Early viewers have praised the film for its more subdued, poignant narrative.

Next month will see the theatrical premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Due to the passing of the titular hero’s actor in 2020, Chadwick Boseman, this film has been a source of speculation for fans of the Marvel franchise. Early trailers for the film showed a more serious and subdued story, compared to most of the more-bombastic Marvel properties, and according to early screening reactions, this seems to remain the case.

Letitia Wright seemingly wears an homage to Chadwick Boseman on the Black Panther: #WakandaForever carpet 💜 pic.twitter.com/gp6bHIRBEd

— Black Panther 2 News (@bpanthernews) October 27, 2022

“#BlackPantherWakandaForever is a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman,” Variety’s Clayton Davis wrote on Twitter. “Visual stunner, with Angela Bassett commanding every scene she inhabits. Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” will do that for many. Another great post credit scene that’s genuinely a jaw-dropper. Don’t know about Oscars.”

“Black Panther: #WakandaForever is Marvel’s most poignant and powerful film to date,” writes The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids. “It’s heavy and dark in the way that it needed to be, and mostly abandons the studio’s trademark tone. The craft work levels up in every conceivable way, and the performances rise to the occasion.”

#WakandaForever is outstanding. It handles loss, grief and revenge with a maturity and seriousness rarely seen in the MCU. Black Panther continues to be their crown jewel. Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta all bring some of the best acting I've seen all year. pic.twitter.com/ECqGxfEyFi

— Lando (@orlandoenelcine) October 27, 2022

“#WakandaForever’s bigger in scope and scale than #BlackPanther, but its story is also one of Marvel’s most intimate and heartfelt,” writes The Verge’s Charles Pulliam-Moore. “It’s definitely a Comic Book Movie, but it’s one that centers grief and the grieving process rather than superheroics and spectacle.”