Black Widow
Director: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winston, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 134 minutes
Spoilers follow:
After a very, very long wait, Black Widow is finally here. Scarlett Johansson’s titular character, also known as Natasha Romanoff, has been one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most compelling heroes since her introduction in its earliest days, which predated the arrival of most of her fellow Avengers other than Tony Stark, but it’s only eleven years after her scene-stealing appearance in Iron Man 2 that Natasha, or Nat, as she’s affectionately nicknamed both in the films and by fans, has received her own standalone feature. Like many of Marvel’s recent efforts at increasing diversity Black Widow (which is the first MCU film to be directed by a woman, Cate Shortland, and the second led by a female star) was made possible after Kevin Feige was given more exclusive control of the franchise, freeing him from the influence of bigoted Disney executives. But even after the film was made following years of fans calling for it, its release was further delayed by the pandemic before it finally arrived in theaters and on Disney Plus Premiere Access on July 9. It is well worth the wait. Delving into Nat’s traumatic past makes for one of Marvel’s darkest and most compelling entries, that serves as a fitting swan song for Johansson’s iconic take on the character (if indeed her time at Marvel has come to a close, as would seem to be the case) while introducing new players that should be fun parts of the constantly expanding franchise for years to come.
The wait for the movie wound up outlasting even its central character, as Natasha died after heroically sacrificing herself to restore the victims of Thanos’ snap to life in Avengers: Endgame, which makes the spin-off a prequel by necessity. Black Widow takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War and picks up with Nat on the run after defying the Sokovia accords and betraying Tony Stark’s government-supported faction of the Avengers, with Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), tracking her. After being attacked by Taskmaster, a masked assassin who mimics the fighting styles of multiple superheroes including her own, Natasha begins investigating the resurgent activities of the Red Room, the horrific Russian superspy organization that forcefully trained her as an assassin when she was a child. To take it down she must ally herself with fellow Black Widows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and super-soldier Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), a Russian Captain America knock-off. When Natasha and Yelena were children the foursome acted as a family in America while Alexei and Melina were on an undercover mission but after the operation was completed he turned the girls over to the Red Room, leading to immense emotional rifts between the group.
Natasha’s backstory has always been one of the most disturbing elements of the MCU but the series’ history of allusions to it has also made it one of the things fans find most fascinating, which put considerable pressure on Black Widow. Fortunately, Eric Pearson’s script manages to deftly weave together many of the various hints and references from previous films while still forging ahead with its own story and not getting lost in the fan service. Shortland and company deliver what is, appropriately, the MCU’s darkest film and handle the mature themes associated with Natasha’s story gracefully. After an opening flashback shows the family’s departure from America, a harrowing credits sequence set to a moody rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” depicts Natasha, Yelena, and other girls being trafficked into the program while images of historical figures and events depict the influence the Room and its leader, the sinister General Dreykov (Ray Winstone) have exercised over history. It’s an effectively unsettling sequence that sets the film apart from most other Marvel projects. The more graphic elements of the Red Room mythology aren’t ignored, with a blatant and striking callback to the reveal that Widows are forcibly sterilized during training that was made in Avengers: Age of Ultron. This gives the film the kind of real-world relevance that most of the best superhero movies possess and adds extra urgency to Natasha and Yelena’s quest to burn the program down.
After breakout appearances in Midsommar and Little Women Florence Pugh’s Marvel debut is sure to catapult her to new levels of stardom. Yelena is the best addition the film makes to the franchise and will be a worthy successor to the Black Widow role going forward. The character’s sense of humor is one of her best qualities and Pugh draws a lot of laughs from Yelena poking fun at some of Natasha’s superhero quirks, with her iconic fighting pose coming in for some particularly harsh mocking. But Yelena is also full of a lot of emotional depth. As the younger sister, she was even more devastated by the separation of the family, which was the only one she’d ever known, than Natasha, which exacerbated the horror of her subsequent experiences in the Red Room. But she also has joyous moments in which she relishes her newfound freedom after leaving the program. Pugh shows the wide emotional range necessary to depict both Yelena’s vulnerabilities, strength, and miraculous optimism, while also demonstrating great comedic timing. Melina is still in the employ of the Red Room as a science officer, but despite her adamant stance against looking into the past her guilt over what happened to her surrogate daughters is readily apparent and Weisz adds a lot of pathos to the film. Alexei’s arc could have used a scene or two more of development so that his realization of his mistakes felt more earned but the character is so riotously fun it’s hard to be too upset with his portrayal. Rather than being stoically strong like other super-soldiers such as Captain America or the Winter Soldier, Alexei is a goofy thug who is only ever helpful in situations that require brute strength. His constant bravado and slapstick could have easily become cringe-inducing but Harbour’s delivery is right on target, making the character one of Marvel’s most consistently amusing comedic sidekicks while still showing bits of nuance in key scenes.
But as good as her co-stars are, none can top Johansson. In some ways, Black Widow is an odd choice for the Academy Award-nominee’s final outing as the character, as it doesn’t push Natasha to her furthest emotional extremes (Endgame did that). But it’s also crucial to her overall development and a welcome change for her to go out as the singular lead, rather than one of many stars. Natasha’s whole journey is about moving on from her dark past so having her last appearance be her final confrontation with the Red Room is perfectly fitting and Johansson really digs into the material. As more of Nat’s history is revealed than ever before viewers will gain a different, clearer understanding of her, and Johansson’s performance continues to add fascinating new layers. Her dry humor, always welcome, is present plenty of the time but she also puts some deeply nuanced, haunting emotional work onscreen, particularly relishing a subplot explaining the character’s earliest experiences as a child. I also greatly appreciated that her final confrontation with Dreykov relies mostly on Natasha’s wit and iron will more than physical fighting. It’s not just a great superhero performance but exceptional acting by any standard and cements Johansson’s version of the character as one of the greats in Hollywood film. She will be missed in the role.
The film’s gritty vibe is displayed obviously in the action sequences. Shortland skillfully stages quick, deadly fights that are much more visceral and hard-hitting than most from Marvel, taking advantage of the fact that, with the exception of Alexei, the protagonists are regular humans who can be hurt or killed much more easily than other superheroes. While the option exists to watch the film on streaming, viewers who can do so safely owe it to themselves to see the spectacle on the big screen. That said, the grandiose finale in Dreykov’s flying base does devolve into more standard Marvel shenanigans, aside from an engaging duel between Nat and a squad of other Widows.
Like all Marvel films (other than maybe Logan), Black Widow isn’t perfect. There are some odd choices and inclusions, including Nat’s half-hearted flirtation with black market contact Mason (O-T Fagbenle), which doesn’t go anywhere, but ultimately it’s one of Marvel’s more unique and captivating efforts and a worthy send-off to its beloved leading actor and character.
Notes:
- There’s a nice post-credits scene setting up a supporting character’s MCU future.
- My point about Mason isn’t meant to be a criticism of the character or Fagbenle. The actor gives a charming performance and I’d be interested in seeing the character again in a different property, but the dynamic between him and Nat is weird.
- Taskmaster’s identity and backstory are drastically different from the comic book, which has annoyed some fans. But this version does tie into the film’s themes and plot better than a direct adaptation of the comic character would.
Black Widow
With a darker tone and strong acting, themes, and action, Black Widow is one of Marvel's stronger solo films and a worthy final outing for Scarlett Johansson's Natasha.
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Writing8.5
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Acting10
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Production9