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There’s an added poignancy to the year-plus delay of Marvel’s “Black Widow,” finally ending July 9th when the film will be in theaters and available for a premium charge on Disney+. And there’s a palpable sense that this story would have felt a little delayed even in May 2020. After all, why did Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man get three standalone films before Natasha Romanoff got one? Fans complained long before the pandemic that it felt like Black Widow was getting pushed aside, only given her own adventure after the end of her story in “ Avengers: Endgame .” Director Cate Shortland ’s movie confirms that Black Widow could have carried her own flick ages ago. There’s enough character, back story, and intrigue in her world for a whole series. A lot of movies in 2021 have felt a bit different because of their existence in a post-COVID world, but for all of these reasons, “Black Widow” feels distinctly like a pre-COVID product, a dip into the history of one of Marvel’s most popular characters that’s truly better so very late than never.

The best aspects of “Black Widow” echo the ‘70s spy movie tone of one of the best films in the MCU, “ Captain America: The Winter Soldier .” Director Shortland and writer Eric Pearson (an MCU vet behind both “ Avengers: Infinity War ” and “ Endgame ,” along with Thor, Spider-Man, Ant-Man films and the ABC TV shows) unabashedly pull from beloved action and espionage classics with elements that echo the Bourne films, “ Mission: Impossible ,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” and, most of all, James Bond (a clip from 007 even plays on a television in the film). And yet “Black Widow” incorporates all of these spy-action greats into something that feels alive and original on its own terms, thanks largely to tight action choreography by Shortland and a great cast that centers four very engaging performances from Scarlett Johansson , David Harbour , Rachel Weisz , and, most of all, Florence Pugh .

“ F9 ” may have a lock on the word “family” this season but it’s also the main theme of “Black Widow.” Natasha Romanoff is on the run from one makeshift family when she’s thrust back into the arms of another. The film opens with a scene right out of “The Americans” as it’s revealed that a young Natasha and her sister Yelena (played as an adult by Pugh) had a brief life in Ohio under parental figures Alexei (Harbour) and Melina (Weisz). They seemed like a normal family, but ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ were really Russian spies, and the girls were only being prepped for their coming induction in a super soldier program back in the homeland. After an explosive opening, the credits for “Black Widow” reveal that Natasha and Yelena were turned from average girls to killing machines, separated when Romanoff murdered the head of the program, Dreykov ( Ray Winstone ), and destroyed his Red Room. Or did she?

Jump ahead to just after “ Captain America: Civil War ,” when Natasha is on the run from her own government, underground after violating the Sokovia Accords. While she’s off the grid, she receives a package from Yelena, who is suffering through her own forced exile after discovering a substance that releases the Widows from their chemical subjugation. It’s very intentionally a reversal of the super-soldier serum concept that drove the action of projects like “The Falcon vs. the Winter Soldier.” Wherein Bucky Barnes stories often centered on vials that could make ordinary men into killing machines, “Black Widow” centers on vials that can turn killing machines back into ordinary women. Yelena sends a case of the vials to her sister, knowing it will bring her to a safe house in Budapest. From there, they are forced to break Alexei, aka The Red Guardian, out of prison and eventually reunite with the Black Widow who really made them, Melina.

Like a lot of the MCU, “Black Widow” is a bit thin in the villain department—new ads have highlighted the inclusion of the Taskmaster, a killing machine who can mimic its enemy’s fighting skills, and those scenes do stand out in terms of action, but parts of the film lack the urgency that would have been provided by a stronger enemy. Having said that, Shortland knows how to keep “Black Widow” more sleek than a lot of other MCU directors. It’s a more driven film than we often get from the MCU, deftly moving from one action set piece to another, only losing its momentum in a couple scenes—an extended family reunion and one of the talkiest showdown scenes in history in the third act (although one almost wonders if Shortland and Pearson aren’t parodying the Bond films again here with their legacy of monologuing bad guys). It’s not often the case in the MCU, but the pace is an asset here as “Black Widow” tells a relatively simple story with significantly less fat than a lot of other superhero flicks. It makes sense that a no-nonsense killing machine like Black Widow should have a no-nonsense installment, but it’s nice to see it actually happened.

That’s not to say there aren’t a few diversions for character and some interesting playing around with themes. There's a fun duality to "Black Widow" that should make returns to other projects in this universe more engaging. It purposefully echoes themes of covert government programs from projects like "Winter Soldier," revealing that the Americans don't have the market cornered, and it also deepens Natasha's life-long battle between being a lone wolf and needing a pack with which to run. Much was written about how "WandaVision" made previous MCU projects richer and there are elements of "Black Widow" that should do the same not only for Johannson's previous projects but for Pugh's going forward. It's a standalone film that doesn't just exist in a vacuum but enhances the films in which Black Widow stood with others.

On that note, hardcore fans of Romanoff may be unhappy how much spotlight she cedes here to the other members of her family, particularly Red Guardian and Yelena, but both actors are good enough that complaints shouldn't land. Harbour’s take on Russia’s version of Captain America is a clever one, finding just the right balance of humor and bravado—countering his performance here to his one in this week’s “No Sudden Move” reveals a significant range for an actor who feels like he’s on the verge of a remarkable decade of work. However, the film really belongs to Pugh, who nails every single line reading in a project that’s clearly designed to hand the baton off from Johannson to Pugh, who will appear in Disney+’s “Hawkeye,” in much the same way that Captain America’s shield went from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson. Pugh proves more than up for the challenge, finding just the right shades of strength and vulnerability. It’s a top tier MCU performance and the film’s MVP.

As with a lot of the MCU, the third act here gets a little cluttered and repetitive but then the film recovers with a remarkable final action sequence that sends characters and debris hurtling through the sky (an MCU staple but Shortland’s choreography makes it feel urgent again). It’s ultimately a film that works on its own terms, a long-delayed enriching of the story of a beloved character that will make her ultimate sacrifice in “Avengers: Endgame” feel even more powerful in hindsight. Every blockbuster this Summer is being touted as the sign that the world is back to normal—“Black Widow” is more a reminder of what fans loved before it shifted off its axis.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film Credits

Black Widow (2021)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material.

133 minutes

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova / Crimson Widow

David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian

Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff / Iron Maiden

O.T. Fagbenle as Mason

William Hurt as Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross

Ray Winstone as Dreykov / The Handler

Cate Shortland

Writer (based on the Marvel comics by)

Writer (story by).

Jac Schaeffer
Eric Pearson

Cinematographer

Gabriel Beristain
Leigh Folsom Boyd
Lorne Balfe

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Black Widow Reviews

What director Cate Shortland does so well with Black Widow is the balance of tones within the story, something that Marvel has struggled a little bit with their latest TV projects.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Mar 1, 2024

We liked the cast, but it didn’t live up to the potential of telling Natasha Romanoff’s backstory.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2024

Black Widow proves that the MCU can scale down when it needs to, which is a card trick more valuable than one might think. Natasha may be dead, but Black Widow shows how powerfully her legacy lives on.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 14, 2024

Black Widow is the story audiences deserve, arriving much later than audiences hoped, and in a time frame that’s not quite big enough to suffice the story.

Full Review | Jan 1, 2024

Black Widow provides a fitting send-off for Natasha by giving her the space to put herself completely on the line for what she believes in.

Full Review | Sep 17, 2023

It’s a near perfect prequel & in everyway dives deep into a character that has been the heart of the avengers for awhile. It might be a little too late & this film should of come right after Civil War…. But still with its heart

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

Black Widow beautifully honors the iconic Natasha Romanoff, who finally receives the respectful, worthy solo film that her unforgettable legacy always deserved. Scarlett Johansson shines one last time.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jul 25, 2023

Black Widow is both complex and engaging as its focus on familial relationships leads to some of the most memorable moments thanks to its ensemble and, in turn, creates new characters for Marvel’s team to play with in their billion-dollar sandbox.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 31, 2023

Natasha and Yelena are... kicking *ss, getting dirty, and ribbing on each other for posing while fighting. But [they're] also compassionate enough to share a hug and cry. To me, this is the best female-led film in the superhero genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 8, 2023

Pugh is fabulous, by a long mile the best thing in the film, and for a few brief scenes it flares into life as that rare Marvel movie with no aspirations above street level.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 6, 2022

Harbour’s Alexi stands out among this talented group

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 9, 2022

Black Widow is a fitting finale for star Scarlett Johansson that simultaneously sets up captivating new characters to carry on her legacy.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 1, 2022

The mostly self-contained story packs a surprising amount of heart and finally gives this long-running MCU character a proper send off.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 17, 2022

There isn't a real opportunity for these big name stars to interact in an interesting way. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jul 21, 2022

I tend to judge each new MCU installment by one simple criteria: was it entertaining? When it comes to Black Widow, my answer is Yes.

Marvel Studios’ Black Widow was too little, too late for the MCU’s most popular female character...

Full Review | Jun 10, 2022

A lukewarm farewell to a character who never got to take center stage when she deserved to, and this film feels too-little, too late as a result.

Full Review | May 30, 2022

BLACK WIDOW is Marvels take on a somewhat silly, over-the-top retro Bond movie. Certainly not great cinematic art, but really entertaining and with a wonderful cast.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 13, 2022

While far from being one of the best installments of the MCU, Black Widow is still a fairly decent outing, propelled by spirited performances by Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pughs characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Mar 8, 2022

A Marvel film that is happy to be its own self-contained adventure. If this came in the build-up to Infinity War, it might have got lost in the shuffle. However, after two years away from the big screen, Johansson brings the universe back with style.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 2, 2022

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Black Widow review: Scarlett Johansson's superspy leads a smart thriller with a family twist

Leah Greenblatt is the critic at large at Entertainment Weekly , covering movies, music, books, and theater. She is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle, and has been writing for EW since 2004.

Iron Man was once an Iron Boy, presumably. Thor had to earn his hammer somehow. And Bruce Banner didn't Hulk-smash his way out of the womb. But for most big-screen superheroes, origin stories often serve as little more than preamble to the myth: expository parsley sprinkled on the red-meat business of saving the world, one billion-dollar installment at a time.

The most notable exceptions to that rule — Wonder Woman , Spider-Man — also tend to be the better films in their various franchises, at least to viewers who hunger for more than intermittent dollops of banter and backstory squeezed in between explosions. Scarlett Johansson 's Black Widow has waited patiently — eight Avengers chapters over 10 years, plus another 14 months tacked on due to pandemic delays — for her turn. And her self-titled stand-alone (out July 9 simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access) actually feels like a human-scale narrative, albeit still one where many, many things go boom. (Coincidentally or not, it's also the first Marvel film to be helmed solely by a woman, an Australian named Cate Shortland — though 2019's Captain Marvel had Anna Boden as co-director, and recent Nomadland Oscar winner Chloé Zhao will unleash her Eternals this fall.)

