Black Widow is Marvel’s first theatrical release in two years and finally debuts the stand-alone heroics of one of the MCU’s first on-screen heroes. For years, audiences have wondered just how and why Natasha got her dyed-blonde hair in Avengers: Infinity War. Black Widow answers that pivotal question.
That’s about all it does.
This movie depicts the exploits of Black Widow immediately after the events of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. She is on the lam and is soon pulled into action when her former family in Russia is embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy that is directly tied to Natasha’s past.
The elephant in the room is why did Marvel wait so long to make this movie and why are they making it now? The simple spy story would have fit in well were it made 5 years ago. I’m guessing they forgot about the actual star power that Scarlett Johansson has and wanted to finally capitalize on it. When all is said and done, this plays more like a Disney+ series that is used to launch new characters.
Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Fighting with my Family) joins the MCU as Yelena Bolova, a “sister” to Natasha and the co-lead throughout the movie. Together, they try to survive being pursued by soldiers who have also gone through the Black Widow training. Pugh has the best repeated gag in the movie and keeps things light-hearted even through her heavy Russian accent. Pugh is a great actress and should bring some gravitas to upcoming Marvel projects.
David Harbour and Rachel Weisz are shoehorned in with flashbacks of Natasha’s past and they reappear to add a family dynamic to a movie that just didn’t need it. Harbour is written as the stereotypical, belligerent, doofus dad that appears in every teen series on the Disney Channel. Weisz is completely wasted in a role that has you questioning where her loyalty lies, but mostly what importance she has to the plot.
With the absence of super-heroics, there is a greater emphasis on hand-to-hand combat. This kind of John Wick-style violence is an easy layup when it comes to pleasing action fans. Black Widow almost gets there. It teases neck-breaking, bone-crunching fights. Some moments had me wince at the impact. However, what could have been the strength of the movie pulls its punches. Director Cate Shortland cuts from every fight scene within three minutes.
Black Widow’s arc throughout the past 11 years in the movies have teased what exactly she went through in the Red Room and how she was cultivated to be an assassin with a dark past. Leave those expectations at the door. You’ll get no answers here.
Imagine a film in the vein of Logan where Natasha is on a sole mission to destroy the Red Room/Black Widow program that created who she is. Instead we get treated to a buddy movie that ends in a third act that Roger Moore’s Bond movies would be embarrassed of. The villain of the movie monologues about his devious plan for what feels like 27 minutes and his reasoning for cultivating the Widows made me involuntary chortle when it was revealed.
Black Widow is ultimately pointless. It’s a spy movie for people who’ve never seen a spy movie. Its place in the grander MCU is unnecessary. Scarlett Johansson is aces and has legitimate class. Though, she feels like she’s playing second fiddle to characters Marvel is trying to launch. Florence Pugh has the lion’s share comedic and action-packed moments. Every other character is a cringe-inducing caricature. The hand-to-hand combat is a blast, but sadly fleeting. Black Widow will satiate long-time Marvel fans two year drought, but for anyone else, it’s a sloppy stand-alone adventure. C-
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