As if we didn’t need enough indication that Ryan Coogler is hitting for the fences with this one, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is officially 2 hours and 41 minutes.
With that being said, BigScreenLeaks is saying that the runtime is much shorter than they had originally been told. Maybe Disney is sparing us a bit here. Imagine an extra half hour of this thing.
This makes “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” the second longest MCU movie ever, right behind “Avengers Endgame” (181 minutes).
I’m praying to the high heavens that this doesn’t get overrated like the first one, which was a semi-decent Marvel film with, to its name, that laughable SAG win and Best Picture nomination.
Brett Easton Ellis, Terry Gilliam, Gaspar Noe, among others, publicly, bravely, stated their hatred for the original film.
”Black Panther” followed the same blueprint as almost any other Marvel movie; there was no boldness to it nor was there any risk-taking, except for, of course, the all-black cast, and to many that was more than enough to reward and praise “Black Panther.”
The problem with "Black Panther" was that it simply wasn’t that exciting. Almost everything you expected to occur actually came to fruition. There wasn’t anything memorable, no moment that sent your pulse pounding, or your spine tingling. This was a straightforward re-telling of “Hamlet,” or, for audiences uncultured to Shakespeare, “The Lion King.”
It perfectly fit into the current trend of film criticism that has writers injecting politics and cultural sensitivities ahead of pure honesty. The word "masterpiece" was thrown left and right towards this movie, but how can anyone conceivably believe that this by-the-books action film was just that? Far too many, apparently.
Numerous pundits are predicting that Coogler’s sequel could be Best Picture nominated. I still don't personally buy it, but we’ll let the movie do the talking. It's an action blockbuster and an MCU sequel. It'll need rave reviews and It'll need to be a powerhouse at the box office. No reason to doubt both.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.