That’s how
it starts…the fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness…the turns good men..cruel…
BLACK
PANTHER 2 : WAKANDA FOREVER
DIRECTOR
– RYAN COOGLER
CAST-
LETITIA WRIGHT, ANGELA BASSET, TENOCH HUERTA AND OTHERS
So, tell me
what movie this is –
It’s a comic
book movie, has slo-mo action scenes, an antihero character who forces the hero
to fight him, people trying to cope with the death of a family member, socio-political
themes involving power, colonialism, imperialism and responsibility…characters
see spiritual nightmare visions that shape their actions…there’s a scene where
one is lying in pain on the ground and the other is about to drive a spear
through their heart before they realize the other one also had a mother and is
someone just trying to do the right thing…
Well, if
you are answered Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. You are correct! If you
answered Wakanda Forever, you are also correct. This is in no way an insult to
WF. It is in fact the biggest compliment you can pay a comic book movie. It
deals with its themes in a mature yet entertaining way while being technically
brilliant as well.
After the
sad and early demise of actor Chadwick Boseman who portrayed the iconic Black
Panther in the MCU until now, director Ryan Coogler made a brave decision of
not recasting anyone for the lead role. They in fact make the death of Boseman’s
character King T’Challa a plot point in the sequel. While this could’ve been a
sob story cash grab if not done well, Coogler really handles the incident
maturely. In fact, the major emotional notes of the movie come from the death
of T’Challa with his mother Queen Ramonda and his sister Princess Shuri trying
to deal with the loss. While they have lost a son and a brother, the once secretive
kingdom of Wakanda tries to deal with the loss of their protector and King in
the face of a world licking its lips over the vast reserves of the rare mineral
Vibranium that their country possesses.
While we
knew from the trailers and the pre-release news that Shuri would be assuming
the mantle of Black Panther. There was also a reveal that Riri Williams a.k.a
Iron Heart would also be in the movie. (She is basically a super intelligent
girl from the comics who designs an Iron Man suit). The enigma here was Namor.
Now back when the comic book movie races began (ah the good old days where DC
actually could compete with Marvel), there was a competition to be the first to
get certain characters on the screen. This is because in comics most characters
are copied from each other..ok sorry ‘inspired’. So, Quicksilver is Marvel’s Flash,
Sentry is Marvel’s pathetic attempt at Superman etc etc. Well because DC comics
is older than Marvel so they kinda had a first say in creating characters.
However,
there is one character which Marvel created before DC comics (ok they purchased
it). That was a king of an underwater kingdom – Namor. Namor is Marvel’s
Aquaman. Although Namor is not as much of an important character in the Marvel comics
as Aquaman is to DC, he is pretty influential in his own right. He also has
some anti-hero tones and there is a major storyline in the comics where his kingdom
is at war with Wakanda. In the movies, DC actually had an upper hand at getting
their aquatic superhero to screen before. Zack Snyder’s brilliance at changing
the character of Aquaman from a blonde squeaky clean joke to a sexy tribal Polynesian
played by Jason Momoa made him a billion dollar hit.
MCU really
had a lot to compete with in bringing their aquatic hero to the screen. Coogler
had the right inspiration in mind when he made Namor a representative of ancient
Mayan culture and by casting Tenoch Huerta in this role (with his non-sculpted
natural bulky physique, he should be a hit among the ladies as well). He also
makes Namor an anti-hero of the best kind- ruthless, suave, powerful yet
fiercely protective of his people. Although I would love the discuss the
complications of why Namor is at war with Wakanda…its best experienced in the
movie. You just have to know that there is more than one source of Vibranium on
earth and of course the western nations are looking for it.
The movie isn’t
your typical Marvel jokefest and there aren’t even many of those ‘woo-hoo’
moments. The characters actually take their time dealing with death and
depression. They speak and emote like real people instead of cracking jokes and
waiting for people to laugh. While this may make the movie feel a bit like the Eternals
which didn’t have any of this, it does have enough action scenes (some shot in
glorious Snyder-esque slo mo) to keep you hooked. The design of Namor’s city Talokan,
its creatures and the civilization is very original and creative. Their intro
is something straight out of a great horror movie and there is a certain air of
mysticism surrounding them…in keeping with a 500 year old secret underwater
kingdom.
Just like
the first one, Ludwig Goransson composes a fantastic soundtrack that is
completely different from anything else in the MCU. The tribal drums that are
so evocative of Black Panther and Wakanda, in addition to some other African
inspired music. But the best part is the music for Namor and the Talokan’Ex (I
have no idea what’s the adjective form of Talokan).
While the
ending is of course predictable from 100 miles away, it’s the journey getting
to that point which is great. The story and the characters carry the heavy
weight of some complex themes, however there is something lacking in the
pacing. The sub-plot involving Riri Williams or the American govt could have
been shorter and maybe it could have used some of those ‘WOW’ moments but again
this is NOT a comic book movie for everyone. It doesn’t share the same podium
as BvS, TDK or Watchmen but it is definitely playing the same sport pretty
well.
When we
were walking out of the theatre, I heard a 7–10 year old kid tell his father, that
he found it ‘boring’… and I LOVED THAT!!! I LOVE that DISNEY/MARVEL made a
movie which doesn’t appeal to kids! I love the fact that they took this
seriously! I loved the appearance of a certain character close to the climax
which gives the story some nuance and weight! I enjoyed the action sequences
and particularly Tenoch Huerta’s performance as Namor!
If you
enjoyed the first movie or even if you didn’t, if you like comic book movies to
be more than a roller coaster ride, then this is the movie for you. Don’t go
expecting The Dark Knight or BvS but don’t go expecting Thor 4 : Even the director
doesn’t give a shit or Antman movies either.
The movie
is – Total Timepass!
PS – 3D
movies could use brighter lighting though. Its hard to appreciate the design on
the sea creatures and the well-choreographed night time action sequences if we
have to squint real hard to see it.
