Black Widow
marvel studiosComing a whopping 2-years after the last MCU feature film, Cate Shortland's Black Widow not only serves as the 24th feature in the franchise but also the long-awaited solo film for the titular hero who has waited for her own solo story for over a decade. Taking place sometime around Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow, introduces Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) family, who find themselves in a spy thriller adventure that feels oddly grounded in comparison to the other MCU films as of recent. Where this break from the traditional MCU mould might seem refreshing, the actual style and plot of Black Widow leaves a lot to be desired, resulting in one of the most average and forgettable additions to the MCU so far.
Without space wizards or time-travelling monsters, Black Widow quickly becomes the most grounded film in the MCU to date. This is not entirely new for the MCU as arguably the best film in the franchise yet - Captain America: The Winter Soldier also used a more grounded action-based style, but the presentation of Black Widow hurts its own ability. Filled with a bland color scheme around every turn that coats the world in a lifeless mixture of whites and grays, there is no single visual that truly stands out or feels memorable. The visual effects are also surprisingly rather alarming at times. Not only have the feature films in the series been genuinely incredible in recent editions, but even the side Disney+ shows have been technically impressive. For whatever reason, the visual effects throughout Black Widow look awkward and dated even though the film had a large budget and talented crew behind it.
The story itself is also just lacklustre. Coming out 2-years after Avengers: Endgame, where Natasha Romanoff died, it feels incredibly difficult to care or get sucked into the film's plot and stakes. The audience knows not only that Romanoff will ultimately survive any action sequence but also that she will not face any significant character developments that would have drastically changed her character after the events of the film. With a lesser plot that falls tragically into a generically bland spy thriller, the only real drawing point Black Widow truly has is the concept of the character finally getting her solo project, and even that feels dated when the audience said goodbye to her 2-years ago. Had the film come out closer to the time period it is set in, the film would have felt more relevant and thrilling, but as is, it feels dated and an unneeded filler film.
Luckily for the film, there are some positives, with the major being the acting throughout the feature. While Johansson can get into the character of Romanoff effortlessly after growing with the character for over a decade, both Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz are fantastic new additions to the MCU universe. These actors have already proved themselves outside of the MCU, so it should come as no surprise that their wit and charm would shine through here. Pugh especially, however, surprises greatly not just with her fun banter but with her more hauntingly dark moments that feel almost risky for a project living within the MCU. Her character has gone through some genuinely horrifying things, and the film does not shy away from them, which adds a needed depth and edge to her character. David Harbour rounds out the main cast and is fine. While there is no outright issue with the work he puts in, from a fundamental standpoint, he simply does not have as much to work with as the other characters and feels more forgettable as a result.
While it would be great to have some hot take about Black Widow, the truth is that the film is middle of the road, especially in the context of the larger MCU. For fans who simply want to see this character one more time on the big screen getting her long-deserved moment, the film delivers perfectly adequately. For fans wanting anything more, the film will simply feel like a waste of 134-minutes. Belonging 5-years ago, the film is in no way painful but simply is not that special and instantly forgettable.
