--- title: "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 26 reviews: 21 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics like it, and they like it for the same reason: the way Ryan Coogler builds the film around the loss of Chadwick Boseman rather than working around it. The reviews return again and again to the handling of grief, which they find tactful and mature, and to the performances of Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, who carry the story now that the women of Wakanda are at its centre. The costumes, the production design and the new underwater nation of Talokan are widely admired. The reservations cluster on length and clutter. Many of the same admirers call it overlong, overstuffed and weighed down by franchise duties, and several note the lack of a strong central hero. The spread is wide. The New Yorker finds duty winning out over passion, Film Comment and Vulture think the grief is handled thinly rather than deeply, and The Telegraph, alone at the bottom, calls it murky and incoherent. ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The critic calls it a worthy continuation that delivers an emotionally resonant tribute to Chadwick Boseman while balancing action, character drama, and world-building. It singles out the performances of Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett, along with the stunning costumes and production design, for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-ryan-coogler-sequel-1235256005/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The film faces Boseman’s death head-on with compelling, smart storytelling that gives characters and audiences space to grieve while introducing a worthy new antagonist in Namor. It lands its emotional tribute without feeling insensitive and keeps the near-three-hour runtime absorbing. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-tribute-chadwick-boseman-1959222) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. Coogler honors Boseman and T’Challa with depth, sensitivity and dignity, allowing room for reflection amid the MCU demands. The heartfelt blockbuster rises to its toughest challenge with care, hitting hard where it needs to despite minor stumbles elsewhere. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-marvel/) ## Empire — Kambole Campbell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. Framed around Boseman’s absence, the film movingly blends real and fictional loss into a passionate eulogy while delivering strong performances and an imaginative Namor. It stands out from formulaic MCU entries through its sense of place and personal resonance despite a busy plot. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever/) ## Little White Lies — Cheyenne Bart-Stewart Rating 5/4/3. 10 November 2022. The critic praises the film's moving tribute to Chadwick Boseman and its expansion of colonialist themes through strong Black female characters, while noting pacing issues and MCU obligations that create some tedium. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. Coogler handles the impossible task of continuing without Boseman with tact and intelligence, turning the film into both an entertainment and an elegy that honors grief while pushing the story forward. The result is unwieldy and somber yet ennobled by its real-world resonance and strong ensemble work, particularly from Bassett. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-11-08/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-ryan-coogler-letitia-wright-angela-bassett) ## Radio Times Rating 4/5. 8 November 2022. The review highlights the film's mature handling of grief and loss following T'Challa's death, commending its emotional depth, female-driven story, and respectful nod to Chadwick Boseman amid strong action and spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2022. The sequel is draped in tender sorrow following T’Challa’s death, with grief processed through spirituality, denial and rage by the female-led cast. Strong performances and imaginative ideas about legacy and resource control outweigh occasional CGI flaws. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-end-credits-chadwick-boseman-b2222877.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The film transforms the real-life loss of Chadwick Boseman into its central theme and mood, creating a weighty yet lightly delivered story of grief and legacy. Coogler finds fresh angles on familiar superhero formulas with striking visuals and a narrative that acknowledges the franchise's mourning process. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-a-smart-superhero-franchise-in-mourning-qp0k3t865) ## The AV Club — Todd Gilchrist Rating B. 8 November 2022. The review describes an overlong and overstuffed but thoughtful sequel that processes grief with sensitivity while doubling down on the first film’s cultural elements and action. It singles out the handling of loss, the new Talokan world, and complex thematic questions about revenge and sovereignty for praise, while noting the absence of a strong central hero figure. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-letitia-wright-1849740752) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2022. The sequel honors the loss of Chadwick Boseman by centering the story on the women of Wakanda as they navigate grief and a new threat from the ocean nation of Talokan. It infuses the Marvel formula with somber notes of mourning while maintaining strong performances from Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★☆☆. 9 November 2022. The loss of Chadwick Boseman gives the graceful sequel emotional depth, with Letitia Wright rising to the occasion as Shuri in a bruised performance that anchors the film. Despite an overcrowded cast leaving some actors underused, it strikes a note of uplift tied to real tragedy rather than glib superhero tropes. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/70a4b40a-5088-4cd7-a14e-9d8161c2cebc) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The film pays a heartfelt tribute to Chadwick Boseman by shaping the story around grief and loss in Wakanda, now a matriarchy led by Shuri and Ramonda. It features fiery performances, especially from Letitia Wright, alongside bold spectacle while grappling with themes of empire and oppression. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/08/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-chadwick-boseman-letitia-wright-marvel) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. Coogler builds a furious slow-burn sequel around the loss of T’Challa, staging it more as a doom-laden geopolitical thriller focused on the women of Wakanda than a typical Marvel spectacle. It lacks the first film’s pow but delivers emotional suspense and strong character work despite running too long. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-chadwick-boseman-letitia-wright-ryan-coogler-1235420931/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The critic describes the sequel as ambitious and emotional but uneven, noting it effectively explores bereavement and pays homage to Boseman while struggling with commercial demands that leave a hole at its center. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/5175977.article) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2022. The film cannot match the first movie’s dramatic or political excitement, feeling more tethered to franchise demands than to Coogler’s distinctive vision. It assembles a strong cast and flashes of dramatic power but is ultimately overwhelmed by duty over passion. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/black-panther-wakanda-forever-reviewed-when-duty-calls-passion-recedes) ## Film Comment — Nicholas Russell Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2022. The review faults the film for failing to meaningfully explore grief or the political themes of the first film, resulting in a simplistic and rote MCU entry hampered by franchise demands. It singles out the impressive introduction of Talokan and its cultural details for praise while criticizing the overall narrative and emotional handling. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/unlimited-resources-black-panther-wakanda-forever-ryan-coogler-review/) ## Vulture — Angelica Jade Bastién Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2022. The critic finds the film overtaxed and threadbare, struggling under the weight of expectations, grief, and MCU constraints to deliver a worthy memorial or compelling sequel. It singles out the rushed editing, surface-level characters, and lack of focus or interiority in the Talokan storyline for criticism. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review.html) ## The Telegraph Rating 1/5. The sequel is one of Marvel's drabbest and most incoherent entries, with murky visuals, turgid dialogue, and emotionally empty scenes that fail to engage. It pales in comparison to the original despite strong elements in the cast and costumes that are poorly lit or underused. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-drab-crushing-disappointment/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 4.5/5. 10 November 2022. The review calls it one of the most emotional and personal MCU films and one of the finest entries in the franchise, a moving tribute to Chadwick Boseman. It singles out the strong ensemble performances, particularly Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, and the impressive world-building and visuals for Talokan for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/) ## Polygon — Toussaint Egan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The critic views it as a thunderous ode to love conquering death, praising the performances, bold storytelling, and emotional exploration of grief, with excellent action and score transforming tragedy into triumph. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23447203/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating B+. 8 November 2022. The critic praises Coogler's handling of grief and legacy in this somber MCU entry, highlighting strong performances especially from Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright as the film balances mourning with superhero action. The film is seen as one of the best in Phase 4 for its emotional depth. [Read the review](https://collider.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/) ## NME — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The review describes it as a fitting and magical memorial to Chadwick Boseman that stands out for its mature atmosphere focused on grief and legacy. It singles out the top-grade action sequences and the heartfelt performances reflecting real-life loss for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-chadwick-boseman-marvel-3344219) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2022. The critic finds the emotional sequel largely meets the challenge of moving forward without Chadwick Boseman, paying tribute with dignity and grief while delivering rip-roaring action and strong production values. It singles out the powerful mother/daughter dynamic and the women characters for providing the real sauce, though notes it isn't on the level of the first film. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/11/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-emotional-sequel-pays-tribute-to-boseman-and-forges-a-new-path-forward-1235166342/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 7/10. 8 November 2022. The film is an overstuffed but emotionally resonant sequel that grapples with grief and legacy after T'Challa's death. It earns praise for its honest emotional core and strong action sequences despite feeling exhausting at times. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1090850/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review-an-overstuffed-action-packed-emotional-sequel/) ## Paste — Michael Burgin Rating 8.1. 11 November 2022. The review commends the fitting tribute to Boseman and the strong direction, design, and cast, noting it as a necessary step forward for the MCU despite being slightly overstuffed. It highlights the new elements like Namor and Shuri's arc positively. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/marvel/black-panther-wakanda-forever-pays-fitting-tribute) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/black-panther-wakanda-forever.md