X
GO

HERALD ARTICLES
FEATURED MOVIE REVIEW: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Linda Oppelt
/ Categories: Arts & Culture

FEATURED MOVIE REVIEW: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

By John Mulderig/CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA

Angela Bassett as Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (Courtesy of Marvel Studios)

NEW YORK. The untimely 2020 death of gifted actor Chadwick Boseman, aged only 43, was a blow to Hollywood in general and to the future of a potential “Black Panther” franchise in particular. As fans of that 2018 action adventure will recall, Boseman played its protagonist — so that his absence would necessarily require a significant shift of focus in any sequel.

It’s appropriate, then, that the follow-up “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (PG-13, Disney) — like its predecessor, a Marvel Comics-derived epic — opens with a farewell to Boseman’s King T’Challa, sovereign of the imaginary African nation of the title, before continuing the story of other important characters from the kick-off. The film also introduces a new adversary into the mix.

Now at center stage are two of the powerful women in T’Challa’s life: his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), who has succeeded him on the throne of Wakanda, and his scientist sister, Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). Tension arises between them, though, since Ramonda uses the prescribed rituals of the country’s traditional religion to ease her grief but cannot urge convinced materialist Shuri to do the same.

Even as the two grapple with their bereavement, they’re confronted by the aforementioned antagonist, Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the leader of a race of deep-sea-dwelling descendants of the Maya. Like the Wakandans, his followers, the inhabitants of Talokan, have access to vibranium, an element that gives its possessors prosperity, technological advancement and superior weaponry.

Also like the subjects of Queen Ramonda, Namor’s people have clashed with ordinary humans desperate to get their hands on vibranium. Namor, it turns out, is not so much an outright villain as a ruler determined to safeguard Talokan by any means necessary.

As Ramonda and Shuri try to decide whether to ally themselves with Namor or oppose him, director and co-writer Ryan Coogler explores how a sense of solidarity can steer people away from aggression and the desire for vengeance and point them toward peaceable cooperation. His script — penned with Joe Robert Cole — also upholds, at least implicitly, a spiritual outlook on life as well as the immortality of the soul.

The inclusion of a vague form of ancestor worship into the proceedings, however, makes the movie unfit for the impressionable. Grown viewers equipped to place this aspect of Wakandan culture in context, by contrast, will be treated to another rousing visit to that realm’s inviting precincts and to the tumultuous, but ultimately pleasing, alternative reality that prevails there.

Look for: Themes of mercy and human dignity. Look out for: Frequent stylized violence, nonscriptural beliefs and practices, glimpses of partial nudity, a couple of mild oaths, at least one rough term and several uses of crude or crass language.

The Catholic Moviegoer’s guidance is M — suitable for mature viewers.

Formerly a staff member for Catholic News Service, John Mulderig has been reviewing visual media from a Catholic perspective for 15 years. His column is syndicated by Catholic Review Media.

Previous Article EL BÁCULO DEL OBISPO: Contemplando la Encarnación
Next Article Queen of Apostles statue dedicated at Holy Apostles
Print
270 Rate this article:
No rating

Linda OppeltLinda Oppelt

Other posts by Linda Oppelt
Contact author
Please login or register to post comments.

Contact author

x
HERALD HEADLINES

Jay Barnwell, Director of Stewardship for Our Lady of the Pines Parish, dies at age 74

Linda Oppelt 0 252 Article rating: No rating

COLORADO SPRINGS. Jay Barnwell, who served as Director of Stewardship for Our Lady of the Pines Parish in the Black Forest section of Colorado Springs, died Dec. 21, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Jan. 13 at Our Lady of the Pines.

Deacon Lynn Sherman dies at age 76; played key role in building St. Benedict Church in Falcon

Linda Oppelt 0 240 Article rating: 1.0

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Deacon Lynn Sherman, a retired deacon of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, died Dec. 26 in Virginia. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Jan. 11 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria, followed by burial at Bethel Cemetery. 

BLESSINGS IN BLOOM: House Plants

By Kerry Peetz

Kerry Peetz 0 231 Article rating: No rating

We all appreciate the scenic beauty of nature. In our diocese we are blessed with the Rocky Mountains; they are practically at our doorstep. Just a step outside, a nod to the west and the vision of the mountains brings us closer to nature and to God. The top of Pikes Peak is nestled right under heaven and, as sure as the air is crisp, many a prayer has been prayed there.

Revive Alive, Jan. 20, 2023

- The Eucharistic Revival in the Diocese of Colorado Springs

Linda Oppelt 0 204 Article rating: No rating

The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren:

‘You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother, . . . You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in this meal . . . God freed you from all your sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.’ — Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1397 (quote from St. John Chrysostom).

Head of Eucharistic Revival exhorts faithful to ‘live a eucharistic life’

by Deacon Rick Bauer

Deacon Rick Bauer 0 342 Article rating: No rating

COLORADO SPRINGS. On Jan. 7, priests and deacons from the Diocese of Colorado Springs gathered for a day of inspiration, reflection, discussion, and prayer. Co-led by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chairman of the  Evangelization and Catechesis Committee for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop James Golka, the morning activities at St. Gabriel Parish featured an extensive reflection on the Eucharist by Bishop Cozzens, including a detailed plan for the three-year Eucharistic Revival that he has been tasked with organizing.

Healing workshop set for Jan. 26-28 at The Antlers

Linda Oppelt 0 310 Article rating: 4.5

COLORADO SPRINGS. The St. Thomas Aquinas Society is sponsoring a Breakthrough Healing Workshop Jan. 26-28 at The Antlers Wyndham Hotel, 4 S. Cascade Ave. in downtown Colorado Springs. Bishop James Golka will celebrate Mass during the event on Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.stthomasaquinassociety.org.

St. Pat’s outreach extends beyond parish boundaries

By Theresa Ward

Theresa Ward 0 226 Article rating: 1.0

COLORADO SPRINGS. As daily news reports shift from mass shootings to depictions of war in Ukraine, it is easy to become desensitized to the suffering of the world. But St. Patrick Parish in Colorado Springs took the message of Pope Francis — to go to the peripheries and bring hope to the suffering — by reorienting their annual Giving Tree project to address needs beyond the boundaries of their local community.

RSS
First2345791011Last