Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Tonally more of a bleak war movie more than a high-energy superhero one; the added weight and maturity in the script is refreshing, though the interesting dramatic dynamic of two oppressed nations on edge deserved a more nuanced climax and resolve than a generic and uncomfortable green-screen battle that ends abruptly. Fantastic turns by Wright, Bassett, and Huerta in particular accentuate some great character work though, especially for the grief-stricken Shuri. Great visuals and music.

6

A Bug’s Life (1998)

Some of the extra computer-y 90s PC game animation bugs me a bit (couldn’t resist) but that’s the only real flaw of this excellant offering of clever world-building (see the bug bar–where everyone can get a good buzz), great humour, and an engaging protagonist in the creative but hard-luck Flik. The surprisingly dark antagonist climax (“Let this be a lesson…Ideas are very dangerous things!”) and the inspiring hero moment after (“You’re wrong, Hopper”) highlight some compelling themes as well.

7