Released on Nov. 11, 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the sequel to Black Panther. The story follows the death of former king T’Challa and how his sister, Shuri, copes throughout wartime. 

The film features the majority of the original cast, with the addition of uprising actors and actresses who play the new characters, such as Riri Williams who is played by Dominique Thorne. The official run of the film is two hours and 41 minutes.  Following the revival of her music, Rihanna has released a new song within the soundtrack of the film called Lift Me Up. Ludwig Görasson, one of the songwriters, said the song is a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa in the original film.

“I preferred the second one more because it was better written…it had nothing to do with the concept,” said senior Sonny Bowels.

The film itself had plenty to live up to. The many scenes that dedicated the story to Chadwick held a significant impact on the film, such as silent moments in the Marvel beginning credits where they showed pictures of Chadwick in the original Black Panther. The original cast also had to brighten the mood while discussing this heavy topic, which they did with more humorous dialogue hidden within the film. 

“It felt so sudden, almost hectic. They also made a point to acknowledge how he suffered in silence, cause in real life he never told anyone,” said junior Eva Montalvo.

The film incorporated indigenous rituals and lifestyles, such as funeral proceedings and how the Mayan Latino community grew crops. Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor, is a Mexican actor who shows the representation of his community and history. They also incorporated traditional Mayan and African tribal clothing in scenes of mourning or celebration.

“They brought different cultures into movies to make a point that it’s not all one culture,” said Eva, who addressed how the movie incorporated the two very different cultures.