UPDATE: The reviews are in and … not Oscar-worthy by any stretch of the imagination.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” currently has a 68 on Metacritic, based on 28 reviews. That’s just not good enough. However, a 85% on Rotten Tomatoes definitely paints a rosier outlook However, the first film garnered an 88 on Metacritic, so this is easily a step down.
Quite honestly, I’m the wrong person to get an opinion about this movie, but I found the first half, at times, engrossing, but the second half is just a mess. Why did this sequel have to be almost 3 hours?
The tribute to Boseman is well-done and the clear highlight, and there are some highlights that never make it seem too dull. However, the action is very choppy and the forced MCU connections very clunky.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich nails it in his review: "For all of the film's janky pacing, thoroughly mediocre action set pieces, and the clumsiness with which it's forced to double as backdoor pilot for Disney Plus' Ironheart series, Coogler’s subthread of the MCU continues to operate at a significantly higher strata of thought, artistry, and feeling than the rest of Marvel's assembly line."
If I had to write a review it would probably be a C or C+ grade … BUT WAIT! Despite his stern reservations, Ehrlich gives ‘Wakanada Forever’ a B+ … WHAT?!
As it stands, Marvel’s PHASE 4 slate of movies has now been completed with ‘Wakanda Forever.’ It’s been the weakest phase since the MCU began more than a decade ago. I’d say ‘Wakanda Forever’ is up there in a tie with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” for “best” film.
EARLIER: This is the moment many fanboys have been waiting for. After screening for a select few critics on 10.26.22, Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is being shown tomorrow for most US press. I’ll be there at my 10am screening.
This post will be updated after the review embargo lifts at Noon ET. There are some out there who believe Coogler’s sequel has a shot at Oscar glory, I’m talking to you Anne Thompson, but I’m not one of them. The reviews will have to be absolutely glowing for it to have a shot at being nominated.
Two weeks ago, social media reactions for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” were mostly positive. Many seemed to have reservations about the length of the film, which clocks in at 161 minutes, but there was the sense that nobody really wanted to speak ill about the film, which honors the late Chadwick Boseman.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.