"Black Panther 2" divides its (ambitious) priorities in such a distant way, the film ends up not being able to dedicate the necessary attention to developing each of them with ideal efficiency, making certain key elements of the narrative sound weak and superficial - and it is no surprise that, when the time finally arrives for the protagonist and antagonist to face each other in the third act, the emotional effect caused by that fight never seems to result from an emotional escalation that had been building cohesively throughout the two hours and previous half, sounding, instead, like a technically efficient confrontation, but lacking in dramatic support. To make matters worse, if the 2018 film became an undeniable cultural phenomenon thanks to its surprising thematic ambition and its ability to articulate well the issues it addressed (and which it discussed with remarkable awareness and density), this sequel barely finds time to develop any political topic that it raises with a minimum of depth, collapsing under the weight of its own pretensions - which culminates in a terribly hasty and lazy resolution to the clash between Shuri, Namor and the people they represent (without spoilers, suffice it to say that the script simply decides to throw all the dualities he had been building under the carpet in order to quickly reach an outcome for all that).
In this aspect, even as a "film about grief" Black Panther 2 does not fully work, since, instead of establishing the feeling in question as a central (or, at least, constant) piece of the entire narrative, the film only finds opportunities to develop the characters' pain here and there, in specific - and very limited - moments of the projection. That doesn't mean, however, that Coogler doesn't achieve moving results, and if there's something that certainly helps put "Wakanda Forever After" above the average of recent Marvel productions, it's the fact that most of the emotions the film attempts provoke sound legitimate, resulting from those that those responsible for the work felt in the first place. Thus, when we see Shuri, for example, crying when remembering her brother, the scene is recorded by Coogler with an introspective and melancholic delicacy that manages to bring the viewer to tears (or a lump in the throat, at least) without ever sounding manipulative or schematic - and, speaking of Shuri, it is important to highlight that Letitia Wright does what she can with great competence in both the scope of the action and the drama to give grandeur and dramatic dimension to a character who, until the previous film, was thought to be almost as a comic relief, being successful in embodying the heroine's suffering and doubts in the face of the role she now assumes, while Angela Bassett, even without starring in any action scenes, establishes herself as the most powerful and intense figure in the entire narrative, evoking Queen Mother Ramonda's pain as she deals not only with the sudden loss of her son, but with the threats made to the people she defends.
Still, the highlight of this sequel isn't even a resident of Wakanda, but rather the underwater Namor, who takes on the role of the story's real antagonist even without ever becoming a villain. Presented by Ryan Coogler as an individual who, at first glance, does not exude any trace of intimidation (which is interesting, as it creates in the viewer the expectation that that character will be portrayed in a more "stripped down" way than the film eventually comes to believe). Portray, making his radical actions even more surprising than they already would be), the king of Talokan is played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía as a suitably unpredictable figure, being efficient as well as demonstrating a legitimate affection for the people he defends ( notice the pain that takes over his face when witnessing the loss of a subject), he also conveys intransigence and threat by vowing to exterminate those who get in his way - or harm him in any way.
Obviously, one of the reasons for this change was to distance the character from DC's rival, Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Although Aquaman was inspired by Namor in the comics, the DC character debuted on the big screen before. So, to avoid criticism and accusations from those who don't know the stories, this distance from each other is quite logical. Furthermore, betting on Talocan instead of Atlantis is even a matter of coherence in the MCU, since Greek myths and legends were justified by Eternals (2021). And since they didn't even mention the existence of Namor, it makes sense that they move away from this mythology and focus on an underwater kingdom inspired by Mayan traditions. While Atlantis in "Aquaman" was excessively bright and colorful, Talocan has more sober and dark lighting, replicating the feeling of diving into an underwater cave. Not that it bothers you, but after building so many vibrant and colorful magical worlds, it's a brief disappointment that they don't explore the vibrant colors of Mesoamerican art as much to create this kingdom. On the other hand, the water movement of the people is more visually interesting than that proposed by the DC rival. In fact, this society's approach is much more credible. The customs, traditions, and activities of the people on a daily basis. The entire concept of the existence of this population is very well constructed and believable, exploring marine elements and animals as a functional part of this civilization. And as this is just the introduction of this nucleus, there is a colossal expectation for what could be shown in the future.
What's more: the fact that he is the leader of a civilization of Aztec origins is fundamental to establish him as a counterpoint to the warriors of Wakanda, since, while this is an African nation that stood out precisely by resisting European colonization, Talokan is an civilization that (literally) succumbed due to the barbarities committed by the Spanish invaders, positioning one fictional country as a distorted reflection of the other - and, therefore, it is appropriate that costume designer Ruth E. Carter brings elements of Aztec culture to the costumes of the Talokanians and that production designer Hannah Beachler portrays the underwater kingdom as an abandoned, uncomfortable environment that only seems to endure thanks to its occupants' persistence in clinging to every scrap of past life they have left, sounding radically different from the hidden paradise that is Wakanda. (That at a given moment a North American agent sees some Talokanian soldiers and, without understanding who they are, deduces that "They must be the Wakandans" is something that exposes an obviously racist and generalist view on the part of that person towards foreign peoples - in a comment subtle but effective social-political aspect on the part of the film.) On the other hand, not even this justifies the excessive darkness that takes over most of the night and/or underwater sequences - and there are moments when it is almost impossible to see what is happening in the scene, even when that clearly wasn't Ryan Coogler or cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw's intention.
The biggest issue to be addressed in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" comes from the title itself: if, on the one hand, it takes too long until, finally, a new Black Panther is presented (and, finally, it only appears two hours after the beginning of the film, which in total is more than 180 minutes long) - and, when it happens, it is more due to the conjuncture of events than the result of a natural process of awareness and calling - little attention is also given to the continuity of Wakanda as a state - and cultural phenomenon. After all, since the object they possess, coveted by so many, will not be shared, these others try to divert their attention elsewhere. The clash, therefore, is between the USA and Talokan, without the former, in fact, even being aware of the existence of the latter. Wakanda was just unlucky enough to be in the middle of this dispute. All Namor would have to do was defend what is his, and that's it. What is the need, therefore, to go into confrontation against the only people also in possession of the same benefit? Watching Wakandeans and Talokeans face off is not only disappointing, it's manipulative. After all, there are two oppressed peoples - in an extra-filmic spectrum, it is Latins against Africans - killing each other, while the explorers (North Americans) remain at a safe distance, waiting for the first casualty to collect the remains. Of battle, like profiteering hyenas.
As entertainment - it is important not to forget that, after all, it is a superhero film based on comic book characters - "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is a delight to the eyes, right from the action scenes (Namor demonstrates a strong which deserves to be better utilized in the future), as well as the composition of new scenarios (the underwater world of Talokan is stunning). However, the very points highlighted in this paragraph make the best of the set clear: the newcomers from the bottom of the sea, and not the palace intrigues in a kingdom in the heart of Africa, which would be expected. Both Bassett and Nyong'o could have been explored better, and in the end, there are so many loose ends - what is Okoye's future? What does M'Baku want? What is Martin Freeman doing in the middle of all this? - that what is certain is that only one of the original intentions was achieved. Boseman is gone, and the grief at this unexpected departure is felt from beginning to end. However, not in a way that takes the whole thing forward, as seen in "Fast and Furious 7 (2015)", for example. On the contrary, it was made like an anchor, preventing such progress. And as it turned out, it's good not to play with what comes from the depths.
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