In an case, this movie starts off as a dirge. It is, after all, the first chance that we get to address the passing of Chadwick Boseman on film since his untimely passing. They address this at the start of the movie, and in a very realistic way, the passing of King T'challa hits us like a sledgehammer (an exact replication of the true life event). This movie gives us a chance to grieve in a most colourful celebration only the likes of which Wakanda could provide. With the passing of the King and the vacancy of the Black Panther mantle (thanks to Killmonger's antics from the last film), the world powers continue to antagonize Wakanda sensing that the nation is at its weakest. It is in fact a facet of this antagonism that sets in motion events that reveal to us Namor the Submariner, and his Kingdom of Talokan.
This movie definitely marks a return to form for the MCU. With the new additions of movies and characters that have made their way into the MCU recently, a lot of the recent stories have emphasized the cosmic otherworldly portions of the MCU, and it can become rather easy to get lost in the mix. Here we have a more grounded story, which at its heart is centred on dealing with grief and embracing loss. Angela Bassett steals every scene as the strong Queen Ramonda who has faced more than her fair share of loss, and finds herself having to steer Wakanda's affairs yet again as its leader. She also has to deal with a despondent Shuri (Letitia Wright) who despite probably being the smartest person in the MCU, is unable to reconcile the mixed bag of emotions she's experiencing, tradition and the spirituality that she's grown up with her whole life.
Thrown into the mix to stir things up even more is Namor (Tenoch Huerta), an imposing figure who rues the antics of the colonizer that he has witnessed in a storied life. While the Wakandans chose to reveal themselves to the rest of the world in the last installment (and even played a part in saving the world from Thanos in both Avengers' wars), Namor craves secrecy for himself and his people. He views the rest of the world as an impediment that might eventually bring war to his doorstep, and he is not averse to waging an preemptive strike to quash any such issues. His mythos is really well done (changes from "Atlantis" and all), and well established. He is a complex villain, but this is well balanced with the fact that the world powers are pretty much established to be just another set of villains sitting at the same table, jockeying for position. His love for his people is unquestionable, it's just that his methods are unsavoury. He marks a new start for the MCU as they finally give us Marvel's roster of mutants.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was tight-knit and cohesive, and never once did my attention wonder. Character favourites like Okoye (Danai Gurira) and M'Baku (Winston Duke) are a joy to watch whenever they're on screen; despite their slightly reduced screen time, they manage to provide both moments of levity and gravitas; and the "colonizer" aka Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) has his story interwoven herein too in a very sensible way, and binds him further to the Kingdom and story of Wakanda. The MCU chose this moment to introduce IronHeart aka Riri Williams, another genius in the vein of Tony Stark. I don't believe she got much love in the comics, but this MCU portrayal might be a chance to update that (just like the Spiderverse did so well for Miles Morales).
Everything fits so well in the story, and it was a joy to watch. I am sad that we lost Chadwick Boseman, and the story had to pivot so much to embrace that. The war between T'challa and Namor is legendary in the comic books, and I think we lost an opportunity to see that fully brought onto the screen; but I have to admit that despite many constraints, this movie made a wonderful soft landing. All thanks to Ryan Coogler and a wonderful cast for a job well done.
Definitely an A- in my books.
God Bless.
