Have you been dying to see your favorite Marvel heroes on the big screen over the past year? The wait is finally over! As of last weekend, “Black Widow,” the 24th Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, is finally in theaters (and also available on Disney+ for the $30 premier access fee).
While Marvel fans have likely been placated this past year by Disney+ series “WandaVision,” “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and now “Loki,” we haven’t seen a theatrical MCU release since 2019’s “Spiderman: Far from Home.” “Black Widow,” like so many COVID-era films, has bounced around over the past year, with Disney announcing several different release dates. On July 9, the dream became reality when the movie saw its wide-release.
Was the wait worth it? Will diehard MCU and casual fans flocking to theaters and their couches be satisfied with Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow’s solo outing? Bridget, along with guest columnist and MCU enthusiast, Travis Fischer, pick apart this movie’s tangled web and discuss that in our latest review. SPOILER WARNING: There may be spoilers for previous MCU movies ahead, though we’ll try to avoid them for “Black Widow.”
Before we jump into our opinions, it may be useful to establish a little bit of context for “Black Widow.”
The film character Natasha Romanoff was first introduced to the MCU in “Iron Man 2” (2010). Fast forward about a decade and you may remember that she had met her end a few movies ago. Well, that’s still pretty much true. The newly released “Black Widow” actually goes back in time to that lull after “Captain America: Civil War” when Romanoff is a fugitive for violating the Sokovia Accords and going off on her own.
Natasha takes a walk down memory lane when her ‘sister’ Yelena (Florence Pugh) gets her involved in a mission to find and destroy the “Red Room” where they grew up. This is the location where Russian-trained female assassins called Widows are mind-controlled into working for the evil Dreykov. Natasha and Yelena’s surrogate parents, former Russian super-soldier Alexei (David Harbour) and Black Widow Melina (Rachel Weisz) also are sought after to help locate the Red Room.
On to the review! What did you think of the movie?
Bridget: I admit, I was a bit disoriented by the seriousness of the very beginning of the movie when it seemed like a dark drama about human-trafficking (even with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” playing in the background). As it progressed, I enjoyed the movie as a spy-thriller. In the first half hour, the action was non-stop and intense. At times, it reminded me of a James Bond or Bourne movie. Since I tend to enjoy talky parts of movies, I was happy when Yelena’s character showed up and the ladies could chat, slowing down the car chases and punching for a bit. I really enjoyed when the whole “family” with Harbour and Weisz’s characters all finally reunited. It was funny and light-hearted yet emotionally powerful. Harbour, who reminded me of his character from “Stranger Things,” was a scene-stealer every time he was on screen as he tries to relive the glory days as the Red Guardian. I think this little family dynamic between the four main characters saved the movie for me.
As an MCU movie, “Black Widow” was just ok. I don’t think it added much to the overall timeline, perhaps because it was made years too late. If the movie had been made years back when it probably should have been, it could have been more consequential. As it is, even though it was a fun ride at times, you know you won’t be seeing most of those characters again and they don’t matter too much.
Travis: There are definitely dark themes at play in this film. It's not subtle about the parallels between the Red Room's inhumane spy program and real-world human trafficking. Still, at the end of the day, it's a Marvel Studio's movie. They may touch at serious themes on occasion, but it will always be framed with the MCU's trademark banter and irreverence.
Outside of that, this is structurally identical to a James Bond movie with the typical Bond romance subplot swapped out for Black Widow reconnecting with her pseudo-family. Which is exactly what you would expect from an MCU Black Widow movie.
For you, what were the strongest elements or performances in “Black Widow?”
Bridget: For me, Florence Pugh who plays Natasha’s sister and a recently liberated Widow was the standout for me. David Harbour is enjoyable, but Pugh is just great all around. I’ve enjoyed her for some time, notably in the 2019 version of “Little Women.” In “Black Widow,” I totally bought her as a sassy assassin with an aggressive Russian accent. She was also funny, especially as she was making fun of Natasha’s superhero pose. I look forward to her future projects.
Travis: Pugh was great and really brought the "little sister energy" that they were going for. Comic fans be warned though, this is a very different Yelena Belonva than you know from the books and her relationship with Natasha is equally altered for the movie adaptation. No "Face/Off" inspired mind games between these two in the MCU.
What in “Black Widow” didn’t work so well for you?
Bridget: While I thought the idea of liberating a bunch of mind-controlled kidnapped girls was a fine idea, the general mission of the movie and the villain were pretty mediocre. We hardly see the baddie, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone), during the course of the movie and when we do, he’s pretty forgettable. When we finally learn what his evil plot is, it sounds like the evil plots of a hundred other movie villains. Also, his henchman Taskmaster who is tasked with doing the dirty work is an underrealized character. This well-known character from Marvel comics finally appears on screen here and has the cool ability of mimicking their adversaries’ fighting style, including the styles of the Avengers. Cool idea, but it’s barely tapped into in “Black Widow.” Sure, we see some shield-throwing and an arrow being shot, but it’s pretty brief and blah.
Travis: Not gonna lie. I've never been a fan of Taskmaster. Always thought he was over-hyped as a villain and his costume design is among the more regrettable creative decisions that were made in the 80s. For the MCU, where half the villains are already a dark mirror of any given hero, a villain that mimics people is hardly an awe inspiring threat.
That said, I'd still agree that they did Taskmaster dirty in the movie. Tasky is pretty much an afterthought to the plot and the emotional twist they do for the MCU version doesn't strike home nearly as hard as the movie probably wanted it to.
On a similar vein, I was kind of surprised that the movie didn't take this opportunity to explore more of the red in Widow's ledger. After a decade of teasing Natasha's bloodstained past, very little of it is actually mentioned.
Final thoughts- So in the end, would you recommend the movie?
Bridget: For me, I would recommend “Black Widow,” particularly if you can see it in the theater. The over two hour run time went by quickly. I had fun for the most part, but I still wish this long-time Avenger would have gotten a little more love, especially considering what happens to her down the road.
Travis: This movie probably should have come out four years ago, but better late than never I suppose. As I said before, it's exactly what you would expect from a Marvel Studios Black Widow movie. No more. No less. If you've seen the other 20+ movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you know what you're getting into here.
Stay tuned for the latest edition of the column next week featuring a review of a remake of a nostalgic childhood classic from Rob and Bridget’s past, and as always, send your feedback and/or topic suggestions to Bridget (news@wrightcountymonitor.com) or Rob (publisher@grundyregister.com). Thanks for reading!
