“Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.” – IMDB
One of the first binges I decided to do just after lockdown was the Marvel movies. I had seen Iron Man, parts of Guardians of the Galaxy, and Black Panther, but that was it. I was a bit bratty about it too. I was one of those people who didn’t understand why Marvel came out with two to three movies a year and thought that the quantity must reflect poor quality. It’s true that most Marvel movies are not award-worthy, but they are absolutely entertaining and escapist and everything I needed during lockdown. Let me clarify…
I would also say that watching the Marvel movies in order is an absolute must. Then maybe even watching them again in chronological order, because there is soooo much to remember and so many Easter eggs that Disney/Marvel like to drop in each film (and now in each Disney+ show).
That leads us to Black Widow. Like most Marvel movies, Black Widow is just a fun ride. It’s not meant to believable, it’s not meant to be incredibly deep or insightful, it’s meant to be entertaining. And for the most part, it delivered.
What’s interesting to me is that Scarlett Johansson was the least memorable part of the movie. And that is not meant to be a dig at her (if, by slim chance, you read my Jojo Rabbit post, then you’ll know that I did an about-face on Scar-Jo after that movie), it’s just the truth. She was still funny and likeable, but her role was not as juicy as others in the film. Maybe Marvel decided that since her character has had poignant moments of character development in previous movies, they would use Black Widow to instead shine a light on her family, perhaps…no, definitely in hopes of future sequels or spinoffs. And I’m glad they made that decision because it allowed Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weiss to all shine in their roles as Natasha’s adopted, dysfunctional, Russian family. Pugh and Harbour, in particular, made me laugh in almost every scene they were in and also shared the sweetest moments in the film.
My only complaint would be that the last twenty minutes or so were so jam-packed with action sequences, that I found myself losing interest for a few minutes. However, I also understand that most of the movie was filled with backstory and plot, so you have to give those action-lovers their moment.
Overall, I thought Black Widow was a fun watch and touched on some interesting territory that Marvel has not delved into before (although does anyone else find it so weird that while we are waiting to find out what is happening with Hopper in Stranger Things, who I must remind you is LOCKED AWAY IN A RUSSIAN PRISON, David Harbour went off and played another character LOCKED AWAY IN A RUSSIAN PRISON! Anyway, now that Black Widow is out, it’s time for the Stranger Things production to get back on track)! Again, if you’re looking for a movie filled with substance and depth, this might not be the film for you. But if you’re looking to pop that corn and settle in for a frivolous Friday night film, then this is worth the watch.
Rating: 6 out of 10 Claire Bears
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If you like this movie, you should also watch: It’s Marvel…need I say more?
Streaming: To rent or own on Disney+ (although Scar-Jo ain’t happy bout it)
With: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weiss, David Harbour
Directed By: Cate Shortland
Let Me Clarify 