Black Panther Wakanda Forever

I was happy when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made its debut on Disney+. I was really looking forward to watching the Black Panther sequel for two reasons: I wanted to see how they would deal with the death of the late, great Chadwick Boseman, and how they would deal with the Sub-Mariner--aka Namor, the King of Atlantis. They wisely deal with Black Panther's death right up front, in the very first scene, which was extremely moving for me to watch (he dies of an undisclosed illness, which is apt). While the movie moves on with its plot of dealing with Namor, it's really nice how T'Challa's spirit is still very much felt throughout the film.

Namor is also very well done. Well-played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Namor's background is changed from Atlantis to the leader of Talokan, a sunken empire based on Mesoamerican culture, and it really works very well. I'm curious to know if Marvel changed Namor's background because of the success of 2018's Aquaman, which used the Atlantis legend to great effect. Regardless, I dig this version of Namor, and look forward to seeing him show up again in the MCU.

You should also know that this is a very nice barefoot movie, with plenty of BF scenes with Namora (Mabel Cadena) and the other women from Talokan. I enjoyed Wakanda Forever very much. Imperius Rex!

Chadwick Boseman

I was very sorry to hear the news--just barely an hour ago--about how actor Chadwick Boseman has died from colon cancer. He played legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, and singer James Brown in various films. 

But he was probably best known for his role as Black Panther, starting in Captain America: Civil War, through two Avengers movies, and in his own Black Panther film. No matter what the project, Boseman always uplifted it with his acting skills. Rest in peace.  

Avengers Infinity War

Dread it, run from it...or just enjoy the hell out of it, which is what I did with Avengers: Infinity War. I won't reveal spoilers, but damn, this was a great flick. A magnificent culmination of all the Marvel superhero films released thus far (featuring every superhero we have seen up to now), this movie is very brash and ballsy and wonderful and I need to see it again. Don't miss it.

Black Panther

I saw Black Panther over the weekend, and enjoyed it very much. I liked this character when I first saw him in Captain America: Civil War, and immediately wanted to know as much as I could about him. Black Panther does all of that and more. It's a great superhero movie, with loads of the thrills that we come to expect from this genre.

But Black Panther doesn't cut corners on the characterizations. Everybody here feels like a real human being (there's a great cast here) with realistic goals, even the villain. And this makes Black Panther all the more enthralling because you care for them. I'm looking forward to Avengers: Infinity War (which this movie hints at) next. Make mine Marvel.