Whatever's been hinted in the past about the early days of international assassin Natasha Romanoff, her childhood in Black Widow 's opening scenes seems positively Spielberg-ian: skinned knees, fireflies in the garden, family dinner at dusk. It's 1995 in Ohio, and everybody's all-American — until suddenly they aren't. In a moment, her mother (Rachel Weisz) and father ( Stranger Things ' David Harbour) drop their Midwestern accents like anvils, and young Natasha (Ever Anderson) and her baby sister appear to know more about emergency air evacuations than any kids their age should. That's because they're not a family at all; they're a Russian sleeper cell.

Flash-forward two decades and Natasha has become a lone-wolf exile, presumably escaping the fallout from the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War . (Further explanations are not forthcoming for casual fans.) Until a mystery package, and a pursuer who looks like the murderous union of Daft Punk and RoboCop, send her on a collision course with her now-grown "sister" ( Florence Pugh ) in Budapest. Yelena is a Widow too — part of a kind of expendable female suicide squad — and she knows how they got that way. But tracking down the man responsible (a malevolent, bullnecked Ray Winstone) will mean reuniting with the only parents the two girls have ever known.

That's where the movie essentially becomes a domestic dramedy, transposed onto the big-bang set pieces and elaborate lore of a Marvel tentpole. Harbour is a brutish, beefy goofball still longing for his glory days as the Red Guardian; Weisz is the brains, a coolly analytical scientist with her hair tucked into Heidi braids. But the real love story belongs to their ersatz offspring: If anything, Johansson plays the straight woman, stern and a little bit melancholy; she lets British actress Pugh ( Little Women , Midsommar ) bloom as Yelena, whose Slavic wit and wounded honesty register as almost surreally normal in a setting like this.

The fight choreography is impressively acrobatic, if mildly numbing, and the brisk globe-trotting (Norway, Morocco, a snowy Russian penal colony) can't be faulted. Shortland's directing doesn't spark absurdist joy in the way that, say, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok did; she's too methodical for that. But Waititi's brand of antic fizziness wouldn't really be right for what is in many ways a tragedy. (It's certainly the only film in the MCU to include a salient plot point about forced hysterectomies.) If Widow , with its winky one-liners and spandexed catsuits, is purely pop feminism, the movie's female gaze still reads like more than a cynical marketing ploy; it's one step closer to real, messy life, Marvel-size and amplified. Grade: B+

‘Black Widow’ Review: A Superhero Movie That’s Grittier, More Layered With Feeling, Than You Expect

In her first stand-alone saga, Scarlett Johansson invests the famous fighter with an interior power.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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It’s always been telling that Batman, one of the only superheroes not graced with superpowers, may be the most popular superhero. Masses of comic-book fans identify with his humanity, imagining that they could be him (though he does, of course, have all those toys to make up for his lack of steel muscles, etc.). Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow , draws from the same basic well of appeal. She was trained as a Russian spy and fights like a whirling dervish, though without special powers — so she too, in theory, could be you. “I doubt the god from space has to take an Ibuprofen after a fight,” snarks a character in “Black Widow,” the new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That Natasha does makes her relatable. But audiences going into “Black Widow” may still wonder what, exactly, they’re going to get to see the title character do . In Scarlett Johansson ’s appearances in the MCU thus far, going back to “Iron Man 2,” she’s been a kick-ass fighter in sleek leather with a few signature jackknife moves. I wondered, or maybe feared, that “Black Widow” would be two hours of that.

It’s not; it’s much more interesting and absorbing. In the highly suspenseful prologue, set in Ohio in 1995, we meet Natasha (Ever Anderson) when she’s around 13, along with her younger sister (Violet McGraw). Natasha has her hair dyed fiberglass blue, which no teenager in the Midwest did in the ’90s, but we’ll let that pass. At home, the girls’ mother ( Rachel Weisz ) has just sat them down to dinner when their father ( David Harbour ) arrives with a worried look and says that they have an hour to ditch the place. They drive out to the countryside, where a prop plane awaits them in a dusty hanger, and with the authorities shooting right into the plane they take off and land in Cuba, where the two girls are given a knockout drug and hauled away.

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Their parents, it turns out, are deep-cover Russian spies, and the entire “family” was concocted and assembled, living together for three years. The girls are delivered to General Dreykov (Ray Winstone), a dark mastermind who will raise them to be part of his elite brainwashed army of lethal feminine Widows. His training sanctum is the ominous Red Room.

The next time we see Natasha, it’s 21 years later, and she’s trying to put together the pieces of her broken life. “Black Widow” isn’t technically an origin story. It’s set in the period after “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), when the Avengers have broken up and Natasha, who defected to the West at the behest of S.H.I.E.L.D., has joined the faction led by Steve Rogers. So she’s already been out in the world, flexing those smash-mouth limbs. Yet “Black Widow” is very much about the origin of Natasha — her skills and her identity. The movie features just enough kinetic combat to give a mainstream audience that getting-your-money’s-worth feeling, but from the opening credits (built around Think Up Anger’s dreamy slow-mo cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), most of it has a gritty, deliberate, zap-free tone that is strikingly — and intentionally — earthbound for a superhero fantasy. The director, Australia’s Cate Shortland (“Somersault”), works in unvarnished closeup and establishes a mood of lurching, desultory anxiety that’s closer to Russian neorealism than the Russo brothers.

In Budapest, Natasha reunites with her sister, Yelena (now played by Florence Pugh ), who’s a cool killer herself, and an even more jaded one. “Black Widow” has action, but at heart it isn’t an action film. It’s a tale of people trying to carve out emotions from a place where they can barely feel any. Natasha and Yelena greet each other with a Mexican standoff followed by a knockdown duel in the kitchen; that’s how they were trained. But it’s not long before they come together over the fact that Dreykov is the monster who stole their lives. Natasha actually tried to blow him up, and thought she’d succeeded, killing his young daughter in the process. But she didn’t know what she was dealing with. When “Black Widow” sets Natasha up in combat against a metallic terminator with a mouth like a skull’s, the fight itself is fairly standard, but when we learn who (or what) is underneath that armor, the movie gives you a creepy tingle.

To go after Dreykov, the two sisters (or sister figures, since they’re not technically sisters) attempt to reassemble their “family,” starting with an entertaining sequence in which they break Alexei, their former father, out of what looks like a Siberian prison. He is now a bearded Russian strongman who speaks in a thick accent — or, in fact, he always ways, since he’s actually the Red Guardian, the Russian version of Captain America. He’s a superhero with borscht in his veins. Harbour gives a surprisingly convincing performance as this blustery Slavic blowhard, while Rachel Weisz, as the circumspect Melina, is more ambiguous: part den mother, part Stepford mother. Florence Pugh invests Yelena with a brittle danger that’s like Mata Hari meets Jason Bourne.

But it’s Scarlett Johansson who holds the film together and gives it its touch of soul. Natasha’s desire for vengeance is pulsating, but so are her inner wounds, and Johansson, unusual for the comic-book genre, makes the most vulnerable emotions part of the humanity of her strength. She’s a flame-haired dynamo who needs to slay her former mentor to defeat her own damage. When she finally faces off against Dreykov, played by Ray Winstone as a bureaucrat hooligan, seething under his horn-rims, it’s a duel of wits and will. It also leads to a spectacular finale that evokes the free-falling, apocalypse-in-the-sky climax of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” “Black Widow,” which kicks off Phase Four of the MCU, doesn’t feel like the first stand-alone “Black Widow” film. It feels more like the second, lost-in-the-wilderness “Black Widow” film. But I’m here to say that’s a good thing. Most of us have seen enough superpowers to last a lifetime. “Black Widow” spins on the powers that come from within.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, June 28, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 133 MIN.

Production: A Walt Disney Studios release of a Marvel Studios production. Producer: Kevin Feige. Executive producers: Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito, Nigel Gostelow, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Winderbaum.
Crew: Director: Cate Shortland. Screenplay: Eric Pearson. Camera: Gabriel Beristain. Editor: Leigh Folsom Boyd. Music: Lorne Balfe.
With: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, O-T Fagbenie, Ever Anderson, Violet McGraw, William Hurt.

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Black Widow First Reviews: A Thrilling Spy Movie Absolutely Worth the Wait

Critics say the latest mcu entry is spectacularly cast, feels more grounded in its storytelling and its action, and signals great things for the rest of phase four..

TAGGED AS: Action , blockbuster , blockbusters , Comic Book , comic books , Film , films , Marvel , marvel cinematic universe , Marvel Studios , movie , movies , superhero , Superheroes

There’s a lot of excitement to be had with the release of Black Widow (out in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9). For one, the title character, played by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010, finally has her own solo movie. Also, MCU fans finally get a new theatrical feature after two years of drought due to an unfortunate delay. And, finally, it’s also apparently pretty good and worth those two waits.

The first crop of reviews for Black Widow , most of them positive, highlight additional things to be excited about specifically, from the performances by Johansson and Marvel newbie Florence Pugh to the relatively grounded action scenes and darker emotional themes for the franchise. It’s obviously not as epic as the last two Avengers movies, though, and whether that makes this a lesser entry or a breath of fresh air will be up for debate.

Here’s what critics are saying about Black Widow :

Is it worth the wait?

Black Widow is finally here after years of delays and pushbacks due to the state of the world – but does it deliver where it needs to? The short answer is yes. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

After the extended delays of Natasha Romanoff’s long-overdue solo film, Black Widow was certainly worth the wait. – Doug Jamieson, The Jam Report

Our patience pays off… Marvel Studios does it again and delivers the goods. – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Black Widow manages to be an extremely welcome case of “better late than never.” – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

Truly better so very late than never. – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

There is a too little, too late sense of closure that makes some of the film’s narrative choices confusing at times. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

How does it compare to other parts of the MCU?

The best aspects of Black Widow echo the ‘70s spy movie tone of one of the best films in the MCU, Captain America: The Winter Soldier . – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

Think a scaled-down version of Captain America: The Winter Soldier . – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Better than Captain America: The Winter Soldier ? Probably not. Superior to anything with the word “Ant,” “Doctor,” “Hulk” or even “Thor” in the title? Most def. – Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Black Widow is certainly no Thor Ragnarok or Black Panther and has fairly average MCU visuals and fight scenes. – Nicole Ackman, Next Best Picture

Black Widow reminds me the most of Doctor Strange — a movie about a complicated adult character facing up to their own actions and redefining their place in the world without blaming it all on bad daddies. – Evan Dossey, Midwest Film Journal

Shifting away from the superhero template into high-octane espionage thriller territory, it makes a far more satisfying female-driven MCU entry than the blandly bombastic Captain Marvel . – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Black Widow may be the least Avenger-like movie in the series so far. No offense to the other Avengers, but after all this time a tweak in the formula is a good thing. – Caryn James, BBC.com

Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in Black Widow

(Photo by ©Marvel Studios)

Does it bring anything new to the franchise?

