Early reviews for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever heap praise on the film's plot, though its multiple storylines left some calling it "unbalanced."
The long-awaited Black Panther sequel hits theaters later this week, and press reviews for the film have already started to appear online. One of the most often highlighted aspects of Wakanda Forever, its tribute to late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, earned particular praise. CBR's own Brandon Zachary found it a powerful story about grief but noted that it does not necessarily hit every narrative story beat with success. Zachary writes, "Arguably the best-looking MCU film and easily the most somber, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an impressive character study that may not land every narrative swing but still stands tall alongside its predecessor."
Many critics mirrored Zachary's sentiments, noting similar issues with the story despite finding its main study on grieving effective. Rolling Stone's K. Austin Collins told audiences to "prepare to weep" at the somber film, which opens by acknowledging T'Challa's tragic death. Collins praised how Wakanda Forever challenges viewers on who they should root for in the conflict between Wakanda and Talokan, giving both sides complex and varied motivations. However, he found it failed in its use of Martin Freeman's Everett K. Ross, calling some of the moments between the CIA agent and the main cast as "a little too close to cute, a little too buddy-buddy, without anywhere near the same level of thoughtfulness that the movie brings to bear on the rest of its story."
Pete Hammond at Deadline found Wakanda Forever treated Boseman and T'Challa's passing with dignity, as it did with its story of grief. Hammond also pointed out the visual effects, describing them as "extraordinary" and "breathtaking," especially Namor's kingdom of Talokan. While he did not find the film as "see-worthy" as its predecessor, he found it left him eager to see what would come next. "In the meantime, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever proudly remembers with love and honor both Chadwick Boseman and T'Challa," he concluded.
In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney laid particular praise on the performances of the film's stars, especially Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett. Like Hammond, Rooney noted how Wakanda Forever approaches grief with dignity, especially in how Wright's Shuri and Bassett's Queen Ramonda as they process the pain of losing T'Challa. Although he found its 2-hour and 40-minute runtime overly long, Hammond credited director Ryan Coogler for giving "breathing room" between the film's emotional and action-packed scenes.
IGN's review by Tom Jorgensen described the film as at its best when acting as a tribute to Boseman and T'Challa. Overall, he found that the performances of its cast kept the story interesting even when its plot struggled at times due to its multiple threads. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to be a sequel to a cultural juggernaut, a tease of upcoming MCU adventures, and of course, a loving farewell," he wrote. "There are stretches where the struggle to balance those mandates scatters the focus of the story, but nuanced and committed performances from the returning cast keep it grounded when it counts."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on Nov. 11.
Sources: CBR, Rolling Stone, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN