Wrap-Up Fridays: "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" Is Finally Here

Plus Rihanna and The Crown.

Thank god it’s Friday – the weekend’s nearly here and you know what that means – a whole new slate of movies, TV, music and games to fill the weekend with.

It’s a big week in releases so we’ve collected all the top drops from this week.

TV and streaming.

The TV show on everyone’s lips this week has to be The Crown Season 5. With an all-new cast, featuring Imelda Staunton (AKA Dolores Umbridge) as the Queen, this is one of Netflix's biggest drops this year.

This season is the first to be released since the Queen passed away in September, and it’s already pretty damn divisive.

There’s been some criticism from both sides, with some arguing it’s too sympathetic to the Royal Family, meanwhile others think it’s too critical.

But most critics are celebratory of Australia’s Elizabeth Debicki and her portrayal of Princess Diana in the turbulent era of the 1990s.

“It’s Debicki who steals the show with an astonishing performance as Diana that rises above impersonation and captures both her grace and darkness,” wrote David Mack from Buzzfeed News.

The Crown Season 5 is out on Netflix now.

Movies.

New releases at the cinema is fairly light on this week, but that’s probably because no studio wants to compete against what is probably going to be one of the biggest movies of the year.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has finally dropped in Australia this week, and it’s already being touted for awards, including a potential Oscar nomination.

It’s the first time we’re returning to Wakanda since 2018’s Black Panther, and is the first film featuring the Black Panther since Chadwick Boseman unfortunately passed away in 2020.

Fans were initially concerned over what a Black Panther movie might look like without it’s star, but the sequel has been called “poignant tribute” to the fan-favourite hero, and has rated 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rating it highly, Dana Stevens from Slate described the film as “a gajillion-dollar comic-book blockbuster about something as complex and interior as the act of female mourning, split among at least four different strong woman protagonists.”

Music.

If you’re keen on some more Black Panther content, Rihanna has released her second single from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, called “Born Again”.

Featured on the new soundtrack, “Born Again” is the follow up to last month’s “Lift Me Up”, and is set to feature during the end credits of the new film.

Check out the new track below or listen in on Apple Music. 

Also out today is one of the final tracks we’ll ever hear from BROCKHAMPTON. The band teased a final album earlier this year, and “The Ending” leads out the album.

The tight 1:48 track features a Kevin Abstract solo with early rap vibes, and fans seem to be really enjoying it, despite it heralding the end of an era for BROCKHAMPTON.

Gaming.

Finally, one of this year’s most anticipated games dropped this week, after multiple delays.

God Of War Ragnarok is the followup to 2018’s God of War and is one of the most talked-about games all year.

It’s already got some amazing reviews, including a 94% rating on Metacritic and 10/10 on IGN.

“After the dust has settled and the credits have rolled, God of War Ragnarok is as strong a continuation as anyone could have hoped for, and a fitting end to Kratos’s latest chapter,” Independent’s Jasper Pickering wrote.

God Of War Ragnarok is out on Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.