More than other Marvel movies, Black Widow tries to ground the story in a personal, character-driven narrative. – Brian Lloyd, entertainment.ie

It has some of Marvel’s best character dynamics to date. – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

What sets Black Widow apart from the other MCU movies is that it embraces the darkness inherent in the premise of the character. – Evan Dossey, Midwest Film Journal

Much of it doesn’t feel like a Marvel film at all, thanks to the darker tone. – Nicole Clark, IGN Movies

Does it work as a standalone movie?

The plot… feels small by MCU standards, but that simplicity is a refreshing change of pace for a franchise that’s too often about saving the world. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

It’s the palate cleanser the franchise needed… a self-contained, back-to-basics adventure that works just as well for newbies and casual viewers as it does for longtime fans. – Angie Han, Mashable

Black Widow is a pleasure exactly because it is inessential. – Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine

Black Widow reminds us of the pleasure that can be offered by an MCU movie that isn’t having to do the legwork of setting up the next five chapters. – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

Something is definitely set up for the future, but… Marvel could use these occasionally more self-contained films. – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Black Widow is a rare Marvel production… that almost, almost pulls off the trick of being wholly its own thing. – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

Black Widow is merely a stepping stone film that fills in a few blanks that weren’t really there to begin with. – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

This movie feels more like an introduction and set up for what is to come, than the solo film this character deserves. – Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky

How is the action ?

The film has some of the best action sequences in recent memory. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

A vast team of choreographers, stunt folks and trainers… gives the movie a visual coherence that most Marvel movies lack. – Roger Moore, Movie Nation

The fight choreography and stunt work here is impressive and occasionally thrilling, but more often than not, the effect is undercut by the over-cutting. – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

The editing of the fight scenes is perhaps a touch too unrelentingly fast, often blurring the choreography, but the physical side never feels overwhelmed by CG enhancement. – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The physics are different here than in other Marvel movies, more finely attuned to the hardness and weight of things. It all feels a bit more real. – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

Feels more grounded than many MCU entries… while we still get some comic book antics showing the expected disregard for physics we also see the physical toll that all that fighting takes on a human body. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

The (comparatively) grounded choreography leads to some of Marvel’s most thrilling battles since at least Captain America: The Winter Soldier . – Angie Han, Mashable

It’s a nice dial back from Marvel films whose heroes can feel immortal… feels satisfyingly street level, in a Jessica Jones kind of way. – Nicole Clark, IGN Movies

How is Cate Shortland’s work as director?

There are moments where Black Widow absolutely benefits from having a woman in the director’s chair. – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

Shortland proves to be one of the few filmmakers to make the leap from the indie circuit and put her own singular fingerprint on the visual identity of the film — Black Widow is one of the most visually coherent solo films of the MCU, with a gritty, streetwise style that feels like Shortland didn’t just hand off the action scenes to a second unit director. – Hoai-Tran Bui, Slashfilm

Shortland’s previous work in psychological thrillers The Berlin Syndrome and Lore gives her an edge with the kind of pulpy material at play here. – Brian Lloyd, entertainment.ie

Shortland keeps things moving along, never letting you feel the runtime — efficiently paced and exciting. – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Cate Shortland and cast on the set of Black Widow

(Photo by Jay Maidment/©Marvel Studios)

What about Scarlett Johansson’s performance as Natasha ?

Scarlett Johansson [is] at her best. – Jenna Busch, VitalThrills.com

Johansson shines in the role, layering her signature bad assery with a previously unseen vulnerability. – Joey Morona, Cleveland Plain Dealer

The actress makes the most of it and delivers a powerful, moving performance that serves as a fitting farewell to her tenure as this Avenger. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

It’s Scarlett Johansson who holds the film together and gives it its touch of soul… [She] makes the most vulnerable emotions part of the humanity of her strength. – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Does Florence Pugh fit well into the franchise?

If you’re not already a fan of Pugh, you will be by the end of Black Widow . Yelena’s a firecracker with great one-liners. – Kirsten Acuna, Insider

One of the most exciting additions to the MCU in some time. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

She nails it with the spark of someone who’s been kicking around the Marvelverse since day one. – Philip De Semlyen, Time Out

She shares much of Natasha’s fighting style while displaying even more sass. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Her deadpan is pitch-perfect, coaxing humor out of a traditionally stoic Scarlett Johansson. Where Natasha has coped by turning cold, Yelena has coped with humor. – Nicole Clark, IGN Movies

Pugh has a dangerous physicality to her as well, which lends to one of the best aspects of Black Widow . – Hoai-Tran Bui, Slashfilm

How are the villains in the film ?

Taskmaster certainly isn’t going to go down as one of the MCU’s best villains, but Black Widow makes good use of the character [as] a seemingly unstoppable force. – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Ray Winstone also makes a great antagonist as Dreykov, conveying an insidious cruelty that is more devastating than most other MCU villains that have come before. – Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

One of the better executions of villainy in the MCU… Dreykov’s character coheres effortlessly and successfully, feeling earned and without a hint of desperate pandering to feminists. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

Just having Winstone in this picture lifts it several notches, and he is deliciously fun and scarily authentic as the villain of the piece. – Pete Hammond, Deadline

Ray Winstone is one of the weakest in the franchise. – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

How is the script?

The plot [is] blessedly clean, caulking the spaces in between the stepping stones with characters’ interpersonal dynamics while avoiding any convolution. – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

There is a lot of talking here, and if you aren’t willing, interested or inclined to invest yourself in the characters, it will likely be at the bottom of your re-watch pile. – Evan Dossey, Midwest Film Journal

There is a moment that the writers seem to have decided they didn’t have an answer to so they just skipped past it and onto the resolution. – Amelia Emberwing, WhatToWatch

Black Widow feels of little consequence, delivering a story that has written itself into a corner with nowhere to go. – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

(Photo by )

Is it a positive step for female characters in the MCU ?

We finally get to see Natasha… in a film full of women. Sorry, I mean freaking badass women . And it’s wonderful. – Jenna Busch, VitalThrills.com

Black Widow puts female issues front and center without ever making it feel forced or preachy. – Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Needless to say, the movie does a far better job than the rah-rah inclusivity gesture at the end of Endgame to play up its feminist leanings. Black Widow not only passes the Bechdel Test; it forces men to squeam as it puts them in their place. – Eric Kohn, IndieWire

Deriving strength from enduring suffering feels as slimy as it does tragic, a nail in the coffin to Marvel’s handling of women superheroes. – Nicole Clark, IGN Movies

Does the movie have any major problems?

Natasha is more of a driving force for the other characters around her… even with her name in the title, the spotlight is constantly on someone else. – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

The movie definitely wraps up a little too quickly; it’s as if Marvel Studios had suddenly remembered they had to get Natasha where she needed to be for Infinity War . – Josh Wilding, ComicBookMovie.com

Describing the horrors of the Red Room and the Black Widow program in a scene that’s meant to be solely comedic because Disney’s too afraid to get real with its media? That’s maybe something we could have done without. – Amelia Emberwing, WhatToWatch

Will it leave fans hopeful for the future of the MCU?

The themes of family and women’s agency that it explores are a welcome addition to the MCU and hopefully a good indication of where Phase 4 is going. – Nicole Ackman, Next Best Picture

The swings that the film takes make it an interesting entry… I’m glad the studio was willing to go all the way with it. Here’s to Marvel taking more risks in the future. – Evan Dossey, Midwest Film Journal

[It] should hopefully set the bar of inclusiveness for the remainder of Phase Four. – Nate Adams, The Only Critic

By delivering a story that satisfies on its own terms… it makes a compelling case for moving ahead with this franchise into the future. – Angie Han, Mashable

The sorry thing of the film, really, is that this needn’t have been a Marvel movie at all. – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

Black Widow releases in theaters and streams on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9, 2021.

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Scarlett johansson in marvel’s ‘black widow’: film review.

Natasha Romanoff revisits her past in Marvel’s stand-alone action-thriller, directed by Cate Shortland and also starring Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour.

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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If the Avengers movies are broadly about a ragtag family of superheroes finding comradeship while forging an allegiance against evil, Black Widow is about another kind of alternate family, messed up by deceptions and bitter betrayals before rediscovering trust in an onslaught of explosive situations. Directed by Cate Shortland with propulsive excitement, humor and pleasingly understated emotional interludes, this stand-alone proves a stellar vehicle for Scarlett Johansson ’s Natasha Romanoff, given first-rate support by Florence Pugh , Rachel Weisz and David Harbour. Shifting away from the superhero template into high-octane espionage thriller territory, it makes a far more satisfying female-driven MCU entry than the blandly bombastic Captain Marvel .

Black Widow

Release date : Friday, July 9 Cast : Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Ray Winstone, William Hurt, Ever Anderson, Violet McGraw, O-T Fagbenle Director : Cate Shortland Screenwriters : Eric Pearson; story by Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson, based on the Marvel Comics

The attention-grabbing opening sequence starts out like a Terrence Malick remembrance of sun-dappled childhood before igniting into a suspenseful escape scene that might have been lifted from The Americans . The young Natasha (Ever Anderson) is a tomboyish preteen with a mop of acid-blue dyed hair, tooling around on her bicycle in the leafy Ohio town where she lives with her family in 1995. Her 6-year-old sister, Yelena (Violet McGraw) scrapes her knee and gets comforting kisses from their mother, Melina (Weisz), who reminds both girls, “Your pain only makes you stronger.” But the tender family scene is shattered when father Alexei (Harbour) returns home with news that they need to make a hasty exit.

Narrowly evading authorities and a barrage of gunfire, they fly to Cuba, where their identities as Russian intelligence agents posing as an American family are revealed before they are separated. Alexei expresses relief that his three years of thankless undercover obscurity are over, finally allowing the “Red Guardian” to get back to the super-soldier duties for which he was trained. But his boss, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone, with a dodgy Russian accent), seems more interested in the feisty spirit of Natasha, who is fiercely protective of her kid sister.

Cut to 21 years later, when Natasha (Johansson) is a federal fugitive being hunted by a SWAT team under the direction of U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), forcing her to leave the country and go into hiding in remote Norway. Meanwhile, Yelena (Pugh), now a highly skilled assassin, is in Morocco, having defected from Dreykov’s ranks and removed a tracking device planted under her skin. She outmaneuvers the female kill squad sent to eliminate her and gets away with a case of vials containing an antidote to Dreykov’s chemical compound designed to inhibit free will.

The globe-hopping plot then shifts to Budapest, where Yelena is holed up in a safe house and has just enough time to get reacquainted with Natasha in their slam-bang style before an armored vehicle is chasing them through the city streets. The deadliest of Dreykov’s soldiers on their heels is a microchip-enabled mimic, programmed to replicate any fight skills, including those of the now-disbanded Avengers.

