The high anticipation for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” released Nov. 11, was well deserved. The movie is filled with well- developed characters, beautiful cinematography, a captivating, thorough plot and multiple setups for new opportunities to be explored, making the movie worth the wait.

The movie follows the super-advanced African kingdom of Wakanda after the death of their beloved king and black panther, T’challa. As the nation heals, a new problem arises with the introduction of Namor and his people. Namor, the mutant king of the underwater city of Talokan, starts to stir up some problems for the kingdom.

In addition to the plot, director Ryan Coogler continues his streak of bringing complete, dynamic characters to the screen. Coogler does a good job of developing these characters without fully changing who they are or making them flat and lifeless. He also perfectly integrates some new characters, including Riri Williams, a highly intelligent MIT student, and Namor. Both are introduced smoothly and logically into the plot without any unnecessary twists.

The cinematography of the movie is also top tier. From the opening scene to the end credit scene, the beauty of Wakanda and Talokan is displayed in many outstanding shots. Through the use of CGI, computer-generated imagery, the two kingdoms come to life.

The movie also sets up many new opportunities for Marvel to explore. To start off, the introduction of Namor officially introduces mutants to the marvel cinematic universe. This introduction opens the door for many other mutants to be included in upcoming projects, including the X-Men. Also with the introduction of Riri Williams, the movie sets up for the new series Ironheart, releasing in the fall of 2023. Lastly, the movie leaves a few doors open for the continuation of some of the Wankandan’s stories.

However, the movie is quite long. Running at a length of roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes, I do feel like some scenes could have been cut to ensure that the audience is fully engaged the entirety of the film. Despite those scenes, the movie moved really well from one element to the next, creating a fluid, enjoyable plot.

Overall, my favorite part of the movie was the continuous tribute to the original black panther, Chadwick Boseman, who died last year of cancer. Throughout the movie, Boseman is honored in many ways, making this movie extra special.

In general, the good in this movie heavily outweighed the bad. The critics agree giving the movie a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With the original movie winning three Oscars and numerous other awards, I am glad to see the sequel is continuing that success by claiming the title of the highest grossing November release weekend movie ever. Therefore, many Marvel fans, in addition to myself, would recommend this movie. Even though the first movie will always be one of my favorites, the sequel does not disappoint in positively moving the franchise forward.