'Black Widow' Review
PG-13: Intense sequences of violence/action, some language, and thematic material
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 13 Minutes
Production Companies: Marvel Studios
Distributor: Disney
Director: Cate Shortland
Writer: Eric Pearson
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz
Release Date: July 9, 2021
Theatrical & Disney+ (With Premier Access)
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
At long last, Natasha Romanoff is finally getting her time in the sun. She’s now in the spotlight in a solo feature… long after her character’s death in the MCU. You can either blame Disney and Kevin Feige for slating this post-Infinity War or blame COVID for prolonging this already overdue feature for the Marvel hero, but as the saying goes, better late than never. We finally got a Black Widow movie and hey, it’s good.
Take your brain back to 2016, right after the events of Civil War, where Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) put out a hunt on Team Cap’s heads after the Sokovia Accords airport battle. Natasha, being one of the few who didn’t get caught, goes off the grid by hiding in a cabin (like every Marvel hero does when they need to disappear). Unfortunately, her past comes back to haunt her once a secret potion from the believed-to-be-extinct Red Room comes to her possession via her estranged foster sister Yelena (Florence Pugh). Now, it’s up to Natasha, Yelena, and their foster parents Alexei (David Harbour) and Melina (Rachel Weisz) to uncover the truth of the Red Room and destroy the Black Widow Training Program, along with its head Dreykov (Ray Winstone), once and for all.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe hadn’t returned to the spy-thriller genre since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is still, to this day, one of the best films in the franchise. It was grounded, exciting, had breathtaking action set pieces, and offered a great arc for Steve Rogers, who had to come to grip with his past and himself. Black Widow is that long-awaited return to the spy genre that offers the same for Natasha Romanoff but in a more scaled-back manner. Unlike Winter Soldier, which was more an ensemble film than a solo movie, Black Widow is solely Natasha’s story, which means no appearances by other major MCU characters. It’s Natasha Romanoff with a variety of new players on a mission to put an end to the organization that made her the top-secret agent she is today… or was. Ah, this timeline is so confusing.
It’s refreshing to return to a grounded atmosphere in a Marvel flick where the most notable superhuman ability somebody possesses is super strength. That being said, the majority of the action set pieces are ones you’d see in a blockbuster action-thriller. You get old-fashioned fist fighting and gunplay where trained agents/assassins of a particular skill set go up against others with the same talents but stronger. In this case, Natasha faces Taskmaster, who is on their Daft Punk shit because they are better, faster, and stronger than her. Marvel’s method of nabbing indie filmmakers for big-budget pictures is still functioning well with Cate Shortland (Lore, Berlin Syndrome), whose slick direction makes this film energetic and entertaining as hell. Whether it’s two assassins going at it in hand-to-hand combat or in a big, high-speed chase scene, the action sequences are all well-choreographed and exciting. Even when the film goes to that classic bombastic comic book movie territory, it still keeps you on your toes with its tightly constructed sequences.
The narrative’s central focus delves into Natasha’s past in a surprisingly engaging manner full of emotion and sincerity. I don’t know what’s up with every other blockbuster film released this summer featuring a primary theme of “family”, but Black Widow has the most down-to-earth execution you can get. During the time in her life where her work family was getting put through the wringer, the arc presented here has her reunite with the closest thing she had to a normal one prior to being forced into becoming a killer assassin. Once Natasha and Yelena see each other for the first time in decades, you have this fun and engaging tale of Romanoff reconnecting with the closest thing she had to a relative. Their sisterly bond is the emotional core and the best source of comedic relief throughout the film.
Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh make an incredible pair and are so fun to watch either kicking ass or bantering with each other. Even with the English Pugh’s thick Russian accent, you are enamored by her comedic timing and the constant shit-talking she does to her sister, which includes criticizing Natasha's early appearances within the MCU itself. Yeah, the film is self-aware but it’s welcoming and genuine in context without feeling forced. While David Harbour and Rachel Weisz are fun additions to the roster, delivering more light humor than anything, it’s Florence Pugh who runs circles as the absolute shining star of the film. Pugh is so fun and charismatic, bringing sweet humanity to Yelena, this badass, deviant little sister that talks shit and takes shots. She is the film’s MVP: Most Valuable Pugher.
As aforementioned, it’s fun to see the MCU return to the spy-thriller genre for the first time since Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, it’s frustrating how many elements they took from that film. From the structure and story beats to the location of the third act, the film pulls heavily from The Winter Soldier, which is frustrating because Natasha deserves something more original as her final hurrah. They could’ve conjured a stronger, more original finale for her one and only feature than going to the one place every Marvel film featuring a criminal organization headquarters takes place at. Even when you get to the Red Room itself, you question its logistics because you wouldn’t expect it to have any sort of cash flow in order for it to be located there. The standoff between Natasha and Dreykov, who is to be the Stryker to her Wolverine, goes to a “been there, done that” area that’s taken straight from Winter Soldier… which was taken out of Mission Impossible. This is essentially Marvel’s Mission Impossible movie but you don’t see MI features stepping on each other’s toes with a copy and paste.
So, Taskmaster… oooooh, you Marvel fans are gonna be pissed! This iconic character had the potential to work with the unexpectedly subtle and effective feminist message the film offers, but they do something that confused the shit out of me in the third act. There’s no way to defend how bizarre the “twist” with this character is and it just got dumber the longer it progressed. Let’s just say, the casting of the character should’ve been younger because my brain legit broke the more it tried to explain it.
Black Widow may not be a super grand send-off to Natasha Romanoff, for it borrows far too many elements from that other MCU spy flick, but it’s still a relatively fun summer blockbuster. Natasha may be dead but this is a timely solo entry that completes its mission with skill and vigor like the character herself.
