black panther
Courtesy of Gage Skidmore (Flickr CC0)

Marvel’s latest film has received positive comments from attendees of its Wednesday premiere. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is shaping up to be the year’s biggest movie release.

“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler returned to head up the project. Actors like Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Lupita Nyong’o also reprised their roles. The late Chadwick Boseman’s character, T’Challa, will not be replaced. However, filmmakers have yet to confirm whether Boseman will have a posthumous appearance in the film. As evidenced in the trailer released a few weeks ago, the Black Panther mantle has been passed down to a new hero. Similar to the plot of the first film, fans follow the film’s protagonists as they fight off a new threat to Wakanda.

Remembering Chadwick as T’Challa

The film’s cast and crew were intent on keeping Boseman’s memory in mind while making the film. Following Boseman’s passing, Coogler was hurt to the point where he almost quit the project entirely. He came back after questioning whether it was right for him to move forward, thinking back on the many conversations he had with Boseman.

The messaging in the film’s marketing emphasized how important the actor still is to the franchise. While there was an online push for recasting T’Challa, Marvel head Kevin Feige was one of the people who thought it would be a mistake.

It just felt like it was much too soon. As extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.

Wright wanted to honor Boseman by giving it her all to uphold his vision for the Black Panther. His lasting memory seemed to be a huge motivator for getting through the hectic production of a blockbuster film.

We honored him by committing ourselves to the story that he started, the legacy that he started with this franchise. We just committed every day to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced — and we faced a lot of circumstances, a lot of difficult situations — but we came together as a team, and we poured everything into this movie.

Black Panther Sequel Reviews Are In

Disney presented the nearly three-hour-long epic for the first time at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The hype for the film was already through the roof even before the first trailer arrived. Now that hype seems to have doubled thanks to attendees sharing positive comments about the experience on social media. Variety awards editor Clayton Davis thought the film was “a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman” and praised Angela Bassett’s performance.

Brian Davids of the Hollywood Reporter called it “Marvel’s most poignant and powerful film to date.” He liked the film’s dark themes and appreciated it being something more than your typical MCU movie.

Others highlighted how the movie will test your feelings and put you on an emotional journey. The reactions painted the film to be a deep and heartwarming watch. Many also praised the performance of the villain, played by Tenoch Huerta.

The High Hopes for a Great Sequel

black panther
Courtesy of Gage Skidmore (Flickr CC0)

After breaking into the pop-culture mainstream, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has some high expectations. The first film made a huge entry into the MCU, making $700 million in the U.S. and over $1.3 billion worldwide. It also was the first comic book film to be nominated at the Oscars for best picture. With a few weeks till the sequel hits theaters, some experts estimate that it could surpass the original at the box office. Considering the pandemic’s effect on the movie industry from 2020 onward, it will be tough to achieve that feat.

Disney may also want to use the film to boost its streaming service, cutting down on potential theater revenue. It may take a month and a half for fans to watch the film at home. Recent Disney releases like “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Lightyear” took 47 days to land on Disney+. While they wait for it to arrive, fans can look forward to the “Black Panther” TV show Coogler is working on for Disney+.

Written by Chiagozie Onyewuchi

Sources:

Variety: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ First Reactions Herald ‘Marvel’s Most Poignant and Powerful Film’; by Zack Sharf, J. Kim Murphy
USA Today: The new ‘Black Panther 2’ trailer is out: What we learned about Marvel’s ‘Wakanda Forever’; by Brian Truitt
Collider: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Early Social Reactions Call It “Cathartic,” “Epic” and “a Beautiful Tribute”; by Erick Massoto

Featured, Inset, and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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