If all this sounds like a lot of overcomplicated plotting, well, it is. So it’s a welcome respite from the almost nonstop visceral action when Shortland pauses long enough to allow Natasha and Yelena to reestablish the frayed bonds of their non-biological sisterhood with some scenes of good-natured teasing, banter and rivalry. Somewhat jealous that Natasha is a hero to little girls while she remains in the shadows, Yelena has a take on her sister’s signature hair-toss pose that’s especially funny. But whether the narrative is in amped-up overdrive or idling, the director and her magnetic cast keep us fully invested in their cautious reconnection and their ability to survive a series of life-threatening encounters.

The personal stakes are heightened further still when Alexei and Melina reenter the picture, the first in a thrilling Russian prison breakout and the latter on an isolated farm where she’s testing Dreykov’s mind-control programs on hogs. Gradually, the pieces come together to reveal the nefarious puppet master’s Red Room training camp, where orphaned or abandoned young women from around the globe are transformed into his “Widows,” a kind of fembot army of blindly obedient killers. “I recycle trash and I give them a purpose,” says Dreykov. “I give them a life.”

It’s in the epic battle to take down Dreykov and destroy the off-the-radar Red Room location that the film goes beyond the mere appearance of female representation and becomes a narrative entirely shaped by the fearlessness, smarts and badassery of two young women determined to liberate legions of others from inhumane exploitation. (They even find time to get creative with braided hairstyles in between clashes.) The ultimate in patriarchal evil, Dreykov congratulates himself on his genius in utilizing the only resource the world has too much of — girls. His plan is to command the Widows to gain control over international centers of power.

There’s a sly nod early on to the outsize supervillain nature of his ambitions, when Natasha chills in her wilderness trailer in Norway watching the cheesy 1979 James Bond space entry, Moonraker . But what makes the script so appealing is the balance of espionage intrigue akin to the Bourne movies, hard-hitting physical action — with the emphasis on hand-to-hand combat over weaponry — and unconventional family dynamics.

Unanswered questions that have bounced around in the heads of Natasha and especially Yelena for two decades surface in charming scenes at Melina’s hog farm. Weisz plays the exchanges with frank honesty tinged with regret, while Harbour brings a goofy endearing quality to his tattoo-covered tough guy.

There’s genuine poignancy in Yelena’s struggle to believe that any part of the familial bond of her early life was real. The remarkable Pugh, who just keeps getting better and better, brings warmth and complexity to that internal conflict of a woman trained to think not emotionally but tactically yet unable to suppress her feelings. Her sparky chemistry with Johansson yields many lovely moments of resilient sisterhood. And while this isn’t quite a Natasha Romanoff origin story, it does dig deep enough into the character’s pre-Red Room history to expose the raw wounds of a stolen childhood, which Johansson plays with touching vulnerability. It’s to her credit, though, that while the film bears her character’s name, it’s very much an ensemble piece for the four leads.

On the craftsmanship side, Black Widow is top-notch, with muscular camerawork from Gabriel Beristain and a wonderful score by Lorne Balfe that ranges from gentle piano to high-intensity suspense and almost into the operatic as it incorporates stormy choral elements. The editing of the fight scenes is perhaps a touch too unrelentingly fast, often blurring the choreography, but the physical side never feels overwhelmed by CG enhancement.

The production represents a huge leap in scale for Shortland, who made her name with the intimately observed Somersault before segueing to the Holocaust drama Lore and the psychological abduction thriller Berlin Syndrome . Those features all explored the lives of young women with sensitivity and genuine curiosity, something the Australian director continues to do here, adding unexpectedly rich dimensions to a genre that often shows too little interest in character. The payoff with a woman filmmaker from way outside the action sphere stokes anticipation for Chloé Zhao’s Eternals .

Full credits

Production company: Marvel Studios Distribution: Disney/Disney+ Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Ray Winstone, William Hurt, Ever Anderson, Violet McGraw, O-T Fagbenle Director: Cate Shortland Screenwriters: Eric Pearson; story by Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson, based on the Marvel Comics Producer: Kevin Feige Executive producers: Louis D’ Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Nigel Gostelow, Scarlett Johansson Director of photography: Gabriel Beristain Production designer: Charles Wood Costume designer: Jany Temime Music: Lorne Balfe Editors: Leigh Folsom Boyd, Matthew Schmidt Visual effects supervisors: Lisa Marra, Geoffrey Baumann Casting: Sarah Halley Finn

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Review: Scarlett Johansson finally gets her Marvel closeup, but ‘Black Widow’ is too little, too late

Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh stand in front of burning wreckage in the movie "Black Widow."

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Before it settles into its familiar, diverting, rather wearying rock-’em-sock-’em-blast-’em-all-to-kingdom-come groove, the new Marvel movie “Black Widow” opens with a startling evocation of loss. We’re in Ohio in 1995, and a seemingly normal American family has just sat down to a dinner that will be their last together for a while. Soon they’re on the run, firing bullets, dodging pursuers and jetting off to Cuba, where they are greeted by ominous-looking Russian contacts and given a fresh set of marching orders. Mom and Dad always knew this day might come, but Natasha and Yelena, the two young girls they’ve raised as their own, are shocked to learn that their family life until this point has been a lie.

The trauma of that discovery ripples through “Black Widow,” if never as deeply or resonantly as that prologue seems to promise. Part origin story, part swan song, part Marvel-ized riff on “The Americans,” the movie, directed by the Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland ( “Lore” ), zips us through the brutal education of the young Natasha Romanoff (Ever Anderson) as she’s separated from the only family she’s ever known and transformed into a ruthless Russian spying/fighting/killing machine. Eventually, of course, after growing up to be played by Scarlett Johansson, Natasha will defect to the U.S. and find an even weirder adopted clan in the Avengers, becoming one of the few women to join their world-saving ranks and one of the few people to do so without immortal powers or a mechanized supersuit.

All Natasha has are her killer instincts, her spectacular martial-arts moves and a billboard-ready arachnoid pose that comes in for some gently calculated mockery here. Cheeky, self-aware humor is by now an expected fixture of the Disney/Marvel brand, and as strenuous as it can be — look how serious these movies are about not taking themselves too seriously! — a little levity admittedly goes a long way in “Black Widow,” steeped as it is in elements of torture, mind control, murder and espionage. (Natasha Romanoff, the comic-book brainchild of Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck, first emerged in 1964 amid rampant Cold War anxieties, which the screenwriter Eric Pearson has effectively updated for the present day.)

Scarlett Johansson looks up from a crouched position in the movie "Black Widow."

Grim as it sounds, the movie is nonetheless par for the Marvel course: The Avengers may be taking a breather, but the violence remains predictably PG-13 bloodless, the moral ambiguity close to nil. Clever audience-tested jokes and one-liners wait attentively in the wings, quick to defuse any tension that might last more than a few minutes. It probably comes as little surprise that Natasha’s gravest Russian-agent misdeeds are either left offscreen or shown ever so briefly in flashback; an edgier character portrait might have confronted the worst head-on and dared risking your sympathies — or trusted Johansson to carry them, given how capably she’s done so in a franchise that hasn’t always made it easy for her.

When Natasha strolled onto the big screen 11 years ago, making a memorable first impression in the otherwise unmemorable “Iron Man 2,” she turned heads with her beauty before unleashing a panoply of lethal moves. It was a familiar Hollywood bait-and-switch, objectification masked as empowerment. (“I want one!” Tony Stark famously said of her after their first meeting, while Pepper Potts warned of “a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that.”) Johansson would later call out her character’s early, over-sexualized depictions, and in time those depictions improved. Deployed early on as a multi-purpose Avengers love interest, Natasha gradually emerged a tough, credible action hero and a fiercely loyal ally, the mortal glue holding this fractious superhero family together.

Having met a nobly tragic end in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” Natasha lives again here, though you can’t help but wonder how her story might have played out years ago, back when Marvel fans started clamoring for a Black Widow movie and the character’s fate was still unwritten. As it is, the knowledge that her days are numbered lends this solo adventure a bittersweetness that’s moving and disorienting by turns. Most of the oddly timed story unfolds in the past, immediately after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” with the Avengers torn asunder and Natasha facing some downtime at a gorgeous Norwegian retreat. Or so she thinks, until a fiery attack draws her back into her troubled past and propels her toward an overdue reunion with Yelena, the woman she grew up knowing as her sibling.

Herself a recently deprogrammed Russian assassin who’s just as deadly as Natasha, Yelena is played by the superb English actress Florence Pugh — who, between this and her stellar recent turn as Amy in “Little Women,” clearly has the market cornered on bratty younger sisters. Yelena and Natasha have some baggage, to say the least, a history marred by separation, betrayal and geopolitical warfare. Picking up the baton from the recent “F9,” they renew ties the only way long-estranged siblings can: with a visceral slugfest, full of pummeling fisticuffs, nasty knifework and a touching mutual-strangulation stalemate. It’s all nicely choreographed if rather too mechanical by half; once they’ve gotten all that comically exaggerated violence out of their systems, it’s time to put differences aside, join forces and pour on the crowd-pleasing sisterly banter.

David Harbour in Marvel's "Black Widow."

No family reunion would be complete without Mom and Dad, or rather Melina (Rachel Weisz, underplaying nicely) and Alexei (a boisterous, big-hearted David Harbour), whose journeys have led them and their vaguely Russian accents in wildly different directions since 1995. I won’t divulge too much more, except to note that the residual feelings of guilt, awkwardness, estrangement and affection pinballing among these four characters are awfully rich in emotional potential. It might even have made for a pretty terrific movie, if the filmmakers had been allowed to slow down and fully develop that dynamic, rather than simply dragging this oddball foursome through one noisy set-piece after another.

Those set-pieces are admittedly nothing to scoff at, and Shortland brings an unusual intensity and muscularity to the explosive, frequently airborne action. But as it progresses, “Black Widow” doesn’t seem to be telling its own story so much as perfunctorily bridging the gaps between other stories. You never quite forget that it’s busily connecting this phase of the overarching Marvel narrative to that one, or conveniently installing Pugh’s scene-stealing Yelena as Natasha’s likely successor. The plot piles up without really cohering: As Natasha digs into the past, aided by a flirty private contractor (O-T Fagbenle) who hooks her up with personal helicopters and the like, she comes face-to-face with her old enemy Dreykov (Ray Winstone, sinister), who’s produced an entire global army of deadly female assassins. Like Natasha and Yelena before them, these are Russian orphans who had their minds invaded, their bodies violated and their free will taken, all in service of one man’s megalomania.

Shortland, whose previous feature, “Berlin Syndrome,” was an agonizingly tense thriller about a woman in captivity, would seem the right filmmaker to tell that story, and also to tease out what it says about the mass subjugation of women. But as with so many smart filmmakers fed through the Marvel machinery, her talents feel whittled down to size, bent in service to a corporate vision that looks grand and sweeping but ultimately homogenizes everything it touches. Something similar befalls Johansson, a terrific actress who’s often been treated as a franchise afterthought, and whose long-awaited solo adventure is both an overdue treat and a missed opportunity. Like the young Natasha herself, “Black Widow” feels as though it’s been programmed into submission — and scarcely allowed to live and breathe before it’s suddenly over.

