REVIEW: Black Widow is the Movie Fans Deserved…4 Years Ago

Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is finally getting her own standalone film after being a secondary character in the Iron Man and Captain America’s films and it was worth the wait. Directed by Cate Shortland, Marvel’s Black Widow finds Natasha on the run from the United States government after the events of Captain America: Civil War. With no plan in mind, Natasha heads off the grid to figure out what her next step might be. All that changes when Natasha’s sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh) re-enters her life and informs Natasha a past mission she thought she had completed was not. Now, Natasha must find a way to finally complete the mission before it is too late.

For years, fans have asked for an origin story for Black Widow and Shortland delivers with this film. Beautifully shot, the movie manages to answer most of the questions fans had about Natasha’s past without feeling forced or choppy. The story is a little predictable, but the callbacks to past Marvel films and the A+ casting, easily outshine the predictability. The action scenes were entertaining, while what could have been a pretty dramatic movie, featured many laughs due to its cast.

Johansson leads this movie with ease. Why Marvel waited so long to give this actress her own movie is beyond me, and it is just a shame we won’t be getting another Johansson-centric Marvel movie in the near future. Johansson has always brought a sense of calm to the role, but this time around, she also gets to play around with Natasha’s emotional side.

Johansson is joined in the movie by Pugh, David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov, Red Guardian), and Rachel Weisz (Melina Vostokoff) and there was not a weak one in the bunch. Pugh was outstanding in every scene she was in. There is absolutely no question that this actress was meant to be in the MCU after watching her performance. Her performance will leave you excited to see more from her character in the coming years.

Harbour and Weisz both brought a number of laughs to the movie and only helped propel Johansson and Pugh’s performances. I am excited to see what the future entails for Harbour’s Red Guardian and Weisz’s Melina in the MCU.

Black Widow does a great job setting up Yelena’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s just another reminder of what fans will be missing from Black Widow. This was the Black Widow movie fans deserved in 2017 not 2021. The movie should have been released before Avengers: Infinity War and it would not have changed anything about any of the characters’ trajectories. Instead, Marvel chose to release it after Avengers: Endgame, leaving Natasha with no future in MCU. Leaving the film feeling like a bit of a tease, what could have been instead of what should have been. Because this is Marvel, I am hoping there is a chance that Natasha could return down the road, if Johansson is willing to revisit the role. Until then, after watching this movie, I will continue to feel frustrated we may never get a Natasha centric movie again and disappointed because Marvel waited too long to focus on its lone female Avenger.

It has been a long two years, Marvel fans, but this is a definite must watch. Whether it be in theaters or on Disney+ Premiere Access, do not wait to check this film out. And, like all Marvel movies, make sure to stick around until the end of the credits. The post-credit scene is solid, in that it continues to set up the future of the MCU.

Grade: A

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