A Trial and A Tribute
In "Wakanda Forever," Black Panther's legacy lives on.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has finally hit theaters and it’s more than just a film—it’s a tribute. Following the shocking and unexpected death of the former lead actor, Chadwick Boseman in 2020, fans wondered about the future surrounding the role. Rather than recasting the role, director, Ryan Coogler, incorporated the death of Boseman into the film by making it a beautiful tribute to his legacy as the Black Panther.
Some fans were upset about the role not being recast; however I was not one of them. The film taking the direction of focusing on the grieving process of the leading women in T’Challa’s life, individually, was a beautiful approach. From the storyline to the acting to the soundtrack, the movie was a touching send-off to Boseman’s legacy as the Black Panther.
“I think that they really did a great job with honoring all of his hard work,’’ said SMC student Caleb Bell. “He had to work really hard to get to that role and all of the years that he worked to be an actor. So I would say that it was a great remembrance of all of his hard work and sacrifices.”
From the beginning, I had high expectations for this film. Not only due to the death of Boseman and wondering how they could continue on with the movie franchise, but also because the first film was a cultural reset for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Usually, sequels don’t live up to the hype of the original and can be a tad bit disappointing.
However, this sequel was not one of them.
From the shocking plot twist to the surprise appearances, to the comic relief sprinkled into the scenes, the movie met all of my expectations and so much more.
Personally, I feel that recasting a role that was played so amazingly well by Boseman would not have done his character justice. Truthfully, incorporating the death of T’Challa added a realistic element to the film. When one monarch passes, the next in line takes their place.
Santa Monica College students voiced their opinion on the film — Yanci Angel agrees with the director’s choice to not recast the role.
“He’s already done a great job and it’s hard to look for someone to take that role and make it the same when it’s not the same,” Angel said.
While also touching on the reality of grief and how it affects people, the film incorporates real-world issues such as colonialism, slavery, and oppression in a way that ties into the sequel. Following in the footsteps of the original, the sequel continued to expand on cultural representation, women empowerment, equality, and so much more.
“The Wakanda Forever movie does a great job of representing different cultures, musically, definitely. Cultural representation is just really good. We all need it. We all need heroes,” Bell said. “Also the representation of genders and equal representation, showing all of the male and females having intelligence and having valuable character development in the movie.”
