‘Black Widow' (2021) Review [SPOILER FREE]

Black Widow (2021)

Opening statement

I had a lot of fun with Black Widow and there’s certainly a lot to enjoy and admire, but for me it didn’t quite go as far as I wanted it to. It left me with a similar feeling to previous Marvel films, particularly the earlier instalments which were a little under cooked. There’s a lot of solid character driven moments and complex dynamics, but they’re sadly trapped in a film which feels unsure of itself. The one word I’ve found myself using to describe this film is “fine.” The story is fine, the action is fine, as a Black Widow solo film its fine, but it inevitably struggles to elevate itself above being “fine.”

Brief synopsis

Set directly after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Natasha Romanoff heads on a globe-trotting tour for a reluctant reunion with former allies, and revenge against a longstanding enemy. This is a story about family, history and redemption, and is very much about Black Widow’s past converging with the present. Saying anything more will potentially risk delving into spoiler territory, but suffice to say the story lends itself to spy films we know all too well.

Thoughts prior to the screening

I try to keep a clear mind before watching new films, but I will admit I had some thoughts before going into the screening.

1. This film is way too late. I don’t mean because of the pandemic, I mean this film should have been made minimum eight years ago. Black Widow has been a core member of The Avengers since the beginning, and made their debut in Iron Man 2 (2010), so why did it take Marvel so long to give them their own bloody film?
2. Without wanting to sound too dramatic, this film is an insulting afterthought. Fans have wanted a solo Black Widow film for years, and now we finally get one, but it’s a flashback because they’ve killed the character off. So it’s almost like they’re making this film out of obligation, having thoroughly underused and undersold the character for years. It’s an empty promise to the fans because we’re getting development and backstory when its way too late and we know it’s unlikely the character will be seen again after this film.
3. This brings the two previous points together, but I really want this to be a Natasha story. This is her time in the spotlight, so let it be that. If they try to do too much and make this link to many other existing or planned projects then it dilutes the content we are all there to see. We don’t need cheeky cameos watering down time we could otherwise be spending with Natasha, and yes Clint I am looking at you.

So it’s safe to say I was feeling nervous before I went into the screening, and it all boils down to the fact that I care. I really wanted this film to be good, not just because I’m heavily invested in the MCU and I hope all of their films are good, but because I find Natasha’s character fascinating and I really hoped they would take advantage of this opportunity.

Positives

As I said above, there’s a lot to like about this film. The ensemble cast is absolutely terrific, with Rachel Weisz and David Harbour both adding a blend of sincerity and wit to the proceedings. Scarlet Johansson once again delivers a great performance as the titular hero, and it was great to see just how far we’ve come since their introduction in Iron Man 2. Crucially, the star of the film is Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. Her character felt like the most fleshed out and accessible, which is a result of Pugh’s outstanding and charming performance, and some truly impressive writing. The main moments of this film which stood out to me are the moments where Yelena is on screen, either kicking some serious butt or grasping my attention through humour or emotive dialogue. They’re clearly setting up this character for future appearances, so this film succeeded in making me excited to see what happens next for them.

Following from the previous point, I think this film at times showcases some of the most emotional character moments we’ve seen in the MCU, which fits perfectly in line with other Phase Four projects. The action and set pieces are fine, but the moments when this film really hit me the most are when the characters are talking. There’s some really heavy discussions about regret, redemption and family which are when I found myself utterly captivated. They’ve managed to establish a dysfunctional and troubled family, whilst showing how Black Widow fits into this. This lead to one of the most impactful (if not brief) moments where it felt like the audience were seeing how Natasha fits into the world around her, who her friends and family are, and what her purpose is. It was an insight into the character which has been absent from all other MCU projects so I was really impressed by that.

Although I had wider issues with the tone of the film, I did enjoy seeing the filmmakers bring more spy/thriller atmosphere to the MCU. We’d seen this previously with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and while this film didn’t come close to matching the same quality, I still really enjoyed the attempt to make this feel different. I think at the very least if you saw this completely out of context and it wasn’t an MCU movie but just a standalone spy film, then you’d still have a lot of value for money in what they deliver. There’s plenty of thrills and fun to be had along the way, and it definitely holds up better than other contemporary spy films.

Negatives

I’ve mentioned the action briefly above, but I feel it’s worth mentioning again because it is delivered in overwhelming supply, as you’d expect in a comic book movie. The problems I found are that the action didn’t seem to offer anything we haven’t seen elsewhere in the MCU, but also some sequences seemed very drawn out and even sometimes out of place. Sequences sometimes continued to the point of diffusing tension, which was particularly a problem during the big third act set piece. By the time the final action sequence came to an end I had lost all sense of excitement and danger because it became evident a simple yet ludicrous conclusion would eventually be reached. Furthermore, there are times where it feels like the script notes requested more action sequences, because fights seemingly happen for no reason and with virtually no consequence. It was the type of film which presumably had a quota for how many action scenes were needed, often resulting in warped pacing and sequences which aren’t necessarily executed to a high standard*. I found myself at times wishing for the action to stop so we could continue with the character driven moments.

