More than a decade after her debut, Marvel's first female Avenger finally receives a solo outing.
It's hard to say the wait was worth the experience (though seeing a Marvel film on the big screen for the first time in nearly two years could arguably fit that description) because as good as "Black Widow" is - and it's really good - it almost feels too little, too late for one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most endearing characters and the woman who brought her to life, Scarlett Johannson.
As fans remember (don't read past this point if you haven't seen "Avengers Endgame") Romanoff met her end on Vormir as the required sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone to complete the Infinity Gauntlet needed to reverse Thanos' attack. "Black Widow" sidesteps the fact that her character is currently dead in the main continuity by serving as a prequel movie that takes place after the events of "Captain America Civil War," which saw Romanoff and many of her fellow Avengers go on the run after refusing to sign the Sokovia Accords, and "Avengers Infinity War." The movie takes place immediately following the events of "Civil War," with Romanoff setting up a new, quiet life for herself until she receives a strange message from her sister, Florence Pugh's Yelena.
Black Widow's past has only been hinted at in the franchise up to this point. Everyone knows she was a former Russian operative working for the Red Room, a secretive group of highly trained assassins, but nothing beyond that has ever been revealed - until now. The movie opens with an almost surreal picturesque family life of 1980s Ohio with young Natasha and her sister playing in their backyard before dinner. David Harbour makes an appearance as the loving father before receiving a phone call that reveals this family is nothing more than a Russian plant. Think FX's brilliant "The Americans" show. Romanoff's picturesque family life was never real. They were never a real family, but were instead put together for the mission. Natasha and Yelena were never sisters and Harbour's Alexei was never their father.
For the vast majority of the film, the script keeps the stakes relatively limited. At its core, "Black Widow" is a movie about family and accepting the people around you as your family. The story beats emphasize this, as Romanoff reconnects with Yelena and then Alexei on a mission to free the remaining members of the Red Room, who are now brainwashed. Romanoff is in conflict with herself about the nature of her relationships to these people as she is with the enemies that are trying to kill her. It's only when accepting that Alexei and Yelena are her family bound by something more important than blood - just as she was bound to the Avengers - that she is able to overcome her challenges.
And then the movie devolves into a CG-filled final act that features the trademark Marvel Studios quota for explosions and weightless action. For the last 30 minutes, "Black Widow" forgets all of the soul searching its characters have done and all of the revelations they have uncovered to throw them into a meat grinder of non-stop action. It's well directed action, but it feels like a tonal shift from all that's come before.
"Black Widow" at least tries to offer something slightly deeper than the standard Marvel fare. The opening credits are downright haunting with images of the girls of the Red Room being abducted and subjugated to abuse and torture. As much as the movie is about family, it's also about how society treats women as things before casting them aside when they're no longer useful. But as is the problem with many films of this type, the imagery is there, but more so as window dressing to serve the narrative, than as a political statement.
The relationships at the core of the film are better developed than perhaps any other individual movie. Johansson and Pugh have amazing chemistry, and the latter absolutely steals the spotlight - perhaps setting herself up as the Black Widow successor in the upcoming franchise. Even Harbour's failure of a Soviet super soldier is entertaining to watch, as he's constantly trying to compare himself to Captain America, Steve Rogers.
"Black Widow" is the solo film that Romanoff deserved, but it just feels as if it's fulfilling a long overdue obligation, rather than as a true entry in the MCU. Certain story beats hit a little harder knowing Romanoff's ultimate fate, and its overall theme of identity and discovering self worth fits in with the current slate of Disney+ MCU shows, but it still feels like this movie would have been much better suited to release before the "Avengers" duology.
It's hard to say the wait was worth the experience (though seeing a Marvel film on the big screen for the first time in nearly two years could arguably fit that description) because as good as "Black Widow" is - and it's really good - it almost feels too little, too late for one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most endearing characters and the woman who brought her to life, Scarlett Johannson.
As fans remember (don't read past this point if you haven't seen "Avengers Endgame") Romanoff met her end on Vormir as the required sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone to complete the Infinity Gauntlet needed to reverse Thanos' attack. "Black Widow" sidesteps the fact that her character is currently dead in the main continuity by serving as a prequel movie that takes place after the events of "Captain America Civil War," which saw Romanoff and many of her fellow Avengers go on the run after refusing to sign the Sokovia Accords, and "Avengers Infinity War." The movie takes place immediately following the events of "Civil War," with Romanoff setting up a new, quiet life for herself until she receives a strange message from her sister, Florence Pugh's Yelena.
Black Widow's past has only been hinted at in the franchise up to this point. Everyone knows she was a former Russian operative working for the Red Room, a secretive group of highly trained assassins, but nothing beyond that has ever been revealed - until now. The movie opens with an almost surreal picturesque family life of 1980s Ohio with young Natasha and her sister playing in their backyard before dinner. David Harbour makes an appearance as the loving father before receiving a phone call that reveals this family is nothing more than a Russian plant. Think FX's brilliant "The Americans" show. Romanoff's picturesque family life was never real. They were never a real family, but were instead put together for the mission. Natasha and Yelena were never sisters and Harbour's Alexei was never their father.
For the vast majority of the film, the script keeps the stakes relatively limited. At its core, "Black Widow" is a movie about family and accepting the people around you as your family. The story beats emphasize this, as Romanoff reconnects with Yelena and then Alexei on a mission to free the remaining members of the Red Room, who are now brainwashed. Romanoff is in conflict with herself about the nature of her relationships to these people as she is with the enemies that are trying to kill her. It's only when accepting that Alexei and Yelena are her family bound by something more important than blood - just as she was bound to the Avengers - that she is able to overcome her challenges.
And then the movie devolves into a CG-filled final act that features the trademark Marvel Studios quota for explosions and weightless action. For the last 30 minutes, "Black Widow" forgets all of the soul searching its characters have done and all of the revelations they have uncovered to throw them into a meat grinder of non-stop action. It's well directed action, but it feels like a tonal shift from all that's come before.
"Black Widow" at least tries to offer something slightly deeper than the standard Marvel fare. The opening credits are downright haunting with images of the girls of the Red Room being abducted and subjugated to abuse and torture. As much as the movie is about family, it's also about how society treats women as things before casting them aside when they're no longer useful. But as is the problem with many films of this type, the imagery is there, but more so as window dressing to serve the narrative, than as a political statement.
The relationships at the core of the film are better developed than perhaps any other individual movie. Johansson and Pugh have amazing chemistry, and the latter absolutely steals the spotlight - perhaps setting herself up as the Black Widow successor in the upcoming franchise. Even Harbour's failure of a Soviet super soldier is entertaining to watch, as he's constantly trying to compare himself to Captain America, Steve Rogers.
"Black Widow" is the solo film that Romanoff deserved, but it just feels as if it's fulfilling a long overdue obligation, rather than as a true entry in the MCU. Certain story beats hit a little harder knowing Romanoff's ultimate fate, and its overall theme of identity and discovering self worth fits in with the current slate of Disney+ MCU shows, but it still feels like this movie would have been much better suited to release before the "Avengers" duology.