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Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow follows fugitive Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) as she is forced to reconnect with her past "family", including her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh). Meanwhile, they are both being pursued by their former Russian handler (Ray Winstone) and his mysterious agent, the Taskmaster.
Much like its lead character, who's trying to reconcile her present with her past, this is a film that's trying to reconcile and harmonize with what preceded it. Released two years after Endgame, delayed by the pandemic, hindered by its overall reception and maybe even the whole Johansson/Disney+ lawsuit, the film struggles to prove its relevance within the whole MCU.
Regardless of that, the film still manages to be competently made, but a big part of that falls on the performances. Everybody, from Johansson and Pugh to Winstone, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz, are pretty solid in their performances. I have some issues with how the family dynamics and chemistry between develop, but if it works to some extent, it's solely because of those performances, not because of how it is written.
I also felt that the film missed the opportunity to be more intriguing, considering it's about a former spy that also happens to be a human, and not a superhero. Unfortunately, there is little of that, and the film follows the formula of most MCU films, which is to be competent *enough*. Also, like most MCU films, the last act succumbs to the bombastic excesses of big explosions and gravity defying setpieces.
But like I said twice, the film is competent and not boring. There are a couple of pretty good action stunts, chases, and sequences, and the rating probably owes half a popcorn to the actors. I remember how much I loved Black Widow's introduction to the MCU in the otherwise dull Iron Man 2, and we all know what happened in Endgame. Knowing how things are in comic book films but also knowing about that lawsuit, I guess we'll see if there's future in the franchise for this character, or if she will remain in the past.
Grade:
BLACK WIDOW
(2021, Shortland)
A film with the words "Black" or "Friday" in its title
(2021, Shortland)
A film with the words "Black" or "Friday" in its title
"I've lived a lot of lives... But I'm done running from my past."
Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow follows fugitive Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) as she is forced to reconnect with her past "family", including her sister Yelena (Florence Pugh). Meanwhile, they are both being pursued by their former Russian handler (Ray Winstone) and his mysterious agent, the Taskmaster.
Much like its lead character, who's trying to reconcile her present with her past, this is a film that's trying to reconcile and harmonize with what preceded it. Released two years after Endgame, delayed by the pandemic, hindered by its overall reception and maybe even the whole Johansson/Disney+ lawsuit, the film struggles to prove its relevance within the whole MCU.
Regardless of that, the film still manages to be competently made, but a big part of that falls on the performances. Everybody, from Johansson and Pugh to Winstone, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz, are pretty solid in their performances. I have some issues with how the family dynamics and chemistry between develop, but if it works to some extent, it's solely because of those performances, not because of how it is written.
I also felt that the film missed the opportunity to be more intriguing, considering it's about a former spy that also happens to be a human, and not a superhero. Unfortunately, there is little of that, and the film follows the formula of most MCU films, which is to be competent *enough*. Also, like most MCU films, the last act succumbs to the bombastic excesses of big explosions and gravity defying setpieces.
But like I said twice, the film is competent and not boring. There are a couple of pretty good action stunts, chases, and sequences, and the rating probably owes half a popcorn to the actors. I remember how much I loved Black Widow's introduction to the MCU in the otherwise dull Iron Man 2, and we all know what happened in Endgame. Knowing how things are in comic book films but also knowing about that lawsuit, I guess we'll see if there's future in the franchise for this character, or if she will remain in the past.
Grade: