It’s been almost two years since the last Marvel film hit screens, and while Feige and his band of merry heroes have mostly tided audiences over with the new Disney+ shows, “Black Widow” is here to jumpstart the summer (and the box office) in a way that only Marvel can.
Taking place in between “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Black Widow” probably should’ve come out at that time as well. Its not really the case of “too little, too late,” but more the fact that the film is such a beautiful sendoff for Scarlett Johansson (“Under the Skin,” “Marriage Story”) and the character of Natasha Romanoff that getting this adventure as a post-mortem feels disingenuous to the character.
But we’ve got it now, so let’s judge the film we’ve got, not the film we could’ve got. Thankfully, what Marvel and director Cate Shortland (“Berlin Syndrome,” “Somersault”) have delivered is a thrilling adventure, packed with some incredible action and a story that easily ranks with Marvel’s most thought-out and character focused pieces.
Natasha Romanoff, played by Johansson, is laying low in Europe following the events of “Captain America: Civil War” when she’s attacked by the very people she used to work for before becoming an Avenger. Now she teams up with her former faux family in the hopes of taking down Dreykov, the leader of the brainwashing Black Widow program and of the Red Room.
Johansson has more material to work with here than arguably any point in her history with Marvel. Romanoff has been through a lot even before she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and Shortland and writers Jac Schaeffer (“TiMER,” “WandaVision”), Ned Benson (“The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby”), and Eric Pearson (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Godzilla vs. Kong”) don’t shy away from that. Rather, they embrace her checkered past and use it to develop Romanoff as a character so desperate to break free of what she had to do to be free.
Her faux family that must be reassembled consists of Floence Pugh (“Midsommar,” “Little Women (2019)”) as Yelena Belova, David Harbour (“Stranger Things,” “Hellboy (2019)”) as Alexei Shostakov aka the Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz (“The Mummy,” “The Favourite”) as Melina Vostokoff. Their chemistry and family dynamic are nearly flawless, with Pugh absolutely stealing the show right out from Johansson. Its one of the few cases where you can really feel and believe the familial roots that exist between a group of characters, even with all the action going on.
And action there is indeed, as “Widow” contains some of Marvel’s best and smallest scale action in a while. Don’t be mistaken, there are still massive explosions and debris tumbling every which way, but there are also numerous moments of excellently choreographed hand to hand combat that remain thrilling throughout.
Yet, it’s the quiet moments throughout “Black Widow” that really shine the brightest and make the film feel like a step in a new direction for Marvel. While there have been Marvel films with quiet, introspective moments before, the reason “Widow” stands out so much is Shortland and the writer’s decision to let these moments breath and marinate. Not only does it allow these familial discussions or reflections on one’s past land with greater impact; it results in one of the most excellently paced Marvel films in some time. Even the villain is layered with real world allegories, and while nothing here approaches the deep levels of something philosophical, it nevertheless is a great blend of serious, character driven plot with fantastic popcorn thrills.
Its not a perfect movie, and there are definitely things to criticize. As entertaining as it all is, the first two acts play out in a fairly predictable fashion, down to how certain characters and pieces of information are found. The third act, meanwhile, is a tense and fantastic action and plot packed rollercoaster ride, and that’s not to say the first two acts are bad. They have just as much juicy material as the third, they just present it in a more predictable way.
“Black Widow” is a character focused popcorn action flick with the gumption to let its small, somber moments have as much importance as its explosions and action. Johansson, Harbour, and Weisz are all great, and Pugh delivers a standout performance, resulting in a potential new direction for Marvel Studios post Endgame. 4/5
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