‘Black Widow’

Rated: PG-13, for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes Playing: Starts July 9 in general release; also available as PVOD on Disney+

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Black widow review: new character overshadows nat's long-awaited solo film.

Black Widow is filled with fantastic action-packed sequences, fun comedic beats, and themes of family, even while it shortchanges Natasha herself.

After more than 20 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow is finally getting her first solo adventure. Her self-titled film is a strange one by comparison to that of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man in that Black Widow is set before the events of Avengers: Infinity War , but is being released after her death in Avengers: Endgame . It’s a bittersweet farewell to the character, but there is also a too little, too late sense of closure that makes some of the film’s narrative choices confusing at times. Black Widow fleshes out Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff by touching upon her backstory, but it often feels like she’s a supporting character in her own movie. Black Widow is filled with fantastic action-packed sequences, fun comedic beats, and themes of family, even while it shortchanges Natasha herself.

Set shortly after Captain America: Civil War , Natasha (Johansson) is on the run from Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) following the events surrounding the Sokovia Accords and the Avengers’ fallout. After receiving a mysterious package of vials from Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha returns to Budapest and reunites with her estranged sister in a bid to destroy the Red Room, where they were sent to be trained as spies and assassins, and Dreykov (Ray Winstone), the man who runs it, once and for all. They are joined by Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokov (Rachel Weisz), who once posed as their parents. With wounds from her past still raw, Natasha must bridge the gap between who she was and who she is now, all while attempting to make amends with her family.

Related: Black Widow: Scarlett Johansson Set Visit Interview

The film, directed by Cate Shortland from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, explores overt themes of family and what it means to be one. Natasha is still raw from the abuses she was forced to endure as a child. While Melina and Alexei didn’t particularly mistreat her when they were pretending to be a picture-perfect family, Natasha still felt the sting of betrayal after being sent back to the Red Room. Black Widow grapples with these complicated feelings throughout the film, of chosen family, and what one is willing to do to keep those connections from being destroyed completely. The film makes a lot of comparisons between Natasha’s two families — her chosen one, the Avengers, and the one she was assigned to as a kid. She has some fond memories with both, but they are also increasingly messy. To that end, Black Widow offers Natasha a rejuvenated sense of purpose and identity as she acknowledges the influence they’ve both had in her life and what she has to let go of to move forward. It also offers closure to a story arc that has only ever been teased in previous films.

That said, the film is set up as more of an ensemble than a solo outing. The audience is barely given any time with Natasha before she is thrown into the action, with Black Widow shaping the story more so around Yelena’s origin and going so far as to focus more on her feelings surrounding the only family she’s known, as well as her fight against Dreykov. There are even comparisons made as to who had it worse in the Red Room — Yelena, who was chemically subjugated, or Natasha, who was indoctrinated through old-fashioned brainwashing. The film certainly finds time to focus on the bond Natasha and Yelena have as sisters, but the story does shift to center on Yelena a lot, often overshadowing her big sister in the process. This is probably because Yelena will be a staple of the MCU’s Phase Four, but considering the film is Natasha’s first (and last) solo outing, Black Widow treats her more like a supporting character and it doesn’t give her or her story the attention it deserves.

But the film has some of the best action sequences in recent memory. The hand-to-hand combat is well-choreographed, the stunts are ambitious and exciting, especially in the final act. There are plenty of thrills to be had — be it in motorcycle getaways or high-octane aerial stunts. The only major disappointment in that regard is Taskmaster. The character can mimic anyone’s movements and fighting style, but the film never fully engages with this skill in combat for more than a few seconds. However, Black Widow makes good use of the Red Room setting, with the film’s overarching feminist themes adding another layer to the story as it explores the widows’ lack of control over their minds and bodies, as well as the sense of freedom that comes with being able to choose when given the chance.

As far as performances go, Scarlett Johansson does the best she can with the material. There is a lot of reflection, frustration, and remorse that Natasha feels throughout and the actress leans into each feeling accordingly. Florence Pugh is a highlight of the film, infusing Yelena with equal parts strength, vulnerability, and gentle humor, all of which helps to establish her deep connection with Natasha. Her debut is memorable and it’ll be exciting to see where she goes next from here. David Harbour’s Red Guardian, meanwhile, is more of the comedic relief and the actor leans into that without being too ridiculous. Rachel Weisz is always excellent and that’s no different here; the only downside is there isn’t enough of her. Ray Winstone also makes a great antagonist as Dreykov, conveying an insidious cruelty that is more devastating than most other MCU villains that have come before.

Black Widow had a lot of boxes to check off. Its unique situation meant that it had to offer closure with regards to Natasha’s story, especially considering the film marks her final appearance in the MCU. It delivers by exploring Natasha’s history and introducing memorable new characters whose journeys are equally interesting. The biggest disappointment is perhaps that it doesn’t do enough to focus on Natasha, opting to set up Yelena as her successor. There is just enough Black Widow, however, to make this a distinct film, one that is less of a traditional superhero outing in the MCU, with the film more interested in exploring the lengths of human cruelty, perseverance, and the ties that bind despite everything.

Next: Black Widow: Florence Pugh Set Visit Interview

Black Widow is releasing in theaters July 9, 2021. It will also be available to stream on Disney+ via Premier Access on the same day. The film is 134 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material.

Key Release Dates

Black widow.

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Black widow, common sense media reviewers.

Strong women in ScarJo superhero film; violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Themes of women's independence from those (especia

Women are strong, clever, intelligent, powerful --

Heavy live-action comic book violence, including p

Moment of innuendo between a married couple. Natas

Strong language includes "ass," "bitch," "dammit,"

Drinking vodka and beer in moderation for gatherin

Positive Messages

Themes of women's independence from those (especially men) who would control them, sisterhood, and finding your family. Teamwork and creative thinking help characters succeed. Examines concept of complicity when it comes to helping those who would do others harm: If you're not directly involved, are you still culpable?

Positive Role Models

Women are strong, clever, intelligent, powerful -- even more so when they work together. Natasha has courage and integrity; she and other female colleagues put themselves in danger to save thousands of women. Alexei has many flaws but also genuinely cares about Natasha and Yelena. Dreykov is a manipulative, selfish villain. All main characters are White; diverse representation within supporting cast.

Violence & Scariness

Heavy live-action comic book violence, including physical combat with knives, punches, hitting with a blunt instrument, kicks. Explosions, destruction, a massive avalanche put people in peril. Child threatens soldiers with a gun. Shoot-outs. Frequent life-endangering peril, including vehicle crashes and severe falls. Children are shown to be in deep distress while being separated from their parents. A montage of the Red Room's training process reveals it to be ruthless; many young girls don't survive. Upsetting scenes where surgery/medical procedures are implied or getting underway.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Moment of innuendo between a married couple. Natasha's back is shown without a shirt, but with a bra on. A man is shown shirtless as he changes clothing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language includes "ass," "bitch," "dammit," and "s--t."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drinking vodka and beer in moderation for gatherings or to talk.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Black Widow is an action-packed Marvel superhero adventure that takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War . Scarlett Johansson stars as Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff, who worked for the KGB as a spy from birth until the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., eventually becoming an Avenger. Here, she reconnects with her estranged sister-figure ( Florence Pugh ) and grapples with her past while being pursued by a deadly new enemy. While a certain amount of suspense is removed by the fact that the film takes place before existing MCU movies (i.e., we know Natasha will survive), violence is frequent and often intense: Expect tons of physical fighting (often with knives), explosions, extreme moments of peril, shoot-outs, and stabbings. Language includes "bitch" and "s--t," and characters drink alcohol in moderation.The movie's feminist story is ultimately about promoting women's independence from men who believe that women exist to be used by them. Characters exhibit courage and teamwork, and there are themes of family that may resonate with viewers who've experienced adoption, foster care, or feelings of abandonment. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

Parents say (43)
Kids say (156)

Based on 43 parent reviews

Great Flick, Not a 12+ Pick

Great but common sense forgot a couple of things this is for a mature 12 yr old, what's the story.

After a schism breaks up the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. targets BLACK WIDOW for arrest. As Natasha Romanoff ( Scarlett Johansson ) goes underground to hide, she's contacted by Yelena ( Florence Pugh ), an important person from her past. Learning she has unfinished business, Natasha reunites with former colleagues to take down a nefarious enemy.

Is It Any Good?

While it took far too long for Black Widow to get her own solo film, she puts her moment to good use, blowing up the patriarchy in epic style. What makes Black Widow (the character) unique among the Avengers is that she doesn't have superpowers or super tech: Her brain and her body combine to make her a lethal weapon. But as Natasha returns to her roots, we learn that she's actually not entirely unique: There's a whole widow program, with thousands of "graduates." Natasha has always been a mysterious figure, wracked with guilt from her unwitting work as an assassin for the Russian government. In Black Widow , the Iron Curtain is pulled back to reveal the people she grew up with and the trauma she endured. More than the tragedy of being programmed as a killer, the film's heart beats with the emotional weight of losing parents, more than once -- and wanting your family to be better. While many films deal with issues related to adoption, foster care, guardians, and abandonment, few of them do it with full sensitivity. This one does.

While the male Avengers are always giving one another a hard time and poking fun, no-nonsense Black Widow is usually left alone. Going home again means that Natasha finally gets some long overdue razzing -- and it's pure delight. It's also fair to say that the movie's costumes, hair, and makeup are more aligned with female sensibilities than fanboys': They're functionally stylish (Yelena's praise of pockets is on point), and you get the sense that they're dressing to impress themselves. Nothing low cut, no ridiculous lashes, and absolutely no high heels (note to Marvel merchandising: Those combat boots are everything). No question, this is Marvel's most feminist film to date, and it's a winner -- executed in a way that will leave men cheering just as women have been cheering the male Avengers and others for decades. The action sequences are mesmerizing, perhaps even more fascinating than a typical superhero film because Natasha and Yelena are purely physical fighters, not "powered." That may help make this a particularly meaningful film: Unlike other female superhero projects ( Wonder Woman , Captain Marvel , WandaVision ) , Black Widow is about women who've become wonders and marvels thanks to their own cunning and strength.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about women's roles in comics and superhero films. What makes Natasha Romanoff a role model ? How is her intelligence apparent throughout the movie? What about the other women?

How does Black Widow compare to other female superheroes' solo films? How has the depiction of Black Widow changed over the years? Do you think having a female director and writer working on this film affected the way she was portrayed?

What do you think about the way superhero movies depict violence ? Is there a difference in the way you react to realistic vs. stylized violence? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Black Widow has been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2010 , before Captain Marvel was introduced in the MCU and before Wonder Woman was brought into the DC Extended Universe -- and they got their own solo films first. Why do you think it took so long for Natasha to get her own movie?

