Black Widow

Black Widow
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Directed by Cate Shortland

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow was one of the most underrused original Avengers in the MCU, along with her fellow spy/assassin Clint Barton/Hawkeye. When you're in a world filled with billionaire playboy philanthropists who design super suits, super soldiers with a Vibranium Frisbee, literal gods from other worlds, and big green hulking brutes, people aren't as interested in mere humans with guns and arrows, and both their roles were relegated to side characters or support for the "bigger" names. As the years progressed, however, cries for a solo Black Widow were chanting louder, and it literally took Black Widow sacrificing herself in "Avengers: Endgame" to finally get her own solo outing - a little late, but better than never. As the kick-start for Marvel's Phase Four program, "Black Widow" proves that our favorite Russian assassin-turned-Avenger should've gotten her own movie much sooner, but also in a stroke of pure luck and talent provided a way to pass the Black Widow mantle to the next generation.

On the run from the government for going against the Sokovia Accords, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) chooses to live under the grid in an attempt to lead a somewhat normal life, as she reflects on her childhood living in Ohio with her pseudo-family until they're activated as Russian sleeper cells. She's separated from her "sister" Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), "father" Alexei (David Harbour), and "mother" Melina (Rachel Weisz) and both girls are put into the Red Room program led by Dreykov (Ray Winstone). Meanwhile, Yelena is still working with the Red Room program as a trained assassin, until she's exposed to Red Dust, which frees her from the mind control Dreykov had her under. She steals the remaining Red Dust vials and sends it to Romanoff in hopes of getting her help.

Romanoff reunites with Yelena after encountering Dreykov's personal assassin Taskmaster, who has the ability to mimic perfectly anyone's fighting styles they see. The girls choose to take down Dreykov and the Red Room once and for all, but they need help - by releasing their former father Alexei from prison, and tracking down the former Black Widow Melina, who knows where the Red Room is. With the family back together again, they're ready to take down Dreykov once and for all - as long as they're able to trust one another.

"Black Widow" is a fantastic bridge between two MCU phases, a film that's long overdue but surprisingly connected that passes the mantle of Black Widow from one generation to another in wonderful fashion. It's a film that should've been out last year, but due to Covid it had to be pushed back along with several other films, and honestly the anticipation was starting to wane with all the release date pushbacks, but finally it's available for everyone to enjoy, and while it's not a top-tier MCU film, it ties everything in perfectly and supplies a fantastic ensemble piece with a new Black Widow to continue the legacy.

Scarlett Johnasson has been playing Black Widow in the MCU since "Iron Man 2," but we really were never given a true story to her character. We knew her from events mentioned in other films, but we didn't receive her full backstory until now. We learn that she had a different kind of "family" before the Avengers, and even though she thinks herself better to work on her own, finds that she needs a group of people around her to be her best self. Johansson obviously fits into the role like a black velvet glove, and you can tell in her passioned performance that this is her swan song, as well as her well-too-late intro to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She plays Natasha with steely resolve, playing chess while everyone around her is playing checkers, and puts up some intense, exciting fighting sequences that are reminiscent of other MCU outings.

Yet this film is also one about family (cue Dom Toretto's memes), and "Black Widow" becomes more than just a filler film set between the events of "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War," but it also introduces us to a new age of heroes as well as callbacks to heroes of old, as the shadow of the Avengers loom large in this film. We learn that Natasha had a family before the Avengers, and it ain't no Brady Bunch, but rather a group of trained, tactical, and talented assassins who effortlessly reduce their enemies to dust, which does put a damper on the thrilling aspect of the film, knowing that nothing will stop these good guys from achieving their goals, but it's still a thrill ride to watch. We see the fractured relationships between this once tight-knit family unit, and also still notice the familial in-jokes and humor that we've come to expect from a MCU film.

David Harbour perfectly blends his trademark dry humor with over-the-top theatrics as Alexei, who's also known as the Red Guardian, the Russian version of Captain America. He's super strong, but not super smart, but has a super heart when it comes to his family. He's not someone you want to fight against, but someone you'd love to have a beer with. Rachel Weisz makes her long-awaited MCU debut as Melina, a former Black Widow herself who's one of the MCU's most scientific minds behind Banner, Stark, and Shuri, who helped devise the Red Room program that turned stolen girls into relentless killing machines, but also someone who wants to avenge the wrongs she committed, and at 50 years old at time of filming, proves that she has just as much action prowess as women half her age.

Yet the standout star, the MVP, the bright shining light of the future of the MCU comes with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. Pugh is an accomplished actress (in her few short years on the big screen, she's dominated films like "Fighting With My Family," "Midsommar," and "Little Women" - which funny enough she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, going up against her co-star Johansson, who was also nominated for that award for her performance in "Jojo Rabbit," both losing out to Laura Dern) who has proven her ability to effortlessly blend herself between genres, and in her first action outing, proves more than capable to carry the Black Widow name for many years to come. She can be as tough as nails, but deliver some of the film's most funny liners (her running gag on insulting the "superhero landing" is gut-rolling), and can more than hold her own in any action sequence. She's the whole package, and shows great promise for the upcoming fourth phase of the MCU.

As it is with most MCU films, the villain receives little to no backstory, proving to the be the weak link in this otherwise outstanding outing. Ray Winstone plays Dreykov as your classic 80s Bond-line villain, who sits in his office, waxes philosophical, and relies on other people to do his dirty work. Likewise, his right-hand assassin is someone terribly underused. In the comics, Taskmaster has the ability to mimic anyone's fighting styles, and essentially you're trying to fight a mirror of yourself. While the MCU Taskmaster achieves this goal (as well as having an amazing suit), the Taskmaster's role is strictly relegated to the fighting sequences and nothing more, barely uttering a word the entire film. Yet this is something we've come to expect, and aren't surprised by the outcome.

"Black Widow" is also a timely tale when it comes to the kidnapping and abduction of young girls that are all too familiar in today's world, with sex trafficking running rampant all around the world. Here, girls are taken to the Red Room to be re-programmed to be soulless assassins, but who are really mind-controlled by the demented Dreykov to achieve his purposes. The overall arching theme of the film is female empowerment, which triggers some people who still feel the only place for a woman is the kitchen, but it doesn't shy away from both the atrocities that women face as well as the power that they possess inside, and it's a strong anthem for women around the world.

In a case of "better late than never," "Black Widow" delivers the perfect coda to Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff, as well as seamlessly introducing a new Black Widow in the very capable hands of Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, as well as supplying all the action, humor, and family dynamics the MCU is known for.

The Score: A