Black Panther: Wakanda Forever First Reactions Are All Saying The Same Thing
As no surprise, the first reviews for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are in, and they are all overwhelmingly positive.
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After years of anticipation, Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had its world premiere in Los Angeles this week. While the film’s official review embargo will only be lifted on November 8th, reactions emerging on social media are overwhelmingly positive, and it seems like there wasn’t a dry eye in the theater during the 160-minute showcase. Variety described the film as a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman and hailed Angela Bassett’s performance.
Warning: There will be some spoilers below for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Hollywood Reporter called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Marvel’s most poignant and powerful film to date. They praised several elements, from the performances to the crafts. Other folks in attendance shared similar sentiments on social media, describing the story as hugely ambitious and thematically rewarding, with gut-wrenching twists and turns throughout.
Premiere screenings for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were split between the Dolby and El Capitan theaters. Along with the cast and crew, Marvel stars like Simu Liu, Kumail Nanjiani, and Iman Vellani were also in attendance. A slew of directors were also spotted at the event, including Destin Daniel Cretton, Gina Prince-Bythewood, David Lowery, Rian Johnson, and Steve Caple Jr. According to IndieWire, audiences cheered for every character, especially newcomer Tenoch Huerta as Namor.
Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sequel to 2018’s Black Panther and is the 30th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first movie was a global box office and cultural phenomenon, earning $1.35 billion in ticket sales and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The long-awaited follow-up had been delayed by the pandemic and the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, who lost his battle with cancer in 2020.
Black Panther: Wakanda: Forever sees the leaders of the African nation fight to protect it from invading forces in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. The movie will feature returning cast members like Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Dominique Thorne, and Danny Sapani. The film also stars Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, Tenoch Huerta, and Alex Livanalli.
While several embargos attempt to keep the logline as vague as possible, there have been a few inevitable leaks. A Reddit user previously shared a potential spoiler for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever saying that Shuri will take up the Black Panther mantle. But it will be Winston Duke’s M’Baku who is crowned the new King of Wakanda when the story ends.
The leak also notes that Chadwick Boseman’s death will be incorporated into the story which sees King T’Challa die from an unnamed illness. This takes place long before a war between Wakanda and Atlantis and serves as a tribute to the actor. Following the funeral, Shuri creates an artificial flower to gain Black Panther’s powers and access to the ancestral plane.
That’s when she meets Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger who helps her to become Wakanda’s new protector. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is the second-longest title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind Avengers: Endgame, will arrive in theaters on November 11, 2022.
