‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: Strong Women, Spock-Like Fish Men

Star power on land and undersea

Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

One of the outstanding things about the second Black Panther is its powerful cast, a panorama of actors largely of color, and its wide range of characters. Wright is a standout as we see her morph from the playful, precocious STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) prodigy she had been to a serious woman who must make hard decisions in difficult times. As for Bassett, I want her to star in every movie — she demonstrates a strength of muscle and temperament that makes every part she plays ring true and seem effortless. Add to this Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, among many other luminaries, and there’s a feeling of a world built with great imagination, believably populated.

Below the line, it’s tops

(Left to right) Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda and Danai Gurira as Okoye.

Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

From the chic one-sleeved white gowns worn by the king’s pallbearers to the iridescent gear of the undersea folks, the costumes stun. They are of a piece with Ryan Coogler’s direction; the excellent script cowritten by his Black Panther partner, Joe Robert Cole; the cinematography; the special effects; the production design; and Rihanna’s passionate anthem, “Lift Me Up.”

Vibranium, Vischmanium — this paradise runs on woman power

Lupita Nyong'o stars as Nakia.

Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Wakanda is a world that lionizes women who STEM, who invent, who fight, who love, who honor tradition, who mother, who have mothers. Wakanda honors the resilience of women. And that’s a powerful thing. Marvel movies and the superhero genre are traditionally male-oriented, but Black Panther, one of the biggest franchises of all, passes what’s called “the Bechdel Test” — meaning it features strong female characters who talk to each other, not always about men.

Wakanda for a long, long while

The movie makes you mourn the cool cat that was Boseman, but feel relief and relish that Wakanda is a drama strong enough to go on without him — if not forever, at least in a series of vibrant, empowering sequels as inspiring as this one.

Watch it: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, coming to theaters Nov. 11

Thelma M. Adams, the former film critic for Us Weekly and the New York Post, is a novelist who writes on film for AARP, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.