King T’Challa is dead and Wakanda mourns for him. Other world powers concerned with the instability this might bring are seeking vibranium for themselves as a way to ensure they could match Wakanda’s military might. But this search wakes another powerful country that to this point had remained hidden. 

Ryan Coogler had an unenviable position in making a follow up to the groundbreaking Black Panther. Alongside Chadwick Boseman and his regular collaborator Michael B. Jordan he made a superhero movie that broke boundaries and kicked ass. With the sad death of its enigmatic star Boseman in 2020 he has tried to find a way to pay tribute and move the world forward in a gripping way. Whilst he is able to deliver on the first facet of paying tribute he is less successful with making the film stand up on its own merits. 

The film both opens and ends with a fitting tribute to Boseman. We see Wakanda’s state funeral for their king and the Marvel fanfare that normally features characters from across their stable features only Boseman, played in silence and with a purple background. It is enough to bring tears to your eyes as we see what a talented and electric actor he was. Unlike other Marvel films it only features a mid credits clip seemingly because it does not want to distract from the respectful tribute that it wants to be. 

The plot itself is fairly complex and again focuses on international relationships between countries as the first film did to some extent. A young scientist named Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) has created a machine that can detect vibranium and the US want to use it to increase their power in the world. However a race of subaquatic humans led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta) have other ideas. Namor is hundreds of years old and has witnessed the harm that colonising powers can do and has no qualms in killing those who seek out that power. This all leads us to Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) who also do not want to let vibranium get into the wrong hands but do not believe murder is the right path. Can these two kingdoms achieve the same goal with different philosophies? 

The many strong women of Wakanda become our lead for this sequel. With Shuri, Ramonda, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) all playing a significant part. Tenoch Huerta’s Namor makes for an interesting villain although perhaps not as successfully as the originals Killmonger. Whilst the introduction of Riri, who comics fans will know as Ironheart is a lot of fun. 

Possibly the most disappointing aspect of the film though is its special effects. With so much of it set under water it is almost a crime that the trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water played before the screening I watched. The bright, vibrant and crystal clear images of that trailer are quite a contrast to the dark and muddy images in this film. Whilst I would not be surprised if the quality of the image was in some way impacted by sub par projection at the cinema it was a shame to see such uninteresting visuals. 

Coogler’s film is accomplished but the result is never as good as the film we are so clearly reminded of in the opening minutes.