I dropped out of MCU movies right before Infinity War because I was sick of the standard formula:
- The first movie introduces the hero, and their struggles to become the hero.
- The second movie shows the hero losing strength, and finding a new path that makes them stronger in ways they couldn't imagine.
I'm also VERY used to a standard when a superhero passes the torch. Usually, the ENTIRE movie focuses on the transition of power from one person to the next, and the struggle playing out in the background is just there to justify the transition.
All of this having been said, I DID NOT WATCH THE FIRST MOVIE. I knew the basic plot of the first movie, I was done with MCU movies, I knew about the actor's death. Someone bought me a ticket, and I said "sure, why not? These movies are predictable, so I'm sure I'll catch on."
Well, I was absolutely surprised by the formula of the plot. I was expecting the entire movie to emphasize the need for a new Black Panther, a person in a suit. This is a superhero movie, but the superhero (as a singular masked entity) is not the focus of the movie.
While there were some cute, quirky moments, the movie didn't rely on humor. Lots of these superhero movies rely on good quips, solid one-liners, and slapstick. This movie had hardly any humor, and didn't need it to be enjoyable.
Some small technical things bothered me. Some of the subtitles were cut off at the bottom (which could be a theater issue, but it only happened once?), there was an unnecessary translation over English speaking, the hemming on the ponchos bothered me (because it looked like the stitching pattern on the inside of a t-shirt sleeve, and stuck out like a sore thumb)... and the fish wing feet looked weird. There had to be a better way to do that...
Side note, did anyone else notice that the little explosives looked like D12's? That was a pretty accurate, and literal depiction of 8D12 and 100D12 fire damage. That amused me.