Shuri’s journey is one of grief and rediscovery — learning how to respond to the harsh new reality Namor confronts her with. One of the film’s key elements is Shuri’s inner struggle. After losing her brother, she’s adrift, angry, and full of doubt. The story forces her to face herself — quite literally — through a series of emotional and symbolic trials that lead to some unexpected encounters. A new character, Riri Williams — known in the comics as Ironheart, the successor to Tony Stark — is introduced here seemingly just because she had to appear somewhere. Unfortunately, she didn’t make much of an impression on me. The film doesn’t really give her time to shine or develop. There are also balance issues in the fights. The antagonists initially seem unstoppable and terrifying, but then suddenly the power dynamic flips for no clear reason, making things feel rushed and inconsistent. It’s not particularly convincing, but given the already long 2.5-hour runtime, you can see why they hurried to the finale. The movie also serves as a farewell — both to the character of T’Challa and to Chadwick Boseman himself, who passed away at 43. There are essentially two goodbyes. The first one (for me, at least) felt emotionally flat, but the second was handled beautifully. Letitia Wright seems to channel the grief of the entire cast and audience in that moment — her tears on screen speak for everyone who mourns Boseman. It’s genuinely moving. "Wakanda Forever" turned out to be a good film — not perfect, but good. It’s a mixed bag in many ways, but one that I personally enjoyed. There are plenty of great jokes, and Marvel once again manages to blend humor into serious storytelling in a way that works. This film will definitely divide audiences: some will see it as “agenda-driven,” others will appreciate the humor or the stunning visuals, and some will find fault with its logic. It’s very much a “your mileage may vary” kind of movie. 7 out of 10