Black Widow

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, Ever Anderson, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Olga Kurylenko, Simona Zyvkovska, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (uncredited)
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 2


Summary: Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is reunited with her sister (Florence Pugh) and must finally confront her past with the Widow program.

Review:

Tim: Black Widow is a triumph. I have no hesitation is saying that. The film comes just a few years after Marvel concluded its Infinity Saga with one of the biggest movies of all time, Avengers: Endgame. It (SPOILER) features a protagonist who made the ultimate sacrifice in that film, so this film occurred before those events. It was the swan song for Scarlett Johansson, who previously played Natasha Romanoff in 7 Marvel movies. This is the first film featuring her. So, this movie needed to expand and conclude this character's arc, while also passing the torch by establishing new characters that would continue in the MCU. What Black Widow needed to accomplish is staggering, yet Cate Shortland accomplishes all this and more. Not only does she have this film do what it needs to, it also happens to be a fairly powerful meditation of what it means to be a family, how we process guilt and grief, how we are more than the sum of our previous experiences. This is a funny, beautiful film and I believe the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the best.

I'll start with focusing on the fact that after 11 years and 7 films, Natasha finally gets to headline her own movie. Scarlett Johansson did exceptional work for over a decade as this character and I loved that we got to expand her character, learn about her past, and spend so much time with her. It's also a big step for Marvel, this being only their 2nd female-led film. This is the best part of the movie- that we dive deep into this character. From the unexpected opening scenes of Natasha's childhood, to the difficult family reunion later in the movie, this is a very character-driven and dramatic story. I loved that the movie explored the idea of what a family is, and how we all process our experiences differently. There's a tremendous scene where the "family" is processing what was real, what was fake, and what it all means. That's heavy stuff for a special effects-laden superhero movie and I give Shortland a ton of credit for including it here. That creates real drama with authentic-feeling emotions the likes of which we haven't really seen before in the MCU. The story was excellent, as it allows Natasha to complete her character arc, to make peace with her past and truly balance out her ledger.

As you would expect, Johansson is great here. She's so comfortable playing this character and she steps up her performance now that she's finally in the spotlight. It was wonderful getting to see her in this role for the final time. Now, as good as Johansson is, I have to bow down in awe at what Florence Pugh did here. Pugh is one of the most exciting newcomers to the MCU in a long time. There's certainly a big sense of Johansson passing the torch here, but Pugh's performance is so perfect that I think she could actually surpass what Johansson did. Pugh is hilarious, delivering many of the film's best lines. Her ability to convey emotions far exceeds what we'd expect- that dinner table scene is so memorable because of what Pugh does. I loved her performance and I was mesmerized by what she did on screen. I did not expect Pugh to be my favorite part of the film, but here we are.

The cast really did make this movie great. Johansson and Pugh are incredible, but then you add Rachel Weisz (long one of my favorite actresses) and David Harbour (who is riding a wave of well-deserved publicity from things like his excellent work on Stranger Things). Weisz is so good in this role. Her role feels smallest from the big four, but she still makes a lasting impression with her performance. Harbour is larger-than-life as Red Guardian and I truly loved what he did here. He continuously made me laugh with his buffoonish, absurd character. But, he also brings a sense of pain and isolation to the character that makes him more than a punchline. You laugh at him, but you grow to care about him as the film progresses. Ray Winstone makes a tremendous, chilling villain. I really loved seeing O-T Fagbenle here. It was nice seeing him outside of the hell world of The Handmaid's Tale and he seemed to have fun here. I enjoyed seeing William Hurt reprise his role as Thunderbolt Ross for a scene or two.

A big reason why this movie works so well is the humor. I didn't go into Black Widow expecting to find one of the funniest MCU movies, so it was a pleasant surprise. Pugh and Harbour get the best lines and consistently deliver. The gag about Pugh's disdain for "posing" is one of the funniest jokes in the history of the MCU. I laughed so much throughout this film.

The fact that this is a Marvel movie, you know you'll have big explosions and a cinematic, special effects-heavy finale. We get that. The battles feel smaller than in The Avengers movies, but they're supposed to. This is a much more intimate battle, yet still, watching the gravity-induced conclusion was quite thrilling. Logic might go out the window a bit, but it's fun to watch.

I really did love Black Widow. I know the box office got messed up because of Covid there was a lot of drama that resulted from that. It's a shame, because this should have been a booming success. It's a great film from a movie series that has had more than it's share of great films. I had a blast watching this movie and still am in awe of what Shortland accomplished.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Iron Man 2, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame