The Wet and the Dry

After that last movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) seemed like the right thing. 

It starts with Letitia Wright, Shuri, frantically trying to synthesize the heart-shaped herb to cure T'Challa of a mysterious ailment. But he dies off-screen. That is how this movie deals with Chadwick Boseman's death, with a short but heartfelt period of mourning.

Next we see Angela Bassett, Queen Ramonda, at the UN, facing down demands that Wakanda share its vibranium with the world. But she presents the UN with a group of commandos that tried to take some by force, and lets them know that Wakanda doesn't trust the UN.

But all this gets pushed aside when a mission to find vibranium deep under the sea is attacked by an army of blue mermen, lead by Tenoch Huerta as Namor. The CIA (except Martin Freeman) think Wakanda is responsible. But Namor suspects that Wakanda created the vibranium detector. He shows up in Wakanda, makes some enemies and demands that the scientist responsible be turned over.

The scientist turns out to be Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a student at MIT. But Namor shows up to take her and Shuri to his undersea kingdom. We get to see a cool Atlantis and learn how these people are descendants of the ancient Mayan, except Namor, who is an ancient Mayan, I think, or something like that. Anyway, cool throne room with megaladon jaw with jade teeth.

When Shuri and Riri escape. Namor attacks Wakanda, and kills Queen Ramonda in the general mayhem. Lot of fatalities in this one. He threatens to come back with his army and destroy Wakanda, leading to an evacuation of the captial. But Shuri finally manages to recreate the heart-shaped herb. With Black Panther powers, she decides to take the fight to Namor. And Riri has a surprise too: her own set of homemade Ironman armor.

All this is done with a little more than the usual Marvel gloss. Wakanda is glorious, and you've got to love the costumes. Namor and the Namorians are even better. Their Central American background lets them use lots of jade and feathers (underwater? Never mind). Tenoch Huerta has a great look as Namor (Although I still think Hugo Weaving would have killed it). The two hidden kingdoms of Talokan and Wakanda work well together, expanding the anti-colonialist message. All in all, a beautiful movie - good story, sweet tribute to Boseman, good acting, exceptional art direction.

In conclusion, my only complaint is the casting of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Contessa Allegra. This famously Italian femme fatale just shouldn't be played by a flagrantly New York ballbuster. Just my opinion.