Jadd J.A.D.D. Jadd
This movie broke me, I cried four times during the movie. The previous movie was nominated for seven Oscars including best picture. If this movie isn't nominated at the Oscars again, I will be furious. We lost King Chadwick Boseman, but his presence and spirit were in this movie throughout. This movie pays tribute to him in a moving, profounding, compelling, and effective impact on the legacy of King Chadwick Boseman.
The director, Ryan Coogler has made another epic triumph. He pours love, care, sensitivity and respect into the culture and dives into its richness and power. As always he directs action sequences so well. He captures everything on camera and it's beautifully filmed. It's immersive with high stakes and gripping especially at the end. The visual effects are incredible and the set design and art direction raid the beauty of both cultures.
Ryan Coogler and his co-writer Joe Robert Cole give us a deep and personal story of grief, anger, exception and hope. Letitia Wright is great, she expands on her role as Shuri. She has more growth and at the end of the movie, she embodies who she is with pride and fierceness. Angela Bassett is electrifying, a true veteran. She rules this movie, in every scene, she's in. A pure tour de force, she needs to get nominated for an Oscar for her role in this movie. Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke are fantastic. They get great character moments and they truly shine. Tenoch Huerta is great as Namor. He portrays Namor as a leader with a tender and selfless love for his people, but he's also prideful and stubborn. He has a smooth presence yet is also menacing and intimidating when he has to be.
Talokan is gorgeously rich in culture with Aztec mythology and Latino pride. It felt like a real civilisation and a real city. The costume design by Ruth E. Carter is ravishingly beautiful and gives both the Wakandians and the Talokans so much authority and beauty. The cinematography by Autumn Durald Arkapaw is spellbinding. Ludwig Göransson has surpassed his ground-breaking score from the first movie and elevated it.
Michaela Coel is a star, a layered actress and a massive creative talent. She does well for the limited time she's on screen. It's a shame because she feels wasted here. Dominique Thorne was excellent as Riri Williams but doesn't have enough time to be developed. I felt that Namor had a clear motivation in the beginning, but as the movie went along it became unfocused. It just felt kinda crowded at times, there isn't enough time to know the new characters while having so much going on. The writing isn't as well connected and structured as in the previous movie.
However, those are my only complaints. This movie is an experience that needs to be seen on the big screen. It delivers not only action and spectacle, but there's respect and love throughout this entire movie. The Black Panther movies have tackled serious and mature topics that no other superhero movie would've ever done. That's what makes these movies so special. This is why representation is so important to people because to be seen on screen is an exhilarating feeling.
Well Done J.A.D.D great review 👏