Although I do like the Marvel Cinematic Universe quite a bit, I have been reasonably fine with the relative lack of new content over the last two years. In the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, it felt kind of suitable to let some time pass before continuing the series. That and because I feel it was the point where the franchise would peak, I'm somewhat disinterested in seeing what's going to happen next, which has impacted some of the Disney+ shows we saw earlier this year. But, with cinemas back up and running and studios less hesitant to release their new offerings, a cinematic return to the MCU was here and I was keen to see it, Black Widow.
I've always enjoyed the character of Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson has always done a great job making her extremely likeable and charismatic, and she does have an interesting backstory / conflict. Unfortunately, she has usually been in the background of the conflicts of other characters such as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, which is a shame. But, before we say farewell to her after she heroically sacrificed herself in Endgame, we delve into her backstory in greater detail. In this film, set shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Romanoff confronts her past and seeks to rid the world of what made her history as troublesome as it was.
First off, I have to say, it was rather wonderful to be watching a new MCU movie in the cinema. The last time we had one of these was over two years ago, with Spider-Man: Far From Home, so it had certainly been a while. Seeing the glorious Marvel Studios logo on the big screen once again after all this time was magnificent; it gave me chills and put a big smile on my face. So, despite how I may slowly be losing interest in this franchise, my love for it felt kind of reinvigorated here.
Black Widow offers much of what I like to see from this franchise. While being a very action-heavy movie, it does take its time to tell a thoughtful story, this one regarding things such as sisterhood and family, which is very heartfelt at times. Additionally, it has all the things you've probably come to expect from this franchise, namely great characters and exciting action. The characters are great here mostly because of some really terrific performances - Scarlett Johansson is as good as usual in this role, Florence Pugh continues to show she is a wonderfully talented actress, as if Little Women and Midsommar weren't enough, but the standout for me was David Harbour as the Red Guardian; he gave an extremely fun and consistently entertaining performance throughout the film. They all have a really enjoyable dynamic, namely Johansson and Pugh, who frequently bicker with one another as you'd expect siblings to. The action is slightly bland and does rely a little too much on CGI and fast editing for my liking, but on the whole was still enjoyable. So, it's evident that Black Widow has plenty to offer and is undeniably good.
My biggest problem with the film was that I wasn't really engaged in it overall. This isn't really the fault of the film itself, I think it's purely down to timing. As I said, this takes place just after Civil War, but it's being released at a time when we've seen how all the conflicts in that film are resolved. As a result, I couldn't really bring myself to care much about what was happening. I'm not really interested in any part of this franchise pre-Endgame as we've seen how it all ends up, so I wasn't really interested in this movie as an addition to that part of the story. Had this come out shortly after Civil War, I'd probably have enjoyed it more because it would have felt a lot more in the moment and timely, but because we're seeing it over five years after (an issue exacerbated by COVID), it almost feels like old news.
This is especially annoying when considering that the film does successfully build on Natasha's character, and had we seen this film before Endgame, it definitely would have made her death feel more impactful. So, in this sense, the film is partially a victim of circumstance. Obviously, this isn't a criticism I can see being valid for long. If someone were to discover the MCU ten years from now and watch all the films in the Infinity Saga in chronological order, they'd obviously watch this film in the right spot and the fact that it was released way after the rest of the bunch would be irrelevant. Still, it's annoying for people like myself who are following along with these stories as they're being told and having things being added to established aspects.
I've also heard the criticism that the film is solely a vehicle to set-up future elements, particularly involving Yelena, Florence Pugh's character. I only take issue with this when the film doesn't offer much else to compensate, such as Captain Marvel, which to me felt as if it existed solely to set-up things in Avengers: Endgame and didn't have much else about it that was compelling. But, Black Widow had enough to keep me entertained throughout, so the fact that it might only exist to service whatever comes next didn't bug me as it wasn't so obvious. Additionally, the post-credit scene in this movie (which I won't spoil) did get me quite excited for what's on the way.
All things considered, I was mostly satisfied by Black Widow. To say it was a disappointment feels a little harsh as it has all the attributes of a solid Marvel offering and my key issue with it wasn't to do with the film in itself, so I don't really feel that applying that label is suitable. It's a well-acted, charming, heartfelt, and generally enjoyable film that'd probably have gone down better if we'd seen it a little sooner. Don't give it a miss if you're a fan as I'm sure it'll be able to fill the MCU-movie-shaped hole in your life to some degree.
I'm going to give Black Widow a 7.0/10
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