'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' initial reactions call it Marvel's 'most powerful film'

Film critic Tessa Smith wrote, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feels like a war movie, it's emotional, heavy, intense & phenomenal'
UPDATED OCT 27, 2022
A still from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (Marvel Studios)
A still from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (Marvel Studios)

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' lived up to every bit of the hype as critics lavished praise on the sequel of the hit 2018 blockbuster. In addition to honoring the late Chadwick Boseman, the latest Marvel flick also brings in a new antagonist and sets the tone for the upcoming phase. The lavish praise from the critics stemmed from the emotions the movie evoked by the looks of it, 'Wakanda Forever' appears to be a winner even before it hit the screens.

Before digging into the reviews, here's the official synopsis: "In Marvel Studios 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda."

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Early reactions for 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

Film critic Tessa Smith wrote, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feels like a war movie. It's emotional, heavy, intense & phenomenal. Namor is an incredible & powerful villain." In addition, the mid-credits and the opening logo were teased as well. Yahoo's Kevin Polowy said, "The first 5 minutes of #WakandaForever nearly broke me. The last 5 finally did." The rave reviews continued with The Wrap’s Drew Taylor outlining that the film “prioritizes sentiment over spectacle."

Collider editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub said it would be one of those tearjerkers while film critic Orlando Maldonado lauded the film for its “maturity and seriousness rarely seen in the MCU.” Adding to this was The Verge’s Charles Pulliam-Moore who called the film “definitely a Comic Book Movie,” but had generous dollops of praise for the film’s skill to tell an “intimate and heartfelt” story. The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids labeled the film as “Marvel’s most poignant and powerful film to date.” To end it, Variety's Clayton Davis called the film “a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman."

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' releases November 11 in the US.

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