3xHCCH

The setting was shifted from the lush rainforest to the open seas, introducing different cultures and different creatures. However, the story of this sequel was pretty much a rehash of the story of the 2009 film -- about the abuse and destruction of colonization. It was the story of Pocahontas all over again, for which the first one was already roundly criticized before. As they were in the first film, these unsettling scenes were painful and maddening to watch.

Furthermore, they added a prolonged, sadistic and harrowing scene of men ganging down on and killing a giant sea creature. The whole scene was dismal and disgusting in its graphic display of methodical cruelty to animals, reminding viewers of all the unnecessary and wasteful hunting of elephants and rhinoceroses that happens to this day. Seeing the nasty head poacher get his deserved (albeit grisly) comeuppance was a satisfying thrill.

There is now a rich aspect of family relationships and adolescent psychology involved in the story giving this more dramatic weight. About the struggles experienced by the middle child, the adopted child, the different child, a child who does not know who his father was, a child whose father people despised, a child pressured with too much expectations. It was a familial conflict that would figure in the climactic confrontation.

James Cameron's estimated budget of the whole film passed USD350M, and all the spectacular special effects all that money went to can clearly be seen onscreen. This film is practically an animated film already, with all the motion-capture Na'vi characters there instead of the actual actors. Aside from Edie Falco as the General, the only real human characters we see were those nameless soldiers who get killed in the battles.

The biggest innovation in this film was the technology for motion capture for underwater scenes, something that has never been done before. Cameron really went all the way in creating a CGI marine biosphere for these Na'vi creatures to interact with water creatures big and small, sacred and mystical. Seeing the callous ways humans invade and destroy such natural beauty and balance sent out a potent pro-environment message.

Immediately prominent in this sequel are the strong stories given to its cast of talented black actresses. Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia all give powerful performances as their roles were expanded from the original movie. Two new actresses joined their ranks -- Michaela Coel as Aneka, and Dominique Thorne as Riri, both stepping up in their hero game.

The new anti-hero Namor is played by charismatic Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta. The film gave him the full backstory dating back to the 16th century, telling the origin of his incredible abilities, and even how he got his name. Even if Namor was the main antagonist of the film, Huerta played him as a passionate protector of his undersea city of Talokan and the Vibranium that sustained it. His comics name Submariner has yet to come up.

Director Ryan Coogler's production design, costume design and hair and makeup teams outdid themselves in this sequel as they did not only designed Wakanda, but also Talokan. In the comics, Namor's underwater kingdom was called Atlantis, inspired by Greek mythology. However in this new film, Atlantis was given a decidedly Mesoamerican civilzation, from its architecture, costumes, language and culture.

Even though lead actor and original Black Panther Chadwick Boseman had already passed away two years, Marvel made this sequel a beautiful tribute to his memory. From the specially altered opening credits all the way up to the emotionally-rich mid-credits scene, and all the scenes in between with lines that looked back on the life and extolled the nobility of T'Challa, Boseman was still very much part of this new film.