| Black Widow (2021) | |
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Rating: 6.7/10 (423,439 votes) Director: Cate Shortland Writer: Eric Pearson, Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour Runtime: 134 min Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Released: 09 Jul 2021 |
| Plot: Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. | |
Marvel is back on the big (and small) screen with this film set between the events of Civil War and Infinity War. Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) is on the run, in hiding after the events of Civil War, when a mysterious package and an encounter with a supersoldier who can adapt and learn all fighting styles (Taskmaster) draws her into a mystery that sees her confront her dark past head on as she seeks a way to erase The Red Room from existence. Along the way she teams up with her ‘family’ of double agents, Yelena (Florence Pugh), Alexei (David Harbour), and Melina (Rachael Weitz).
I had moderate expectations for this film, but didn’t anticipate being blown away by it as much as I was. Of course, first things first, as the Marvel logo unfurled on screen to that iconic music for the first time in over a year it was quite an emotional moment – daft, I know, given we see it each week before Loki, but to me it was a moment that told me that cinemas were back! I anticipate the film snobs out there saying how pathetic I am for feeling like this, but I felt the same way back when Superman Returns started off with that iconic theme and swooshing credits, I feel the same when i see the 20th Century Fox logo play on the big screen, and I will no doubt feel the same when The French Dispatch arrives. There’s certain on-screen moments that touch us in unique ways – the MCU logo on the big screen was one of those moments for a lifetime comic book and movie fan like me.
So, onto the film itself, and generally what we have here is the MCU version of The Bourne series of films – just switch out Treadstone with Red Room, and you have a similar, action fuelled take on brainwashed sleeper agents who break their programming and seek to shut down the organisation they were a part of. That’s not a bad thing, however, as it also allows for a film that has a very different tone to the usual MCU outings, especially in the dark opening acts.
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But the good definitely outweighs the bad. Casting is top notch, as we have generally come to expect from the MCU. Johansson, of course, gets chance to really dig deep into her character, as we explore the ‘red on her ledger’ of the past. David Harbour, Rachael Weisz and Ray Winstone are decent support in their roles – although all three have a dubious understanding of what makes a Russian accent. But Florence Pugh is the standout in all of this as she plays an emotionally damaged ‘younger sister’ to Natasha, who has broken her programming and immediately looks for help from her big-sister, who is an Avenger. Pugh plays the role cripplingly real, as she confronts her sister who abandoned her and left her to suffer in The Red Room, even when she could have used her Avengers friends to save her. As the pair start to reconnect you start to see the love (and indeed the sibling rivalry and bickering) build up, which Pugh really sells with every expression. When it comes to the action, she delivers, and as a film which is to lay the groundwork for this new ‘Widow’, by the end of it I was hotly anticipating more of the character to come.
Overall, this film immediately landed in my top tier rankings for the MCU. A solid entry that ties up the hanging threads from Natasha’s back-story, whilst setting up the new era, the only real shame is that it took so long for a Black Widow film to be made. But as a return for the MCU movies, it more than works, and makes me even more excited for things to come.
