There are few fandoms that have proven to be as fickle as those that follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it was inevitable that the tides of opinion would begin to turn as soon as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit Disney Plus.
Nobody can say it’s a flawless or near-perfect film, though, with director Ryan Coogler once again delivering an underwhelming third act showdown riddled with poor CGI and a lack of genuine stakes, but there’s plenty to love up to that point. Of course, haters gonna hate, and it didn’t take long for Wakanda Forever to start taking a pounding from the second it landed on streaming.
Is the Black Panther sequel the best the MCU has ever had to offer? Almost inarguably not, but it’s destined to be somebody’s favorite. It’s not an actively bad film, or even a largely disappointing one, but it’s easy to hate on something that failed to live up to the crushing weight of expectation and pressure.
Following up one of the highest-grossing hits of all-time – as well as an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture – was almost an impossible task to begin with, never mind the cast and crew having to deal with the loss of Chadwick Boseman.
Wakanda Forever might not be great, but it’s very good, and while everyone is entitled to their opinion at the end of the day, you could have set your watch to the backlash coming thick and fast as soon as the Disney Plus premiere date was announced.