How do the characters in Black Widow demonstrate courage and teamwork ? What about Natasha's sense of compassion and empathy ? Why are those all important character strengths ?

Movie Details

In theaters : July 9, 2021
On DVD or streaming : July 9, 2021
Cast : Scarlett Johansson , Florence Pugh , David Harbour , Rachel Weisz
Director : Cate Shortland
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre : Action/Adventure
Topics : Superheroes
Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
Run time : 133 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material
Award : Common Sense Selection
Last updated : February 18, 2023

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REVIEW: Black Widow Finally Gets the Movie She Deserves

Marvel Studios' Black Widow finds clever ways to reckon with Natasha's past, while introducing an standout cast of supporting characters.

Ever since Natasha Romanoff was introduced in 2010's Iron Man 2 , she has been exactly what others expected to see. From the flirty, yet competent assistant to the loyal soldier who emerged from the fires that forged her with her conscience intact, she has been many things to many people, all in her effort to escape her past. In Marvel Studios' Black Widow , that past finally catches up to her, sending the longtime Avenger on a raw, emotional journey filled with heart, humor and intense action.

Boasting more than 20 films, the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe catalogue has hit a point where -- inevitably -- recent installments beg comparison to the ones that have come before. In this case, Black Widow shares a lot of blood with its predecessor Captain America: The Winter Soldier , in that it explores a piece of the title character's past that they thought was long since over. With its espionage elements and ragtag group of underdogs, Black Widow is sure to please The Winter Soldier fans.

RELATED: Leaving Black Widow Behind Is Bittersweet, Says Scarlett Johansson

However, that's where the similarities between Black Widow and The Winter Soldier begin and end. Black Widow is more concerned with pulling Natasha out of her element than it is about treading that familiar ground. While the film engages her spy skills, it also matches her against supporting characters she can't manipulate her way around. Though she has spent years apart from them, they have all the same Red Room training and trauma she does. As such, Black Widow provides fertile ground to explore Natasha's character in a way never before done on-screen. The film seizes this opportunity and runs with it, particularly in the delightful banter between Natasha and her sister Yelena, but also in the quieter moments with Rachel Weisz's Melina.

In this sense, Black Widow also spins itself into a competent standalone film. While the film naturally mentions Natasha's adventures with the Avengers, it is much more focused on digging through her past, long before she joined the superhero team. Knowledge of previous MCU entries will certainly enhance the experience, especially in a pinnacle callback during the emotional climax, it isn't entirely necessary. Considering how heavily the last few MCU movies tied into one another and focused on building the universe, this is a refreshing change of pace. Black Widow almost feels like a forgotten Phase One entry, a straightforward narrative from an age before Infinity Stones and Mad Titans.

RELATED: Black Widow: Natasha and Taskmaster Come Face-to-Face In New Promo

Even as the film delves into her past, Natasha can't help but be a little outshone by the larger-than-life personalities surrounding her. While Black Widow stays true and consistent to the character Scarlett Johansson has built over the past decade, Natasha has always been a subdued character, careful in her words and actions. As such, she can't help but get overshadowed when she shares the screen with Florence Pugh's magnetic Yelena and the bombastic Alexei Shostakov, played by an effervescent David Harbour who relishes in the role. It's a shame that Natasha isn't necessarily the most memorable part of her own film, even as Johansson brings her all in scenes where she's either alone or one-on-one with another character.

Of course, Black Widow is as much Yelena's story as it is Natasha's, and Pugh acts accordingly. As Black Widow builds her up to be Marvel's next big thing, Pugh proves to be more than worth the price of admission. In one moment, she's laugh-out-loud funny, dropping those trademark Marvel quips with ease; the next, she brings a grounded emotionality that pulls on the heartstrings, bringing even this reviewer to tears. Thanks to Pugh's superb performance, Yelena is every bit the beating heart of this film, and she is sure to be an instant fan favorite. The future of the MCU is in good hands.

RELATED: Black Widow Director Explains Film's 'Messy and Raw' Fight Scenes

Marvel Studios would also do well to keep director Cate Shortland on board. Black Widow is a stunning film. Shortland brings as much care to the smaller emotional beats as she does to the over-the-top action sequences. The film has layers of personality in its framing and lighting choices, making it one of the most visually engaging entries in the MCU so far.

Long overdue, Black Widow is the film Natasha Romanoff has always deserved. The movie only goes to show what a shame it is that there will be no more stories with Natasha moving forward, even as there is just as much hope to be found in Pugh's Yelena. Nevertheless, Black Widow finds clever ways to play with Natasha's long MCU history, while also reckoning with the past we've only heard about. Anyone who has followed the character's film journey closely will be rewarded.

Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff. The film arrives in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access July 9.

Black Widow

Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.

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DVD & Streaming

Black Widow

Action/Adventure , Drama , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and her sister looking fierce after a destructive battle.

In Theaters

July 9, 2021
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow; Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova; David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian; Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff; Ray Winstone as Dreykov; O-T Fagbenle as Rick Mason; William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross

Home Release Date

Cate Shortland

Distributor

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Movie Review

Every family has its secrets.

Yelena didn’t know what her family’s secrets were , of course—not when she was 6 years old and growing up in Ohio. All she knew was lazy summer evenings and dinners ’round the table; fireflies and skinned knees; love and laughter. She knew that her mother was wise and her dad was funny, and that her older sister would always be around to protect her, no matter what.

But secrets? She never needed to worry about them.

Until that lazy summer evening when Dad came home and announced they all needed to pack. It was time for the adventure he always promised Yelena they’d have.

Yelena was pretty excited. What kid doesn’t love adventure?

But after a frantic ride to a private airport, that adventure took a dark turn—and secrets spilled all over the runway.

Turns out, Yelena’s family wasn’t a family at all; her mom and dad weren’t American suburbanites, but Soviet spies, and the mission was over. Her blue-haired sister, Natasha, wasn’t her real sister, but a pint-sized assassin-in-training. And now Yelena was being sent off to assassin school—the infamous Red Room—herself. Even though Natasha did her best to protect Yelena one last time—grabbing a gun and promising death to anyone who touched her little sis—it was for naught.

Fast-forward a couple decades, and the training clearly took. Yelena’s a full-fledged assassin (called a Widow) now, and a leader at that. In her lethal hands, she has the power to topple leaders and end lives, and she’s done both for years without questioning why.

But after a chance encounter with a former Widow and an unexpected chemical—an antidote to the toxin that chemically keeps Yelena and the other Widows in a state of unblinking obedience—her mind clears. Dreykov, the man whom she thought of as an über-demanding father, was a real jerk. It was time to break up this dysfunctional family once and for all.

Then she remembers her old fake sister, Natasha, who broke with the Widows years before. She’s an Avenger now—or at least she was, before that team kinda broke up, too. With Natasha on the lam from the government and with the planet mercifully free of alien invaders or genocidal robots for the time being, maybe Yelena could send her this antidote, and Natasha could do something with it. Maybe she could take it to her good friend Tony Stark, duplicate it and free the rest of the Widows for good.

Sure, maybe Yelena and Natasha’s family was all a fabrication. Maybe Natasha, like their “parents,” was only playing a part. Maybe people are calling Natasha a hero these days, and maybe she is. But Yelena can’t completely shake the memory of her wide-eyed, blue-haired, ready-for-anything sister always protecting her.

No matter what.

Positive Elements

Sometimes, I wonder if Marvel’s superhero movies aren’t really what we think they are at all—that all the larger-than-life villains and explosions and CGI wizardry is just a massive amount of icing on a very different sort of cake. And here, it seems, the cake that Marvel’s baking here is all about family.

Sure, the family that Yelena grew up with was a fabrication. But its members could still like each other. Maybe even love each other. That grows more and more obvious as the film wears on, and the bond between Yelena and her famous sister feels especially strong. Both are willing to make some pretty serious sacrifices to save their black-wardrobed sistren.

That’s especially true of Natasha (who, despite my introduction, is really the focal point of the film). She’s always been one of the most “human” members of the Avengers—blessed with no superpowers beyond her tremendous skill and equally formidable will. She’ll take more than a punch to achieve a noble goal, and Natasha even inflicts damage to herself here to do what she feels is right.

Oh, and let’s give a small shout-out to Rick Mason, Natasha’s long-suffering helpmate, who somehow procures everything from weapons to helicopters on short notice so that Natasha can save the day.

Spiritual Elements

We hear quite a few lines from Don McLean’s “Miss American Pie” (Yelena’s favorite song growing up), including the question, “Do you have faith in God above if the Bible tells you so?” Elsewhere, Yelena calls Thor “the big god from space.” We see pictures of Natasha and Yelena as kids in front of a Christmas tree.

Sexual Content

When Yelena and Natasha reunite with their faux father, Alexei, he wonders why they seem so angry at him—asking whether it’s their “time of the month.” Both stress that the Red Room made it impossible for them to even have that time, given that their reproductive organs were completely removed as a part of their transformation into Widows (with Yelena going into specific, painful detail about these procedures).

Alexei talks uncomfortably about how attractive Melina—his pretend wife in Ohio—was and is. And when they reunite, he tells her that she’s “as beautiful and as supple” as the day they first met, and he suggests that he’d be happy to take a roll in the hay with her right now . “I have a lot of energy,” he slyly says. We see Alexei shirtless a couple of times (though these scenes aren’t intended to be erotic), and catch an ample glimpse of his underwear as he tries to fit into an old superhero outfit.

Natasha, Yelena and other women wear fairly form-fitting outfits. Natasha takes off her shirt to reveal the back of her bra—and a bevy of bruises she suffered during a recent fight. Yelena and Natasha argue over Natasha’s apparent penchant for “posing” suggestively during fights.

Dreykov’s Widow operation is predicated on human trafficking: kidnapping vulnerable, genetically superior girls and turning them into killers. (He calls girls the one resource the world has too much of.) While Dreykov’s Red Room isn’t predicated on sex, the film intends to remind us of the horrors of human trafficking in our own context.

Violent Content

When Alexei reunites with his faux daughters, he showers praise on them—what with Natasha being an Avenger and Yelena having been one of the Red Room’s most successful child assassins. “Both have killed so many people!” he says. “Your ledgers must be dripping [with blood]. Just gushing . … I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

Alexei would be proud of this movie then, too.

Blood doesn’t gush here—but things can get pretty violent at times. One man suffers a grotesque injury during an arm-wrestling match. A woman falls from a tall building and lies in a puddle on the ground—her foot twisted in an unnatural angle (indicating a broken leg). Yelena cuts into her own leg to remove a tracking device.

