20s Movie Review - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Director: Ryan Coogler
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 161 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 23: A FILM THAT’S PART OF A SERIES OR FRANCHISE
 
Description: The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mounr the death of King T’Challa.

Review: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is the long-awaited sequel to the superhero “Black Panther”. This first film was received with mainly positive reviews and earned a lot of awards. Opinions about the sequel vary widely.

The film begins emotional, where the people of Wakanda are saying goodbye to King T’Challa. Actor Chadwick Boseman portrayed this character in 2018, but sadly passed away in the summer of 2020. So, the fact that there is a sequel without the main character is, so to say, very particular. And unfortunately, we could have done without this movie.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” feels like a film made out of respect for Boseman. Which is of course a beautiful thing and there is nothing wrong with that. But because of this, the humor that the first film had, is almost totally absent. Maybe for a fear of disrespect? And you miss Boseman, therefore the reason I believe this movie was not really necessary.

The film is also too long. With its almost 3-hour runtime, it’s too long to stay engaging and interesting.
One thing I did love, is the strong female presence. It’s, for the most part, female characters that carry this film. And Angela Bassett steals every scene she is in. Bassett is the strongest performer in the film.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

TV Show Review - The Walking Dead (Season 9)

Season: 9
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Adventure
Number of episodes: 16
Year: 2018/ 2019
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohen, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquad, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Tom Payne

Description: Eighteen months after the defeat of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) under an alliance of communities spearheaded by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the season focuses on the united communities as they face obstacles and dangers both outside and inside their alliance, with the threat of the mysterious Whisperers looming.

Review: After season 8, “The Walking Dead” had lost my interest a bit. The pacing was slow and the unexpected deaths of some character didn’t help either. Rick decision about Negan’s fate in the season 8 finale was very lame and I thought it was the end for the show. But then there was season 9, which brought the show back to life.
Andrew Lincoln was announced to leave the show. I was never a huge fan of Rick Grimes, so I wasn’t disappointed. But I was afraid that “The Walking Dead” would suffer from this. Because Rick was the main character of the show.
From the start of the season, “The Walking Dead” felt fresh. It had a new opening sequence, it made a time jump and the pacing was much faster. The walkers are more present and the way they wrote Rick out of the show has been handled well. Maggie’s departure not so much, because she was just gone all of a sudden. And within the season another time jump was added.
With The Hilltop, The Kingdom and Alexandria still working together, you can see that, after Rick’s death, a lot has happened between the three places and their leaders.
The most interesting and exciting part of season 9 is the new hostile group: the Whisperers. They skin walkers and used their faces as a mask, so they can blend in with the actual walkers. Negan was a great villain at the start, but eventually became softer. The Whisperers are a real threat, they are scary an merciless.
I also liked the connection between Rick’s daughter Judith and Negan. Unlikely to see them get along, but it’s very endearing to see them bond.
Since a long time, “The Walking Dead” has been interesting again and it managed to shock us towards the end of the season. Something that the show was lacking in season 8.

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 136: All Eyez On Me

Director: Benny Boom
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 139 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan

Description: Tells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur.

Review: Tupac Shakur contradicted himself in a lot of ways. According to his lyrics he was a pure revolutionary, but also a gangster who did everything for money. And he was a misogyn and someone who cared about the fate of women. But he managed to combine all these contradictions, in his music and personality. The makers of “All Eyez On Me” wanted all of this too, but didn’t manage. It’s a fast biopic filled with important moments in Tupac’s life. But it never hits the core.
That two and a half hours isn’t enough to tell his story, proofs how dramatic his short life was. Tupac was only 25 when he died. And it mostly focusses on his career from 1991 to 1996. “All Eyez On Me” makes the mistake most makers of biopics make: after a good build up, the movie loses itself by showing a series of highlights in a very fast pace. Basically because there isn’t enough time. It would have been better if this film focused on a small part of Tupac’s life, instead of his entire life.
Director Benny Boom didn’t manage to execute it well. He wanted to show Tupac as the revolutionary that he was, but he also wants to make a more Shakespearian drama, with quotes from Hamlet. But we mostly see a man who hasn’t been done justice his whole life, by his family, friends, enemies and the law.
Demetrius Shipp Jr. looks exactly like Tupac Shakur and this is probably the main reason why he was cast in this role. It’s obvious he studies Tupac and he manages to imitate. But there is a lack of depth and you’re constantly looking at an actor playing Tupac, instead of actually seeing Tupac Shakur.
This all makes “Alle Eyez On Me” a rushed biopic and not the film Tupac Shakur deserved.

Rating: 2,5/ 5