After Chadwick Boseman’s death took the world by storm, the writers and executives at Marvel had two obvious choices: recast the character of Black Panther that Boseman made famous, or the much riskier option, alter the storyline in a way that includes the death of Black Panther. They chose to go with the latter, resulting in the most recent Marvel movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

As a Marvel fan, I figured they would be able to navigate Boseman’s death in a way that made sense with the plot and overall use it as a way to get the story where they originally intended, just with a slightly different path. What I didn’t expect was for this movie to be as touching and heartfelt as it was, especially for those who especially admire the Black Panther. Even when the movie first opened, it was evident that it was going to have sadder undertones than typically seen in Marvel movies. This resulted in a nice balance of the necessary somber parts with the more exciting, action-packed and thrilling pieces that audiences excitedly anticipate when headed into a Marvel movie.

With that being said, there were definitely some points that felt more extended than necessary, such as a good amount of the second third of it. Knowing Marvel, everything that happened probably happened for a reason, but in this middle chunk, a lot of it felt a bit dragged out and unnecessary; it felt as if it could’ve been summed up in a much more concise and effective way while still honoring the highlight scenes of the movie.

A big reason people loved Black Panther in the first place is the cultural significance- it was the first movie in the franchise that featured a black title character and a predominantly black cast, all while being deep with African culture and enriching viewers. Wakanda Forever continued to deepen that cultural connection by showing more of the African roots, down to the details in the clothing and funeral traditions.

Overall, I think this movie is worth watching, as it has some alluring plot points that are sure to return in future movies and entangle among the web of connections the MCU possesses.