And, of course, we see the sorts of fights we’ve come expect in superhero movies. People hit and kick and knock adversaries on their keester. (Alexei’s “daughters” punch him in the face a few times as well.) People fire all manner of weapons—mostly guns, but a few arrows are launched as well. Someone uses a shield as a lethal projectile. Yelena’s stabbed with a syringe, which sticks comically out of her shoulder for a moment. People fight with knives, and sometimes the blade hits home. People are sometimes choked.

Cars crash and careen and fall. A broken car door sends a motorcycle rider flying. People fall from huge heights, sometimes tumbling into objects as they go. Someone’s face is shown to be scarred after a fiery explosion. Massive explosions produce what we’d assume are significant but unseen casualties: One such big boom—the fiery destruction of a guard tower—triggers an avalanche that sweeps toward a Siberian prison and looks capable of wiping it out. We don’t see its ultimate fate, but our heroes don’t spend a single instant worrying about it. (And let’s note that Natasha, being an ex-assassin and all, has never had problems killing her adversaries, unlike some superheroes we could mention.)

A man hits a woman several times in the face (and kicks her as well). Someone smashes her own head into something, breaking her nose and drawing blood. A pig nearly dies from asphyxiation. Surgeons nearly cut open someone’s skull. In a flashback, we see Natasha call for the destruction of a building—one that held both a very bad man and his innocent young daughter.

Crude or Profane Language

The s-word is used nine times. We also hear other profanities, including “a–,” “d–n” and “pr–k,” a handful of times each. God’s name is misused twice. The word “douchebag” is also used.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Alexei proposes a toast with vodka as he sits at a table with Melina, Natasha and Yelena. “Family!” he says. “Back together again.” He drinks during the awkward meeting. Natasha opens a bottle of wine. Liquor is used as an antiseptic for open wounds. Another line we hear from “Miss American Pie” references “drinking whiskey and wine.”

Other Negative Elements

After Alexei hugs Yelena, the woman tells him to stay farther away. “You smell really bad.” Alexei tells a story about how his own father urinated on his hands to keep them from getting frostbitten.

But maybe Yelena’s family—the pretend family, the faux family, the family that wasn’t family at all—has an even bigger secret to share than all of that. For all its secrets, for all its lies, it was a family. And those familial ties, however fabricated they might’ve initially been, and however briefly they lasted, still hold together.

It’s a pretty nice message to find in such a bombastic, frenetic, superhero blockbuster. Not only do the movie’s heroes save the day, but they also save something they came to treasure: a sense of home and belonging.

Few of our families are as weird and as problematic as that of Natasha and Yelena. But we know that our own families have their share of issues, too. Sometimes the people who raise us, or the people we raise, can feel like strangers at times. But yet, hopefully, the memories and the histories and affections we’ve shared unite us more than they divide us.

Black Widow also reminds us that our “real” families may not necessarily be those we’re born into. We can be adopted into new homes. And while those homes are often imperfect, they can be filled with affection and growth.

They say that blood is thicker than water—and yet blood isn’t what binds us together. It’s love.

Black Widow has plenty of both, of course. It’s a violent, often chaotic movie that—because of some grotesque broken bones—might edge into slightly more problematic territory than some of its superhero peers. Likewise its use of the s-words—a word certainly common in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—feels slightly more common. And because MCU fans know where Black Widow’s story is heading in a few short years (the film takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War ), this story is tinged with a bit of sadness.

But while Black Widow can be disappointing in some respects, it’s pretty heartening in others. The MCU has always praised the ideal of family and its many manifestations, even as it reminds us how prickly real families can be. Black Widow takes these themes to another level.

Sure, we expected a movie about a couple of highly trained killers would be exciting. We didn’t expect it to be so sweet.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Movie Review: Black Widow (2021)

Vincent Gaine
Movie Reviews
--> July 16, 2021

In recent years, Hollywood has taken a renewed interest in Russia, specifically as a threat to the US. The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continues this pattern, following the trend of such films as “The Sum of All Fears,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “ Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ,” “ Salt ” and the TV series “The Americans.” The last two are particularly relevant for the opening sequence of Black Widow , which takes place in Ohio in 1995 and provides an origin story for Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, “ Jojo Rabbit ”). From there we flash forward to 2016 and the aftermath of “ Captain America: Civil War ,” with Romanoff on the run and, as you might expect, several steps ahead of her pursuers. Chief among them is William Hurt as Secretary Ross, and his presence ties the film to the wider MCU. For the most part, however, Cate Shortland’s film is a tighter affair than the more sprawling entries despite the globetrotting that includes Morocco, Norway, Budapest (finally we find out what happened there) and some secret locations in Russia.

Filling in some of the space between “Captain America: Civil War” and “ Avengers: Infinity War ,” Black Widow follows Natasha as she goes back into her past, including her procurer Mason (an amusing O-T Fagbenle, “The Handmaid’s Tale” TV series), Russian spymaster nemesis Dreykov (Ray Winstone, “ King of Thieves ”) and, most importantly, the surrogate family that she reconnects with. The introductions of these characters allow for some great dynamics and set pieces as well as deep emotional beats. As Alexei/Red Guardian, the former Soviet Union’s answer to Captain America, David Harbour (“ Extraction ”) is a hoot, his disgruntled but big-hearted super-soldier providing as much charm as he does brute strength. Rachel Weisz (“ The Favourite ”) balances resolve and warmth as Melina, fond of family but committed to her mission, even as that mission changes.

The standout performance of the film is that of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Natasha’s “sister.” Amidst the plot machinations and bombastic carnage, Pugh emerges with all the star power she has demonstrated since “The Falling” and “ Lady Macbeth ” and through “ Fighting With My Family ,” “ Midsommar ” and her Oscar-nominated turn in “ Little Women .” Yelena is tough but displays a sense of fun, embittered but still has heart. The interplay between her and Natasha is warm and spiky, and the post-credits scene indicates that we will see more of her. In the action sequences, Pugh and her stunt double Michaela Mcallister prove themselves equal to Johansson and her double Heidi Moneymaker, as well as the other combating figures around them.

The action is worth noting because the majority of characters here have no super abilities. The super strength of one character receives little emphasis and the physical drama is more a matter of skills. This is pleasing because, for all its grand scale digital scenery, the MCU has always maintained a physicality that is certainly on display here, with kick-ass action with genuine heft and impact. Blows hurt, injuries are evident, physical prowess is a spectacular display. Also in keeping with the Marvel brand, screenwriter Eric Pearson provides ample humor, including a weird sequence involving pigs as well as knowing references to “Moonraker” and Natasha’s pose that both looks amazing and is acknowledged as being impractical. Such nods to the audience are not overplayed and add rather than detract from the viewer’s engagement.

Where Black Widow does falter is in other areas. The super spy outfits really stick out and leave you wondering how these secret operatives are supposed to blend in. There is a tired “You killed my mother!” plot thread that we have seen in movies from 2011’s “ X-Men: First Class ” to the recent “Cruella,” which takes away from the more altruistic motivations of our heroes. In addition, the combination of a recognizable name in the opening credits and a masked figure unfortunately spoils what is ostensibly a reveal.

Perhaps most gratingly, and as with many a mainstream movie, Black Widow has a fear of subtitles and the characters mostly speak English with Russian accents, even though everyone is ostensibly Russian. Accents sometimes slip and at times you wonder if Ray Winstone is really trying, while the one performer actually from that part of the world does not speak. The lack of non-English dialogue seems lazy and could have been explained, perhaps the characters avoid speaking Russian because of their trauma, which is hinted at without being too strong for a family friendly film with mass appeal.

The mass appeal does point to the ongoing potential of an established franchise like the MCU to explore issues and challenge a status quo. Perhaps unsurprisingly for Marvel’s first film with a solo female director (“ Captain Marvel ” had co-directors), the issues here relate to gender. The principal antagonist’s weaponization of misogyny points to wider social (and cinematic) patterns of men who use women. While far from being as hard-hitting as, say, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Noomi Rapace would have been a great alternative Romanoff), Black Widow does engage with patriarchal contempt for women, especially girls, and how this contempt manifests. There is little grandstanding but the critique of patriarchy is clear, including the complicity of some women while powerful men think nothing of treating women and animals as something to be experimented on and controlled. Set against the basic human goodness of Natasha (for all the talk of red in her ledger, we know she’s a good person), Shortland highlights that such patriarchy must be (literally) brought down.

For all its spectacular set pieces including rooftop chases, helicopter prison breaks and freefall battles, the best clash in Black Widow may be a discussion about female anatomy, a discussion that freaks out a man accustomed to violence and assassination, while the women talk openly about matters that are often taboo. It is tempting to say that in the hands of a male director, this discussion would have been very different (see “ Avengers: Age of Ultron ” for a much cruder treatment of the same topic). Shortland succeeds in making a point about the female experience without beating a drum about it. Hopefully the MCU will continue to normalize such content and material, meaning that while Romanoff may have signed off, her ultimate legacy can be greater inclusivity.

Tagged: experiment , prequel , Russia , sister , spy , superhero

Dr. Vincent M. Gaine is a film and television researcher. His first book, Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann was published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2011. His work on film and media has been published in Cinema Journal and The Journal of Technology , Theology and Religion , as well as edited collections including The 21st Century Superhero and The Directory of World Cinema .

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Ned Benson Is ‘Open’ to Returning to Marvel After Rewriting ‘Black Widow,’ but Directing Would ‘Take a Toll’

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Five years after his debut film “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” filmmaker Ned Benson took on a somewhat unexpected new gig: rewriting the “ Black Widow ” script.

Now, with “The Greatest Hits” being a Disney-owned Searchlight release via Hulu, Benson told IndieWire that being back in the fray of Disney means he’s not necessarily shutting the door on a big franchise film like a Marvel movie. Related Stories The Lost Atomic Bomb Drama ‘Time of the Heathen’ Is Ready for Discovery, and a New Release — Watch ‘Trap’ Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan Sets a Serial Killer Loose at a Blockbuster Pop Concert

“I’m not really … I just don’t know. I’m open to anything, as long as I feel that I am suitable for the job,” Benson said when asked about returning to the franchise fray. “I think if something is exciting to me, I’m going to put everything I have into it. So with that opportunity, I took the opportunity and really dove into that script and tried to figure it out.”

Benson added, “As a writer, I’m always excited to try stuff. As a filmmaker, I think I’m a little more reticent, because I think you’re spending two years or more of your life on each of these projects. It really takes a toll on your lifestyle. As a writer, I’m open to anything. As a director, I have to see what makes sense.”

In 2019, Collider reported that Marvel executives’ interest was piqued following the TIFF premiere of Benson’s directorial debut “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” which began as a Blacklist script. At the time, former Sony executive Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures had recently hired Benson to adapt the award-winning Dallas Morning News article “My Aryan Princess” for the screen, with “Black Widow” actress Scarlett Johansson cast in the lead role. The article followed the true crime tale of a woman who attempted to take down the Aryan Brotherhood in Texas.

