Fridae

Black Panther 2 is hitting screens around thw world, and it's another blockbuster contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We never get a lot of LGBTQ representation in Marvel films, but actress Michaela Coel has been clear in her publicity interviews that the character she plays - Aneka, one of the royal guard - is a queer woman and that's one of the main reasons she was keen to play the role.

How that queerness translates on screen in the final cut of the move is fairly subtle. Unless you'd read the pre-publicity from Coel, you might not realise that the moment of suggested intimacy portrayed is reflecting a same-sex relationship.

Regardless, even the suggestion of LGBTQ representation appears to be too much for censors in some countries.

It's been confirmed that Kuwait has requestd that the scene be deleted from the version released in that country, and that Marvel has agreed to make the edit.

It hasn't been confirmed yet, but it's expected that censors in China will ban the film completely. Most Marvel films have been blocked by Chinese censors in recent years.

Initial reporting indicates that the original version of the film has been approved for screening in Malaysia, which is a bit suprising given the recent track-record of censorship in that country.

Is Black Panther 2 worth watching?

Leaving aside the debate regarding queer representation, Black Panther 2 - Wakanda Forever is an engaging and watchable film.

Sure, there's a few bits that don't make much sense, but this is a superhero movie based on comic book characters, so you've got to enter into it prepared to suspend disbelief.

There's some smart choices made in the script by writer/director Ryan Coogler. The narrative takes some less obvious turns and really leans into the emotion of loss and grief.

This is a film that's worth watching on the big screen - you want to immerse yourself in the enormity of this world, its characters, and the story being told.