“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is facing some of the highest expectations seen by any Marvel film thus far; but if the social media reactions from those who attended the film’s premiere on Wednesday are any indication, those expectations will be cleared.
Critics and filmmakers who came out of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood say that “Wakanda Forever” eschews the traditional tone of the MCU in favor of a much more dramatic approach. It’s not surprising, considering that the death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 and the absence of his character, King T’Challa, hangs over every second of this film.
“‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ prioritizes sentiment over spectacle and for the most part it’s a transporting and engrossing triumph,” tweeted TheWrap’s Drew Taylor. “Arguably Marvel Studios’ most deeply felt and emotional resonant extravaganza. Also Ludwig [Goransson]’s score is an all timer.”
“‘Wakanda Forever’ is outstanding. It handles loss, grief and revenge with a maturity and seriousness rarely seen in the MCU,” tweeted film critic Orlando Maldonado. “Black Panther continues to be their crown jewel. Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta all bring some of the best acting I’ve seen all year.”
“Knives Out” director Rian Johnson had nothing but praise for fellow filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who was forced to completely change his plans for the “Black Panther” sequel after Boseman’s death.
“Takes real artistry to make something as huge & expansive as ‘Wakanda Forever’ feel intimate and heartfelt. All hail the mighty Coogler. Loved it,” Johnson tweeted.
Gizmodo film critic Germain Lussier described the film as “epic as Marvel films get.”
“The story is hugely ambitious & thematically rewarding with gut-wrenching twists and turns throughout. You feel the length but it’s fun, wildly beautiful and has the best credits scene in Marvel history, no contest,” he tweeted.
Critic Gabriel Carvalho praised the film for themes beyond just the grief of losing a son, brother and hero in T’Challa. He praised the film for exploring how the scars of the past affect the present through the addition of the film’s antagonist, Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who leads his people to war against Wakanda for endangering them by going public about their advanced technology in the previous “Black Panther.”
“What Ryan Coogler does with ‘Black Panther’ is to reconstruct a whole mosaic of generational traumas that haunt ethnic communities around the planet. It goes deep, and not just for Namor, but for the care with plots and emotions that are truer than ever before in Marvel,” he tweeted.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters Nov. 11. Read more reactions in the tweets below: