What I’m watching: Two Marvel(ous) offerings

Date: 11/18/2022

New to theaters: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

In the aftermath of “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman’s sudden passing in 2020, the prospects of a sequel for the 2018 smash success seemed like a daunting proposal. How could director Ryan Coogler and his creative team fill the void for an actor who became a remarkable symbol of strength and empowerment to so many?

My feelings were especially mixed considering the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) track record. Fans may line up in droves for their latest features, but not all MCU titles are built equally. For every roaring crowd pleaser like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Iron Man,” Marvel produces its fair share of lackluster duds, like “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Iron Man 2,” that only exist as cynical products cashing in on the superhero craze.

With “Wakanda Forever,” Coogler and company continue the Black Panther narrative by not shying away from the production’s heartbreaking realities. The results offer a sensitive and deeply affectionate film that thankfully eschews most of the MCU’s tired trends.

Coogler deserves significant praise for the herculean effort he accomplishes with “Wakanda Forever.” He sets the tone immediately in his somber opening frames, reflecting on the passing of Boseman, and in turn, his character’s lionized legacy as the leader of the Wakanda community. The death of both figures is felt throughout “Wakanda Forever,” showcasing a rare embrace of sobering realities that always seems elusive to superheroes’ perfectionist image. Coogler’s numerous tributes are also well-earned thanks to his infectious sincerity. The creative team’s emotional resonance toward their former colleague radiates in full force as they discover meaningful ways to honor Boseman’s legacy.

As a sequel, “Wakanda Forever” balances its poignant reflections with intelligent progressions of the original film’s narrative and socially conscious threads. The focus on previously supporting characters, like Letitia Wright’s Shuri, Lupita Nyong’o’s Naika, and Angela Basset’s impactful role as the Wakandan leader Ramonda, offers a refreshing new perspective. Each well-defined character toils with welcomed vulnerabilities in their personal evolutions amidst trying circumstances. It’s an appreciated change to see three female protagonists of color feature lived-in textures as characters in a genre that often overlooks their perspectives.

“Wakanda Forever” also marks the introduction of Namor – the vengeful leader of an underwater kingdom that looks to combat his tribe’s history as discarded byproducts of colonization. Like what “Black Panther” accomplished with its well-realized antagonist Killmonger, Namor elevates the typical formula of villainous roles. His genuine plights, which are deeply entrenched within real-world sentiments regarding underrepresented communities’ disenfranchised treatment, help make the character a compassionate presence for viewers to ruminate on. Actor Tenoch Huerta helps tremendously in bringing Namor’s sentiments to life through his commanding dramatic gravitas.

There are still some frustrating MCU contrivances throughout “Wakanda Forever’s” runtime. The insistent need to constantly introduce new characters and expand upon the universe’s lore can often come to a detriment to the focused narrative that Coogler and company are trying to tell. The overwhelming bloat leads to the breathless 161-minute runtime featuring its fair share of discombobulated sequences. Additionally, action set pieces continue to be a weakness of the MCU. I appreciate Coogler’s inclusion of a few well-placed slow-motion techniques to accent the underlying chaos, but most of the set pieces are fairly routine displays of carnage.

Thankfully, Coogler and his talented team ensure that “Wakanda Forever” hits most of the right marks. The sequel showcases the prosperity of the Black Panther franchise’s focus on humanizing its subjects rather than treating them like mindless action figures.

Also on Streaming: “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” on Disney+

With the release of “Wakanda Forever,” I thought it was a great time to highlight the recent conclusion of the MCU TV show “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s” first season on Disney+. The program has been the subject of ire for many superhero fans for its shaky computer-generated effects and numerous pop culture inclusions. Unsurprisingly for those who consider me a film contrarian, I found “She-Hulk” to be one of the best MCU offerings to date.

The light-hearted, nine-episode series focuses on Jennifer Walters as she maneuvers her conjoined existence as a lawyer and superhero after suddenly contracting mutated powers. Played with vivacious charisma and remarkable personability by star Tatiana Maslany, Jennifer soon learns that her biggest foe does not come in the form of a larger-than-life bad guy, but rather preconceived notions and prejudiced ideologies questioning her existence as a female superhero.

Through this approach, “She-Hulk” offers clever commentary on the unjust workplace standards that are still rampant in our culture. The show also provides well-pointed critiques of fandom culture, which often tries to bully its beliefs without recognizing art’s creative process. The self-contained episodes are refreshingly focused compared to the cluttered bombast of most MCU productions, and I also found most of the show’s self-referential comedic barbs quite amusing. How can you go wrong with She-Hulk twerking alongside Megan Thee Stallion?

More importantly, “She-Hulk” symbolizes another chapter of growth for the MCU. With famed heroes like Captain America and Iron Man retiring from the silver screen, Marvel finds itself in an interesting predicament as they stretch toward new characters and ideas. So far, I give Marvel significant credit for embracing something the studio often seemed deathly afraid of – meaningful change. Productions like “Eternals” and “Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness” welcomingly favored the perspectives of their talented filmmakers, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao and horror icon Sam Raimi, over hammering audiences with another onslaught of meaningless action sequences.

I hope the successes of “Wakanda Forever” and “She-Hulk” continue to inspire Marvel to take meaningful risks with their projects. After all, art is best when crafted by people with compassion, care and insightful viewpoints – not studio mandates dictating what will generate the most profits.