Review: "Black Widow"

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally re-arrived to movie theaters around the globe with the super spy thriller, Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff's solo outing comes at a weird time as fans already know when her time is up, robbing fans of any kind of worry of losing her over the course of this film. However, it does flesh her character out a bit more while introducing new characters and answers the age old question of what happened in Budapest. It has a similar feel to that of Captain America: The Winter Soldier but unlike that film it doesn't have the same stakes, Black Widow by comparison feels smaller and more focused on Natasha and her adoptive family. It is hard not to feel or think that this film took too long to happen but at it's core it is still a solid action film by it's own merit.

The plot follows Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson) as she confronts her dark origin when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. She is also pursued by a terminator like force that will never stop until she is brought down. On top of that she is also fleeing Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) as he is attempting to bring in the Avengers for breaching the Sokovia Accords in the aftermath of Civil War. Natasha is forced to deal with her history as spy and the broken relationship she has before she ever became an Avenger. She also finds out that the horrible Red Room that had made her into the super spy that she is today is still functional.

The oddest thing about the film may just be the timing, as it would have been better in the previous phase and way before Avengers Endgame, but beyond that Natasha fails to be the most interesting character of her own film. Her pseudo sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), is one of the most intriguing characters in the film and likely to be a big piece moving forward inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially if you stay past the credits. In many ways she is also the heart of the film behind it all. Pugh was incredible in the role and shined brighter then Scarlet Johansson while also doing a great job in adding some levity to some darker moments. It helped that the two had a wonderful dynamic between the themselves that made it believable for the two to be family. David Harbour's turn as Alexei Shostakov, or Red Guardian, was also a welcome introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Russian counterpart to Captain America. Harbour is widely known as Sheriff Hopper from Stranger Things and does a good job in the role as the adopted, pseudo father to Natasha and Yelena. Despite not given much to do in the role, he adds to it with his charisma and comedic timing.

The biggest flaw of the film is a common theme among the solo outings within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the villain. Taskmaster is a very complex character in the comics and granted the film isn't about Taskmaster so you don't expect him to be horribly fleshed out. The reveal of Taskmaster will surely disappoint some passionate fans, but the character works well in what it is meant to be. A terrifying force of nature that will stop at nothing and a physical foil to Natasha.

Beyond the characters, the film has some tremendous action pieces that features some of the best close quarter fight scenes that Marvel has done yet. Particularly the brief fight that is featured in trailers between Natasha and Yelena. The themes of estranged family and a sisters bond work very well in the film as well, but largely one thing really sticks out. Natasha's character throughout the MCU has been underutilitzed and poorly written and developed. For the better part of ten years inside these films she has largely been a secondary character, interesting due to the talents of Johansson but rather one note. Even in her own film, it is a bit odd to see that she isn't even the most interesting character.

Overall the film on it's own merits is a good one. It has some good action scenes, the family themes are sure to touch on some feelings for audiences. For fans of the Marvel films it may bring up some questions in how it deals with the overall continuity of the series, but as a stand alone film it works very well. Black Widow also does a great job in rounding out some questions fans have had since the very first Avengers film and how Natasha had gotten red in her ledger. In a round about way it works as a back door pilot for Yelena who surely will be a fixture moving forward in the universe.