Black Panther Vs. Black Panther 2
By: Ella Embry
Marvel movies have been a staple in the cinematic industry for multiple decades. From Iron Man to Endgame, fans are constantly craving more from the multi-billion dollar franchise. One of the most popular movies made by Marvel, making over $1.3 billion in box office revenue, is Black Panther. After the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, Marvel created a sequel to the film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was released on November 11th, and it’s picking up popularity rapidly.
Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther (2018)
Photo Credits to: The New Yorker
Starring Chadwick Boseman, the story takes place in Wakanda, Africa where Black Panther takes on Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. Let's face it, the real reason we watch any movie is for Michael B. Jordan. In the original movie, we see T’Challa returning home to Wakanda in urgency to his father's recent death. In Wakanda Forever, the mood is set up very differently. On August 28th, 2020, the world lost their beloved Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman. Due to this incident, the sequel was automatically going to be a change in direction. The opening scene of Wakanda Forever sets up T'Challa's death and his family's mourning. Oddly enough, they explain that T’Challa dies from an upsetting illness, such as a relation to Chadwick’s real illness. The comparisons between both storylines aren’t the only major switches in the films.
Black Panther (2018), Album Cover
Photo Credits to: Apple Music
When the first movie was released in 2018, the ending credits song was highly praised. With 22 nominations and 6 awards, “All The Stars” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA, took the world by storm. It doesn’t surprise me that it was awarded “Outstanding Original Song” at the 2019 Grammys. I could listen to this song every day and not get sick of it–in fact, I do! You can feel my disappointment when I discovered it wasn’t used in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Although the music was powerful and daunting, I found a single track that I would consider adding to my playlist. “Life Me Up” by Rihanna was played during the opening scene. As the opening scene is a funeral, this song isn’t as uplifting as “All The Stars” was. My final rating on the soundtrack is 5/10. Stick to Black Panther (2018) when you have AUX.
All Marvel films are known for one specific thing: incredible CGI and special effects. As much as we want to believe that Robert Downey Jr. can fly above New York City in a suit made of iron, he can’t. That’s all thanks to the editors at Marvel! To say I was impressed with the cinematography in this sequel would be an understatement. I truly felt as if I was experiencing what the characters saw. The entire world of Wakanda in both the original film and sequel is created through CGI. It’s almost hard for me to comprehend that I can’t just book a Southwest flight to Wakanda. Compared to Black Panther (2018), I would say the animations are better. That’s just how it works in the film industry, you learn and grow better technology to make your projects better. Overall, my final rating on CGI and special effects is an 8/10.
Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Photo Credits to: The Star Tribune
Finally, we come to my favorite aspect as to why I wanted to see this movie. How do these two movies correlate with each other? When I heard the news that Chadwick Boseman passed away, I was crushed. His acting was phenomenal and his 110 nominations and 42 awards will never be forgotten. I always just thought Black Panther would be a stand-alone film, never a sequel. As hard as it could have been to design a plot and script to tie in with Black Panther (2018), it was done beautifully. It covers the area we all were wondering about, what happened to T’Challa and how did he die? There were also multiple references to the first film and how his sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, will take over. I’d say my final rate for correlation between the two films is a 7/10. The originality of the Black Panther (2018) will stay unbeatable.
I’m not one to give away spoilers, (yes I 100% am), but the ending of the film is the real reason why I loved this movie so much. I’m not going to go on and on about the end to a movie you’ve never seen… unless you want me to. All I can tell you is that my overall rating for Wakanda Forever is 8/10. Personally, the original Black Panther (2018) is ranked at 10/10 for me. My ending thoughts are that you NEED to see this movie. You will laugh, cry, and…be angry? I guarantee it’s worth it.