I admit I did not have very high expectations for this movie. I thought the death of Chadwick Boseman would force the movie to try and explain away his death in an overly convoluted way that would cast a shadow over the rest of the movie. It’s not like you can blame me given the less-than-spectacular track record Marvel has with their Phase Four projects.

However, I’m happy to report that the movie was actually good. Reflecting real life, T’challa’s death is sudden and unexplained. The death of T’challa is made even worse with the movie following up on the events of the last Black Panther movie, as the world is aware of Wakanda’s vibranium stockpile and multiple countries have launched initiatives to destabilize and exploit the country for its resources (not a spoiler, it happens in the first act of the movie).

My favorite part of the movie, however, has to be Namor, whose backstory was changed from the comics. Instead of being the ruler of the Greek Atlantis, he is the ruler of the Talokan tribe off the Gulf of Mexico. I think this is a good change because the Black Panther franchise has always been about representing minorities, so having a (hopefully) recurring character be a person of color makes sense.

In the end, I’d rate the movie a 7/10. It’s refreshing to see a Phase 4 project that is actually good.