I loved the first Black Panther and am kind of bummed to be disappointed by the sequel. Obviously, Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing made this movie an uphill battle to begin with, and its wrestling with that loss within the movie is one of its strongest parts. There are also other individual parts of the movie that are really interesting on their own: international intrigue with strong Françafrique overtones! Riri Williams! turning a goofy 1940s comic book character concept into something compelling and decolonial! When all of these were mixed together—and forced to share space with Marvel connective tissue besides—it just felt like too much crammed into a movie. Things felt rushed, conflict felt forced, and even though this is probably the best possible MCU take on Namor, I still have so many questions about the character that sell that promise short.