Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
by Daniel Andrade
Originally scheduled to be released on May 1st of 2020, Marvel Studio’s Black Widow was finally released this past week on July 9th, 2021. Touted as the first movie of “Phase 4” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there was undoubtedly a lot of pressure on this movie to do well and to start a new chapter of the MCU, one that ended on the high notes of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home. But of course, due to the pandemic, plans had to change. Instead, Phase 4 made its debut on Disney+ with shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, all of which have had some serious repercussions for the overall MCU. So after multiple delays and postponements, does this film still live up to the hype, and was it worth the wait? Let’s discuss.
It’s important to note that this film chronologically takes place directly after Captain America: Civil War and right before Avengers: Infinity War. So in order to move forward in the MCU, we first take a few steps back. In regards to the larger story of the MCU, I’d say this feels like a stand-alone, extra film that you don’t necessarily need to see to understand everything else that takes place before and after it. Regardless, this film is an excellent deep dive into the fascinating story of Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, played perfectly by Scarlett Johansson. It’s certainly long overdue, as Black Widow has been an essential part of the MCU since 2010’s Iron Man 2. She was a huge part of recruiting the team that would come to be known as the Avengers. And yet, across the seven movies she’s appeared in, we’ve only ever gotten little tidbits of her past. So to finally see her story told in full was absolutely worth the wait.
Not only do we learn more about the Red Room where she was trained to be a deadly assassin, but we also learn more about her “family” that she was raised with. Her father figure was Alexei, Russia’s one and only super-soldier formerly known as The Red Guardian. He’s played wonderfully by David Harbour (Stranger Things, Hellboy), who instills a lovable, goofy “dad energy” to the character who longs for the glory days of fighting for Mother Russia. His action scenes are impressive, but where he truly shines is in his dialogue; he always has something to say and will make sure you hear it. Her mother was Melina, a brilliant scientist who served as the brains of the group. She’s played delightfully by Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Mummy films), who gives the character a blunt seriousness that’s balanced with moments of genuine care and affection. Her tactical and strategic thinking plays a vital part in missions. Finally, we have her sister, Yelena, who is an equally talented and deadly assassin. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women) brilliantly plays the character, giving her the humor and sass of Alexei with the intelligence and lethality of Melina. Additionally, she and Johansson have an excellent chemistry with each other and genuinely feel like sisters, teasing each other but still looking out for one another. Finally, we are formally introduced to the evil mastermind of the Red Room, Dreykov, who has been kidnapping and brainwashing young girls for decades, building an army of Widows that will do his bidding at his command. Ray Winstone (The Departed, Beowulf) plays the character with a creepy presence that certainly adds some intimidation to every line he says. Through the revelation of her roots, we learn about the sacrifices Natasha had to make and how these decisions impacted her life. It also further reveals the importance of her character and makes her actions in the Infinity Saga that much harder to accept.
Like every great Marvel movie, Black Widow balances out spectacular action set-pieces with humorous and heartfelt moments. This film has the feel of a spy thriller, and accordingly, has some exciting and elaborate moments. Additionally, the vast majority of these stunts are conducted by women. Whether it’s Natasha and Yelena or the multiple other Widows that are a constant threat, women provide the film’s most thrilling moments. It’s empowering and encouraging to see, and I hope it only continues in more films from here on out! The one gripe that I do have is in regards to another villain in the movie, Taskmaster. With the power to perfectly mimic anyone’s fighting style, this character should be much more of an intimidating presence than we see on screen. The early introduction of the villain is incredibly satisfying with a pulse-pounding battle, but after that, the character is relegated more to the side story and not given enough of a chance to show off the power Taskmaster truly is capable of. As stated earlier, these exciting moments are balanced by an excellent sense of humor and a moving story about family and redemption. Alexei and Yelena had some quotes that made me laugh out loud and smile, and throughout the film, I loved seeing Natasha and Yelena reconnect and strengthen their relationship. While they may not have been sisters by blood, by the end of the film, they proved the saying that family is more than blood.
CONCLUSION: While the latest MCU film may not add much to the canon of the overall story we’ve seen across 20+ movies, it does add a much-needed and long overdue backstory to one of the most essential and tragically underrated Avengers, Black Widow. It balances incredible action with a compelling story which is bolstered by the performances of its excellent cast. It has everything that you want in a Marvel film and is undoubtedly a thrilling ride worth watching. Don’t forget to stick around after the credits for an important post-credits scene!
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