Black Widow (2021) Review

Black Widow (2021)

On the run following the events of Civil War, Black Widow follows Natasha Romanoff, who must confront her past as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake. 

*Spoilers, obviously*

I was a little apprehensive going into this, largely due to my almost complete lack of interest (brought upon by the constant delaying of releasing this film). All of that washed away however with an electrifying opening that proved Shortland and the Marvel crew came to play. Tonally, this feels like a much more polished (and significantly less corny) Brosnan-era Bond film, even directly referencing one in a nod to Moonraker. It’s interesting (and a little nostalgic) seeing Natasha in action because it feels like everyone has a gimmick or power these days, and for one of the few remaining Avengers left, she doesn’t. Causing her to, reluctantly, lean on this ragtag ‘family’ of characters; something Natasha has always been reluctant of, thanks to their original betrayal of her, in a sense.

I was impressed with the authentic portrayal of what Shortland calls “the violent female experience” too, detailing the darker themes of female & child trafficking, abuse, and manipulation. With allowing Natasha to confront her past, and the pain that comes with it, she very much comes to terms with herself. It feels like an answer to her fate Endgame, giving her a closure (and the viewers for that matter). 

The movie’s only real drawback was it’s villains however. Dreykov felt like a pointless foil that posed zero threat and the change in Taskmaster’s identity and backstory could have been cool, but *she* just came off as bland and one dimensional, which is sad considering he is historically one of Marvel’s most compelling villains.

I was thoroughly impressed with the cast here, starring O.T. Fagbenle, Ray Winstone, Olga Kurylenko, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh, and Scarlett Johansson. Johansson feels really empowering in her first, and only, solo outing, giving us a terrific finality to her character after the events of Endgame. Pugh also did a stellar job of making Yelena feel like her own separate character, one who’s still young (and quite funny) at heart. 

Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland, takes Natasha first solo outing and makes the most out of it, acting as a stylistic spy thriller that does a solid job of filling in the back story behind one of the MCU’s original big 6, while also giving her an endearing story that feels more identity driven than anything we’ve gotten since Phase 1. 

8.4/10