Where to start: there is A LOT to unpack here! First, mad credit to co-writer/director Ryan Coogler and Marvel Studios for handling an incredibly difficult tragedy in the most classy way. To be clear, NO you WILL NOT see CGI Chadwick Boseman interacting with actors, or cut scenes repurposed for a new storyline ala OTHER big Disney-owned franchises(coughTHERISEOFSKYWALKERcough). Instead the creatives made the wise decision to start the film, pre-title sequence, with T'Challa dying of an undiscussed disease, similar to Boseman's tragic death from colon cancer in 2020 which caused WAKANDA FOREVER to be delayed as Coogler and Marvel had to radically rethink their story. The Marvel Studios logo scene is presented w/out Michael Giacchino's fanfare, and with the silence the logo is a tribute to Boseman.
And his absence lingers throughout the film, as one would expect. It would seem that while Coogler was trying to figure out where the film would go w/out his star, he weaved that theme into the film. T'Challa's sister Shuri and his mom Queen Mother Ramonda also struggle with where to go next throughout the course of the film, which takes place one year after T'Challa's death. Ramonda says The Black Panther died with T'Challa, and seems to be the current ruler of Wakanda while Shuri is mad at herself for being unable to save her brother, mad at the world, etc. while grieving her family and nation's loss.
The United Nations (or its MCU analogue) pressures Wakanda to share its vibranium fortune, and to be honest who can blame them: the mysteriously powerful metal that is indestructible as well as undetectable only seemingly exists in Wakanda, with the nation's leader previously vowing to be more open with the worlds' community but as since not shared its tech (also, who could blame Wakanda; as Ramonda explains to the UN, she's not worried about what would happen due to the powerful tech, she's worried about what would happen due to humanity's history or issues, not the least of which being the American-trained assassin/Wakanda prince that tried to take over the kingdom in the previous film).
Nonetheless the CIA is actively working on retrieving a vibranium stash they found at the far bottom of the Atlantic, thanks to tech developed by an MIT student, Riri Williams. Enter Namor, and his underwater people who, like Wakandans, do NOT want humanity to have the tech and wills to pat nothing to ensure they keep the vibranium for themselves under the sea in their kingdom. Namor's people attack a CIA deep sea mission, killing everyone to keep humanity off of their precious metal, and set out to murder the MIT student who developed the tech to put an end to humanity's quest. Wakanda also has an interest in keeping others away from the vibranium, and Shuri is rocked to learn of another source, as her culture's stories and myths of the meteor that struck Wakanda are negated. Shuri and Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje, set off to protect Riri after Namor visits Ramonda and Shuri with the 'proposition'/threat of "deliver the scientist to us or we will come to destroy Wakanda first before destroying all of humanity."
And such sets up the crux of the film. Shuri has the ultimate struggle between being the noble leader like her brother, or "damn the world/Namor's people" like her cousin Killmonger was as King. Of course, the film is a not-that-subtle rumination of driving and loss, and how one picks up the pieces after a devastating tragedy. Coogler and Marvel use Boseman's death as an allegory, and do it in a really wonderful way. And with the Wakandans being an African nation, and Namor's people being from the mythical Aztec 'paradise' (in Aztec legend, that's what Tlālōcān is, though repurposed here slightly as the name of Namor's underwater 'paradise'), there are also heavy undertones of imperialism throughout the film (and not even subtext: Namor's "origin story" is flat-out about slavery of his people at the hands of European colonists that led not only to his people's tragedy, but also his disdain for humanity in general). Believe it or not, this is a MUCH heavier film that the original BLACK PANTHER thematically: both the obvious dealing with T'Challa's death, and the maybe not-thought-of going in themes of imperialism.
I expect this film will have mixed reviews because of it. The first film was heavy but tonally rode that great line with bouncy, light "fun." There are no fun sequences such as the casino fight in the first film; in fact, I think there are maybe significantly few action sequences in WAKANDA FOREVER than most Marvel films. Coogler had A LOT to deal with via this film, and I don't begrudge that. I personally really appreciated his themes, and I really like the film. Boseman/T'Challa not being around anymore gives the core ladies of Wakanda their time to shine, and this film is ALL about strong females running the show: even M'Baku, who challenged T'Challa's authority in the first film and took a bit of of coercing to come around to his side, generally cedes Wakanda's power to Ramonda & Shuri. Riri, the brilliant MIT student (with strong Tony Stark minus the money & snark undertones, right down to suiting up in an Ironheart suit & her love of old fashioned sports cars) is another strong female in the mix, albeit one who is often standing around listening to the leads discus story points. And while CIA Agent Ross is back for a bit of the action, even his boss is
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. I'd Namor is really the ONLY strong male character in the film.
And I really enjoyed seeing these amazing ladies act! They're all great at their craft, though IMO Danai Gurira is a bit outclassed by her costars (and, really, that's no fault of her own: she's up against HEAVY actresses who are flat-out great most of the time!).
For me Namor and his backstory and people worked well. I've never been a huge Namor comics fan, and while I often appreciate his snarky attitude as amusing, he mostly exists in the comics in my head to get his comeuppance. IMO Marvel Studios has done a TREMENDOUS job of creating a character that honors Aztec mythology and history, and gives an awesome Mexican actor an opportunity to star. He's a real highlight for me, and it's hard not to be empathetic of his plight. I honestly think Marvel couldn't have handled Namor better than what we do here, and I REALLY glad
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The production design is just as great as in the original, though not as "flashy." The costumes are all gorgeous, and the sets are wonderful. Obviously with Namor and his people as the protagonists there are a LOT of water scenes, and they all look great: really wonderful visual FX for the most part. I'm still blown away that Marvel leaned in HARD with Namor having wings on his feet! There is a great fight sequence that features
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. The fight scenes are sparse, but well handled for the most part, and when Shuri
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And the score is to die for! Ludwig Göransson, Coogler's former college roommate who's scored all of his films totally outdid he Oscar-winning BLACK PANTHER score! His cues for Namor's people are creepy at times, very ethereal, and his African Wakanda themes are as exciting and interesting as the original. This is one of my favorite MCU scores to date, and I can't wait to deep-dive listen to it over the next week or two. His use of different drums and other instruments colors are superb, and he's quickly become a favorite composer; it's exciting to see him really let loose with different instrumentation, and the seemingly rare times he uses convention orchestral instrumental score it's _almost_ jarring to me (but makes those rare times, always coming at very dramatic moments, stand out that much more).
This is a really good film: probably my favorite of Marvel's Phase 4. It's not as easy to digest as the crowd friendly NO WAY HOME, but I like its dense themes and somber tone. I don't know what the future holds for this franchise (though 1) there is a HUGE reveal in a mid-credits scene and 2) the card after the credit promises us "Black Panther Will Return"), or if Coogler will return for one more film (I'd be 100% understanding if he's emotionally drained after this one, dealing with not only filming during the worst of the COVID shutdown but also having to hard pivot after the death of his star and friend) but I'm appreciative of the films we have and am intrigued to see where Shuri and her compatriots go forward