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DiamondChuck's avatar

Marvel and Ryan Coogler had other plans. The Royal family of Wakanda had other plans. Namor had his own plans. Marvel’s story for Namor was obviously supposed play out in a different way. This film is unique, because it’s the first example I can think of where the characters AND film makers are dealing with the sudden death of a loved one at the same time. Death is a part of life. It’s a shaping force. It’s not pretty. It doesn’t usually leave a happy ending in its wake. I think this is the best we could have hoped for from the characters in the film AND the film makers. Cheers to Marvel for not recasting. Don’t fight against death. Accept it, and be thankful for what you have.

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Gustavo G's avatar

I'm still processing how I feel about the movie as a story. I also felt it was overlong with a confusing reliance on its McGuffin, a machine and the Vibranium it can detect, to propel not just the story but complex motivations of its characters. I felt like Martin Freeman's character needed to be cut long ago. Riri Williams as a character was good, but felt shoe horned to create conflict where one didn't seem to exist.

But. This movie did something so astoundingly well that I am having trouble not letting it eclipse all my judgment. I have my own bias here since I am Mexican-American, but the way this movie changed the representation game for not just Hispanics in Hollywood, but mesoamerican indigenous cultures that represent our ancestry? My jaw dropped at the stunning images and the care used in depicting them. Their blue skin was shed in favor of beautiful natural brown tones when navigating their home underwater. The depiction of their writing, jewelry, and cuisine felt lovingly portrayed. The music! And another Black Panther villain who isn't really wrong, just at odds with our protagonist.

I've always been on the side of more representation, and was a fan of previous hispanic voices in the MCU like Pena, Saldana, Dawson, and more recently Isaac and Hayek. But Huerta's Namor (and the extended cast's Talokan) really felt like it might move the needle.

If there's any reservation with this aspect of the movie it might be that it feels like the best place to showcase these new voices is maybe in a stand-alone film and not in the middle of a movie that holds such a special place for Black and African-American folks, but as Shuri visually realizes at the climax of the movie - our stories are so similar and our diasporas are more similar than they are different that it is awful for us to fight against each other instead of uniting against our shared oppressors.

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