HomeBusiness'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' reviews: What critics are saying

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ reviews: What critics are saying

Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright star as Okoye and Shuri in Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Disney

It’s impossible to replace the irreplaceable, but that was Ryan Coogler’s task as the director and co-writer of Disney’s latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

The sequel to 2018’s blockbuster hit “Black Panther” takes place after the real-world death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the titular hero in several Marvel films before dying from cancer in 2020. He was 43.

“Wakanda Forever” had the unenviable charge of not only being a memorial to the late Boseman, but also move the multibillion-dollar MCU franchise forward into its next chapter. It is expected to post a huge opening weekend.

Coogler, alongside Marvel Studio’s executives, decided not to recast the character of T’Challa. Instead, the film opens with the off-screen death of the character. The story that follows centers on how the secondary characters in the world of Wakanda deal with that loss as well as the encroachment of the rest of the world, which has become aware of the country’s rare and powerful resource — vibranium.

Several critics called the plot overstuffed, as Coogler seeks to pay tribute to Boseman and establish the necessary markers for future MCU projects. The film introduces Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the ruler of Talokan, a fictional kingdom based on Atlantis, as well as Riri Williams, known in the comics as Ironheart, who will star in her own Disney+ series.

Despite its length and heftiness, “Wakanda Forever” has generated an over 80% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes from about 200 reviews.

Here’s what some critics thought of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ahead of its Friday debut:

Kristy Puchko, Mashable

Still from Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Disney

Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

Winston Duke stars as M’Baku in Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Disney

Kambole Campbell, Empire

A still from the movie “Black Panther.”

Source: Marvel

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal owns Rotten Tomatoes.

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