Movie Review: ‘Black Widow’

Review by Lauryn Angel

Marvel fans have waited for over a year for the release of Black Widow, which was originally scheduled for May 1, 2020. Unlike many other films delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Widow was not shunted to VOD format, the idea being that the film needed to be seen on theater screens.

And this idea is 100% correct.

Black Widow absolutely needs to be seen on the big screen for the action scenes, but it’s also a movie about family – female relationships in particular – that also tackles topics of trauma and abuse. That’s not to say it’s a grim and heavy movie. It’s a Marvel movie, after all, so it explains Natasha Romanoff’s past, ties it into her role as an Avenger, and gives Scarlett Johanssen her time to shine in a solo film.

Black Widow is set in the period between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, beginning with Natasha on the run from General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), who wants to incarcerate her for violating the Sokovia Accords. While she escapes from Ross, it’s not long before trouble finds her in the form of Taskmaster. Natasha makes it to Budapest, where she reunites with her sister Widow, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and learns that the Red Room – the program responsible for kidnapping girls and training them as assassins – not only still exists but engages in far more horrible practices than during Natasha’s tenure. The two decide to find their “parents”, Red Guardian Alexi Shostakov (David Harbour) and scientist Melina Vostokov (Rachel Weisz) who can tell them where to find the Red Room and its architect, Dreykov (Ray Winstone).

Along the way, pieces of Natasha’s past (such as what happened in Budapest) and personality are filled in, and the character, who was always a background player in a male superhero’s story, gets her time to shine and wipe some of that red out of her ledger. But Florence Pugh’s Yelena really steals the show here. Like most kid sisters, she enjoys poking fun at Natasha, but also wants her approval. The banter between the two is delightful, but Yelena also has several shining moments of her own. David Harbour’s Red Guardian does his own fair share of scene-stealing with his stories about fighting his nemesis, Captain America. Rachel Weisz’s performance is more nuanced, as Melina struggles with balancing her maternal feelings toward Natasha and Yelena with her mission.

After the poor send-off Natasha Romanoff received in Avengers: Endgame, it’s good to see her character get fleshed out in her own movie. But this should have come before her character’s demise in Endgame, and this movie really underscores just how badly the franchise has treated her. Hopefully this will be rectified with a sequel, but it’s just as possible that Marvel will go with Florence Pugh as the new Black Widow. Either way, I’ll buy a ticket.

Black Widow gets four out of five stars from me, and I do suggest seeing it in the theater, but it’s also available for Disney+ subscribers for a $29.99 Premier Access fee, if you aren’t yet ready for theater viewing.