Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (October trailer)

We last covered the much-anticipated Black Panther sequel in July, highlighting how it cleverly used a mix of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright”. Now, as we get close to the November 11th release, we’re treated to another (and likely final) glimpse and listen before its release.

This time, a single song is used at length: “Never Forget” by Sampa the Great, featuring Chef 187, Tip Nason, and Mwanje, released just this past month. In her words, the track is “an ode to Zamrock music, a genre born in the ‘70s combining traditional Zambian music and psychedelic rock.” There are a few connections to make here. Beyond the obvious use of music of a culture proximal to the Afrofuturism of Wakanda, we also have a strong female tie-in in Sampa the Great, to some extent mirroring the new, female Black Panther. What’s more, the trailer introduces Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart—further underscoring the use of strong female leads.

At the outset of the trailer the emphasis is on narration, with some choral voices and spare percussion (at one point, synched at 0:25 in a loose diegetic association with the drummers). At 0:38 Samba the Great’s voice comes in as we see an action montage in different locales, seemingly around the world. The narrator, M’Baku (Winston Duke), appears on-screen at 0:51 with his voice heard first as part of a sound bridge. Through this and Shuri’s dialogue, we’re given the clearest indication yet of the plot.

At 1:12 we encounter the date title card and the inclusion of a singing voice (where before it was mainly rapping) and orchestral strings, moving more towards action and sound bites now that the narrative has been effectively established. Note the synch point at 1:24 between the high strings and the water gushing out, destroying what looks like a part of Wakanda. The stakes continue to climb: by 1:30, the epic, orchestral arrangement all but takes over, and a chorus begins, chanting “Wakanda forever”. At 1:41 we get one more synch point between the warrior beating his chest and the percussion.

The trailer takes a turn for its ending, understanding that sometimes less is more. Note the dramatic impact at 1:46-1:53 as we expect a loud sound effect when the new Black Panther lands—but we hear nothing diegetic, and instead only a single piano note, harkening to the beginning of the trailer. This use of silence for visual action with only voiceover reminds one of the trailer for Pacific Rim—where sounds effects and music have reached the point where they can’t sufficiently be expressed. It’s an inspired use of musical counterpoint, with this sudden silence underscoring the drama of the moment more than any sound would.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrive in theatres November 11th.

— Curtis Perry