“There’s one that’s sort of out there. I wrote a movie called ‘Featherwood’ that Andrea Arnold is directing with Scarlett Johansson starring, which I’m really excited about. It’s based on this podcast and article that’s pretty crazy,” Benson told IndieWire. “That’s been one that’s been in the works for a bit. There’s a few other things that I wish I could talk about but I’ll upset people if I do. There are two or three or four things in the works.”

While Benson stayed mum on those other projects, he did tease that there is neither music nor romance (“surprisingly not”), two of his signature attributes found in his romantic dramas “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” and song-centric “The Greatest Hits,” involved in his upcoming endeavors.

“The Greatest Hits” is now streaming on Hulu.

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Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

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Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Lou Ferrigno, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth in The Avengers (2012)

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Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Vin Diesel, Paul Bettany, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Sean Gunn, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Pratt, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Wong, Terry Notary, Anthony Mackie, Chris Hemsworth, Dave Bautista, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Letitia Wright, and Tom Holland in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

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Back to Black review – woozy Amy Winehouse biopic buoyed by extraordinary lead performance

Sam Taylor-Johnson’s best film to date is more interested in romance and creativity than demons or blame

‘Her demons were probably worse’: does Back to Black reveal the real Amy Winehouse?

T he last time Sam Taylor-Johnson directed a movie about drugs it was A Million Little Pieces in 2019, based on James Frey’s notoriously inauthentic memoir of addiction – and the last time she made a film about a music legend it was Nowhere Boy in 2009, about John Lennon.

Now she brings the two together in what’s easily her best work so far: an urgent, warm, heartfelt dramatisation, scripted by Matt Greenhalgh, of the life of Amy Winehouse , the brilliant London soul singer who died of alcohol poisoning at 27 in 2011. It’s a movie with the simplicity, even the naivety, of a fan-tribute. But there’s a thoroughly engaging and sweet-natured performance from Marisa Abela as Amy – though arguably taking the rougher edges off. The only time Abela is less than persuasive is when she has to get into a fight on the north London streets of Camden.

And Jack O’Connell is a coolly charismatic and muscular presence as her no-good husband and addiction-enabler Blake Fielder-Civil. O’Connell can’t help being a smart, capable screen presence and makes Blake a lot more sympathetic and less rodenty than he appeared in real life – and yet part of the (reasonable) point of the film is that he was a human being, afraid that Amy would leave him for another celebrity, and that media images are misleading.

There’s a lovely, if faintly sucrose scene in which the already boozed-up Blake first meets Amy in The Good Mixer pub in Camden Town (already famous for its association with 90s cool Britannia and Blur) – buzzing with his horse-racing winnings and airily unfazed when the already entranced Amy challenges him to a game of pool while he cheekily lets her (and us) assume he doesn’t know who she is. But of course he does and even one-ups her in musical knowledge in compelling her to admit that she has never heard, or heard of the Shangri-Las’ Leader of the Pack, which he puts on the jukebox and extravagantly mimes to. There is a growing sadness in the realisation that this ecstatic first meeting is the first and last time they will ever be truly happy together.

Marisa Abela and Jack O’Connell as Amy and Blake in Back to Black.

Perhaps any movie about Winehouse is going to suffer in comparison with Asif Kapadia’s compelling archive-mosaic documentary Amy from 2015, which delivered the woman herself and also gave a clearer idea of her demanding musicianship and professionalism, far from the tabloid caricature of nonstop drugginesss. But this film tries to intuit the part that romance played in Amy Winehouse’s life and the narrative of unhappiness that it created in her work: a poisonous wellspring of inspiration.

And Taylor-Johnson’s film is also much more sympathetic to Winehouse’s father Mitch, the cab driver estranged from Amy’s mother who came back into her life to help manage her career and famously counselled against her going to rehab.

Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville in Back to Black.

Mitch comes across better here because he’s played with bullish charm and schmaltz by Eddie Marsan – very funny in the scene where he infuriates Amy by coming to an important meeting and siding with the record business execs against her. I actually wonder if an equally good film called Mitch could be made simply about that lonely, complex figure.

Back to Black is essentially a gentle, forgiving film and there are other, tougher, bleaker ways to put Winehouse’s life on screen – but Abela conveys her tenderness, and perhaps most poignantly of all her youth, so tellingly at odds with that tough image and eerily mature voice.

Back to Black is out in UK cinemas on 12 April and in the US on 17 May

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Review: ‘The Wiz’ Eases Back to Broadway

Almost 50 years after it debuted, this classic Black take on “The Wizard of Oz” tries to update its original formula.

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A still from the Broadway musical production of “The Wiz” shows the Lion, Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, arms interlocked onstage.

By Maya Phillips

Let me start with a confession: I’ve never liked “The Wizard of Oz.” But give me a retelling with, say, a Black Dorothy and Black Oz, and I’m immediately clicking my heels.

When “The Wiz” debuted on Broadway in 1975, it was a colorful exclamation of Blackness on the stage. That’s to say a Black score, by Charlie Smalls, including gospel and R&B; a Black cast; and Black audiences at the forefront.

Then three years later the beloved Motown film adaptation, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor, pulled a Black Dorothy from her home, not in Kansas but in Harlem, and the New York City boroughs were cleverly transmogrified into the stylish, futuristic Oz.

Now “The Wiz” returns to Broadway in a revival directed by Schele Williams and an updated book by Amber Ruffin , with the aim of creating a take “ through the Blackest of Black lenses .” This new production, which opened at the Marquis Theater on Wednesday, showcases creative visuals and some standout performances, but stops short of bringing modern Blackness to Broadway.

Here, Dorothy (Nichelle Lewis, in her Broadway debut) is a city girl who’s moved to Kansas to live with her Aunt Em (Melody A. Betts, who later doubles as the deliciously brass-throated witch Evillene). But Dorothy doesn’t feel at home and is being bullied by her classmates. A sudden meteorological anomaly flies Dorothy to Oz, where she seeks the counsel of the great and powerful Wiz (Wayne Brady) on how to get back home. Along the way she’s joined by a scarecrow (Avery Wilson) in need of a brain, a tinman (Phillip Johnson Richardson) wanting a heart and a lion (Kyle Ramar Freeman) desperate for some courage. (Sorry dog-lovers, there’s no Toto.)

There’s plenty of gold to be found along this yellow brick road. Deborah Cox’s Glinda, the good witch, in a shimmering gold gown, looks like a jewel and sounds like one, too, with her crystalline voice switching from jazzy scatting to a sparkling falsetto in “He’s the Wiz” and later offering a triumphant performance of “Believe in Yourself.”

Glinda’s not the only one with flashy fashion; the costume design, by Sharen Davis, draws from a wild, unpredictable range of time periods and trends. Ozians with blue Afro puffs, green extensions and multicolored braids flounce around in bright petticoats during a scene meant to replicate a New Orleans second-line parade; Evillene’s army of evil poppies slinks around in ’70s-style Afros and flare-legged jumpsuits, and the denizens of Emerald City saunter in Afro-futuristic outfits with ornate collars and fringe.

There’s just as much color in the choreography, by JaQuel Knight, which offers an evocative mélange of styles. Dorothy’s tornado is summoned with a flurry of pirouetting dancers in billowing gray fabrics. Later those stiff-backed, graceful turns are just as quickly swapped for hunched, down-low Afro-Cuban steps and crisp hip-hop moves.

The best performances in the production are likewise grounded in movement: Wilson is a playful scarecrow, his wobbly knees and freely flinging limbs showing off impressive flexibility and acrobatic skill. Freeman’s dramatic prancing and marching as the lion pair perfectly with his character’s … well, leonine theatricality.

Add to the mix a popping-and-locking Tinman who also drops a soulful “What Would I Do If I Could Feel” and the charming showmanship of Brady’s Wiz (armed with a lively exit number even more delightful than his entrance), and you’ve got a cast of sidekicks who outshine the hero.

As Dorothy, Lewis dutifully hits the notes but is dwarfed by the stage and the performers around her. Though Ruffin’s book offers a few modern updates to the lingo and gives her companions new back stories, Dorothy still lacks dimension, and Lewis struggles to fill her in with any emotional shading.

Despite its freewheeling fashions there’s a hemmed-in quality to most of the production. This Dorothy and her adventure, like the overall direction, is bright and tidy but falls short in character. The animated backdrops of Oz often have a cutesy, over-glossed Pixar-movie feel. The pacing doesn’t quite “ease on down” as it does race through the show’s two-and-a-half-hour running time; the settings and characters pass by in a blur. Even the musical arc of the show slumps into a routine, with a predictable build toward each big solo climax.

All of which is to say that “The Wiz” is a pleasant, serviceable time at the theater, but as a new production of a musical with a legacy of bringing Blackness to one of Hollywood’s and Broadway’s favorite fairy tales, it’s less satisfying.

There is a fresher production hinted at in the ecstatic array of costumes and mix of choreography. There’s a stronger, more daring representation of modern-day Blackness suggested in the faint touches of New Orleans’s Tremé neighborhood and a character’s quip about discovering their hair’s curl pattern.

In the past this paper’s critics weren’t impressed by productions of this musical. In 1984 Frank Rich rashly dismissed the “tacky” Broadway production of a musical that he deemed “hardly great” but “a once-fervent expression of Black self-respect and talent.” In his review of the original, in 1975, Clive Barnes wrote of a production with “vitality” and “style” that was nevertheless “tiresome” — perhaps because, he ventures, for him such fairy tales are only appealing when they’re grounded in one’s own experience. Does the show “say different things to Blacks than to whites?” asked a Black writer in The Times several months later. His answer was yes. So is mine.

Nearly 50 years later, with a similar degree of ambivalence, I wonder if a revival of one of theater’s beloved Black musicals is truly a Black experience. It feels more like just another night at the theater.

The Wiz Through Aug. 18 at the Marquis Theater, Manhattan; wizmusical.com . Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes.

An earlier version of this review misstated the opening day of “The Wiz.” It was Wednesday, not Tuesday.

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Maya Phillips is an arts and culture critic for The Times. More about Maya Phillips

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Black Widow Reviews

Black Widow review: Scarlett Johansson's superspy leads a smart thriller with a family twist

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‘Black Widow’ Review: A Superhero Movie That’s Grittier, More Layered With Feeling, Than You Expect

Owen Gleiberman

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Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, June 28, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 133 MIN.

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Black Widow First Reviews: A Thrilling Spy Movie Absolutely Worth the Wait

Is it worth the wait?

How does it compare to other parts of the MCU?

Does it bring anything new to the franchise?

Does it work as a standalone movie?

How is the action ?

How is Cate Shortland’s work as director?

What about Scarlett Johansson’s performance as Natasha ?

Does Florence Pugh fit well into the franchise?

How are the villains in the film ?

How is the script?

Is it a positive step for female characters in the MCU ?

Does the movie have any major problems?

Will it leave fans hopeful for the future of the MCU?

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