*side note* - I seem to remember reading something about how director Cate Shortland initially declined the offer to make this film because it wasn’t the type of project she was used to making. And although I am unsure of how true that is, it may go some way as to explaining why the character interactions are so good, yet the action left a lot to be desired. Which is perfectly understandable, and I think it’s admirable for Shortland to capitalise on strengths whilst also taking a risk.

Ultimately there were a number of reasons why this felt like an older Marvel film we’ve already seen:

1. The action is there, but it’s not necessarily the key selling point - There’s not a particular sequence which stands out, let alone standing out for good reasons. This is an issue when you have characters like Black Widow and Taskmaster who are renowned for their physical prowess as hand-to-hand combatants, yet they didn’t go all the way to thrill or impress the audience.
2. The through line of the plot can’t really be tracked from A to B without questions being raised - The story is flimsy, I’ll be honest. There are times where I didn’t know what certain scenes were achieving, and moments where the pacing became a bit frustrating. Plot points and characters are picked up and dropped, so it would have been nice to see more consistency and more loose ends tied.
3. The villain is incredibly forgettable - I don’t want to say too much about either of the villains, but the central antagonist was ridiculously underwhelming. They felt like a villain from literally any other film, and the link to Black Widow is again fairly basic.
4. One of the villains is given a strange treatment which ultimately is a disappointment - Again without saying too much, the secondary villain of Taskmaster is rewritten and re imagined in an odd way. I can see why some people might like this iteration and I can certainly see how you could spin this into a positive, but I’m already predicting this will anger a substantially higher amount of people than those it will please. It’s a strange feeling when the ill-fated Avengers Playstation game provides a more fulfilling depiction of the character.
5. Call backs don’t pay off - the best and worst thing about Marvel films is that everything links. Which means call backs and references don’t always feel like they’re referring to the same thing. In the same way we saw the baffling and unfunny circumstances of Nick Fury losing an eye in Captain Marvel (2019), this film attempts similar moments. It’s not a spoiler, but if you’re a fan of the way Nat and Clint talk about Budapest with a nudge and a wink to the camera, get ready for those days to be over. This film takes a completely different approach.
6. As a whole it feels generic. It wasn’t particularly bad, but it also wasn’t particularly good. You’re left with the feeling they could have done better given a few tweaks.

This all leads to my core issue, which is the film is unsure of itself. The tone and pacing were a little off at times, and it left me feeling unsettled. It bounces between levity and sincerity but in a way which feels manufactured rather than organic. Hence when heavy topics are discussed, it either lands squarely and hits the audience like a tonne of bricks, or completely misses the target and causes confusion. There are some really interesting themes and messages which could have been explored, particularly in the third act, but the film doesn’t have the substance to back it up. More than anything the film doesn’t quite know where it sits in the MCU. There are call backs and references which feel forced, there are characters who either appear or are referenced without resulting in anything, and it is simultaneously trying to flesh out a character who has passed away whilst continuing to set up future projects. To be absolutely clear, I don’t blame the writers or the director for this, because the root cause of the problem is when this film was made. If it had been made directly after Civil War or much sooner in the MCU, then it could have had more of an impact and found much more solid footing. Alas, because it’s trapped as a weird flashback, the film spends a lot of time trying to justify its own existence and serve too many masters.

I’m going to say it, and it pains me to admit this, but I think they played it too safe with this film. I think they’re not only hiding behind humour like Marvel normally do, but they’re also relying on tricks and gimmicks Marvel use all too often. Hence, this film struggles to find its voice as a unique film, and ends up feeling like an amalgamation of existing Marvel films.

Overall verdict

I enjoyed this film a lot, but inevitably it didn’t deliver as much as I wanted it to. It is by no means a bad film, and I am looking forward to seeing it a second time, but it didn’t immediately stand out. The character moments and Florence Pugh’s performance absolutely carried this film and gave me a lot of reasons to feel happy, but it wasn’t quite enough. If we know this is Scarlet Johansson’s final outing as Black Widow, regardless of where this fits in the timeline, then it should have been a thunderous victory lap which tears the house down, not an underwhelming footnote. It’s a similar feeling I had towards Captain Marvel; I am rooting for them and I want the film to be awesome, but they played it safe and made another generic comic book movie. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the fans deserved better because we really don’t deserve anything, but the character certainly deserves better.

I will admit, I am partially to blame for not loving this film, as are many other people. Our expectations as fans are high, perhaps even too high sometimes, so we’re sabotaging our own enjoyment by asking too much. Not every MCU film has to be the best or even fit into a top 10 list, they just need to be enjoyable. So in that regard, this film is a success and is still worth our time. However, if like myself you were looking for something more, and in particular you were looking for a film which provides a long overdue moment of glory for an immensely undervalued character, then you may find yourself disappointed.

*side note* — I would absolutely recommend watching this in the cinema. If you’re paying the price of admission then watching it on a small screen at home via Disney Plus is going to do you no favours. You’re better off watching it on the big screen where they at least have the possibility of knocking your socks off.