I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but I really enjoyed this. It's a little strange that the villain's plan and motivation are basically identical to Killmonger's, but without the personal connection. It gives Namor a relatable plight, but it seems a tad repetitive.
It's much more of a superhero drama than an action movie, and very female-oriented. Other than Namor, all of the central characters are women. It takes a long time to even notice it, and when you do you don't roll your eyes, because it doesn't hit you over the head with cringey 'girl power' moments. They just let the characters tell the story and it works wonderfully.
Coogler doesn't seem a like a particularly gifted action director. A lot of the shots
setting up the action were incredible, though. The music was great, the characters were engaging, and I thought they dealt with the loss of Boseman in both a classy and clever way. It reminded me of that old comic story featuring the death of Captain Mar-Vell from cancer. They only address it essentially after the fact in the film, but it's such a poignant theme. Everyone has lost someone to a terminal condition, and it's something you can't punch, laser blast or outthink. Sometimes loved ones die, and there's nothing you can do about it.
I haven't read anything with Riri Williams, so I didn't have a strong connection to the character. Personalitywise I thought she was fun, but she's just Iron Man Jr, and Shuri Jr, for that matter. Did the story need her? Could've saved her for a Young Avengers type story. Nice to see Val again, looking forward to that character having a larger presence.
Loved the Killmonger cameo, great way to bring back a fantastic character. It added an element of tension as the movie played out and you weren't sure which way Shuri was leaning. I did think the final appearance of Ramonda's spirit was unnecessary and took away from Shuri's arc. To me it works better if Shuri just has a few flashbacks and sees the light so to speak. To have Ramonda looking over her shoulder basically telling her to behave takes away Shuri's agency. It makes it look like she was just listening to her mother as opposed to making the honorable decision on her own.
Ultimately, Namor accomplished what he set out to do from the beginning, forge an uneasy alliance with Wakanda in what he believes is an inevitable war with the surface world. I didn't think he was as charismatic or full of bravado as the character in the comics; more of a ruthless politician than anything else. It wasn't his movie, and he was the villain after all, but I hope they expand on his character going forward and make him a little more likable, hero or not.
I'm still not sure why it was necessary to pivot away from Atlantis and rename the undersea culture. What I don't love about the spin they put on (whatever the culture was called), is that this is essentially the storyline of the Inhumans. An advanced civilization, hidden from the general population of the world. I don't know if we'll ever see the Inhumans now. What would their backstory be, and what separates them from Wakanda or (not)Atlantis?
A minor nitpick, I didn't like Okoye getting a power suit. She doesn't need one. Yeah I get that she needed a boost because the Atlanteans are superhuman and she isn't, but the other characters didn't all get powersuits and they held their own. It begs the question that cynics always asked about the Avengers-- why doesn't Tony just make IM suits for everyone? The answer is because it would be boring. Each character should have their own powerset, aesthetic, fighting style etc, because it's more fun that way. Okoye is a great h2h fighter, it was kind of lame seeing her fly around in a two bit mech.
Another thought I had tonight. While this movie certainly felt connected to the MCU, it still felt very self-contained. They've done a good job focusing on the characters' individual journeys here in phase four, like they did in the early days of the MCU. The big crossover events will come, and when they do, they'll be awesome. But let's invest in these characters on the ground floor and build our way up to the big stuff. Saw the Quantumania trailer on the big screen tonight, and the main event is definitely on its way.
All in all, Wakanda Forever is an excellent MCU film, easily the class of Phase Four. (This is still phase four, right?)