Released: July 2021
Director: Cate Shortland
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 133 Minutes
Distributor: Marvel/Disney
Genre: Action
Cast:
Scarlett Johansson: Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
Florence Pugh: Yelena Belova
David Harbour: Alexei
Rachel Weisz: Melina
William Hurt: Secretary Ross
O-T Fagbenle: Mason
Ray Winstone: Dreykov
Before I begin with this review, I should issue a major spoiler alert for Avengers: Endgame. There are details in this movie that involve certain aspects of the last Avengers film, and it relates directly to this film’s main character. So, if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame yet(unlikely), I would close this page and go see Black Widow first. Fair warning. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is a one-of-a-kind achievement. Even if you don’t really like Marvel’s movies, you have to give them credit for 11 years and 23 movies worth of superheroes. Not all of them were great, some were forgettable, and others were some of the best action movies ever made. The last two Avengers films are a landmark achievement. Nobody had ever attempted anything like this before in the history of film. DC and Warner Bros. attempted to follow suit, but that didn’t end up working very well. There’s been many attempts at crafting “Cinematic Universes.” Honestly, most of them don’t pan out. Just ask Universal Pictures about their Dark Universe concept. It took YEARS for the MCU to become what it is. It’s not something you can just conjure up overnight. It’s called playing the long game, and most movie studios aren’t willing to put forward that kind of effort. The MCU isn’t perfect, it’s had a couple of misfires. That brings me to Black Widow.
Black Widow follows former assassin-turned-Avenger Natasha Romanoff as she is on the run from the United States government. Why is she on the run? Because she violated an international agreement and helped Captain America get his friend out of reach of the government. As she arrives in the middle of nowhere in Norway, she’s attacked by a mysterious assassin known only as Taskmaster. Taskmaster is looking for a mysterious box that was sent to Natasha from her estranged sister, Yelena, who also ended up in the same assassin program as she did. Realizing that the Red Room that she was trained still exists and other Black Widows are being trained, she and Yelena set out to destroy the program that ruined their lives. This film is set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. I’ll just flat-out say it: If you’ve Avengers: Endgame, you already know how this movie’s going to end. In Endgame, Natasha sacrifices herself so that her partner, Hawkeye, can get the Soul Stone so they can save the universe and destroy Thanos. In the grand scheme of the MCU, Black Widow serves no real purpose aside from expanding on Black Widow’s history, and even then, it doesn’t go far enough to explain her own personal training and how she ended up leaving the assassination program. In truth, the movie would have been better served had it been made and released between Captain America and Infinity War. It would’ve had more impact from a narrative standpoint. The real story in this movie, is the family dynamic between Natasha, Yelena, Melina, and Alexei. That’s really about it.
I really like the main characters in this film. I really do. There’s real chemistry between Yelena, Natasha, Melina, AND Alexei. So, whenever these folks are on the screen, that’s when the film is at its best. Unfortunately, the balance is off because the villains in this film are about as generic as you can get for a movie of this sort. Dreykov, who is supposed to be one of the most important figures in Natasha’s past, comes across as little more than a greedy business man playing at being a puppet master. This guy didn’t even FEEL like a threat. He was just there for Natasha and Yelena to eventually kill. Taskmaster is a huge problem here. Taskmaster is supposed to be a supervillain that can mimic the movements and fighting styles of his opponents perfectly, making him an extremely dangerous enemy. The twist involving Taskmaster is not only predictable, but it’s laughably stupid. I haven’t seen a twist THAT poorly written since the reveal of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. That’s how bad it is. Honestly, just give me more of Alexei, Yelena, and Melina. Alexei in particular is interesting because his character is the Soviet Union’s attempt at creating their own version of Captain America. Alexei was known as the Red Guardian. He comes across as a bit of a bumbling oaf, but the character feels genuine. Yelena is Nat’s “sister” and she has the best chemistry with Natasha.
The acting for the most part is pretty good. Scarlett Johansson gives her best performance as Black Widow. Florence Pugh, just knocks it out of the park as Yelena. She handles the role incredibly well, emotionally as well as physically. Rachel Weisz is always a pleasure to watch. The real standout here is David Harbour as Alexei. He’s basically the comic relief, and he definitely delivers on that front, but he also has a surprising amount of vulnerability given his size and abilities. I’ve always enjoyed Ray Winstone as an actor. He brings a real grit and gravitas to nearly everything that he does, and even in the worst movies, he’s entertaining. He’s just not given a whole lot to do here outside of “being evil.” Now, let’s get to the action. The action is pretty decent. Some of the fight scenes between Black Widow and Taskmaster are pretty well done. She even gets to take on a whole team of Widows towards the end of the movie which is pretty decent. This being an MCU movie means lots of CGI and explosions and it delivers. Not the best I’ve seen, but still pretty entertaining. However, it all feels a bit hollow because of the story. Because most people already know what happens to Natasha in Avengers: Endgame, there is really no tension to be found in the action. We know that she will survive to take part in the conclusion to the Infinity Saga, so why should we worry about what happens to her in THIS movie? This has always been an issue with prequels of any sort. We already know the outcome regardless of how the movie arrives to that outcome, and it robs the film of any kind of suspense or thrills that we would’ve had otherwise.
Is Black Widow the dumpster fire that Stephen Dorff said it looked like, even though he hasn’t seen it? No. Not even close. It’s a decent action movie, with some pretty good characters. It just ends up being a victim of very bad timing. This was a movie that’s 3 years too late. Had it been released back in 2018-19, it would’ve had a larger impact and more staying power. With that in mind, the movie does set up for another film with Yelena taking over as Black Widow, and THAT I am definitely excited to see. Cate Shortland should be commended for being able to bring this movie to audiences despite the fact that it was delayed because of the pandemic. It’s one that’s worth checking out, but it’s definitely not Marvel’s best. I would put it on the same level as Captain Marvel. Not groundbreaking, but fun enough to keep your eyes on the screen for about 2 hours. So, yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Florence Pugh as the new Black Widow. Bring it on.
My Final Recommendation: 7/10.