BLACK WIDOW Review; "BOURNE Meets BOND Meets TERMINATOR...With Two Outstanding, Badass Female Leads"

BLACK WIDOW Review; "BOURNE Meets BOND Meets TERMINATOR...With Two Outstanding, Badass Female Leads"

The review embargo for Black Widow has finally lifted, and we're here to give your our spoiler-free verdict on what to expect from Scarlett Johansson's highly anticipated return as Natasha Romanoff...

Review Opinion
By JoshWilding - Jun 29, 2021 09:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Black Widow

When Spider-Man: Far From Home swung into theaters back in July 2019, little did we know it would be the last Marvel Studios movie we’d see on the big screen for nearly two years. Well, here we are, and with Black Widow just ten days from arriving in theaters and on Disney+’s Premier Access Service, it would be all too easy to get caught up in the hype. It’s certainly an exciting time to be a fan, but make no mistake about it, this is one of the strongest solo outings from Marvel Studios to date, and a movie that delivers on epic thrills, emotionally powerful character beats and the sort of blockbuster action only Marvel Studios can deliver in its superhero movies.

Some have questioned the necessity of a Black Widow movie that takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, but this proves to be a vital new entry to the MCU mythos, and one that adds a whole host of exciting new characters who will likely have a recurring presence in this shared world in the years to come. That does mean Natasha Romanoff is occasionally overshadowed in her own movie, though not because Scarlett Johansson doesn’t give it her all. With the opportunity to take centre stage, 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. After a gripping opening sequence exploring her tragic childhood, the movie follows Natasha after she escapes from General "Thunderbolt" Ross and goes on the run after breaking the Sokovia Accords. However, she’s quickly pulled into a whole new adventure, reunited with her "family" and forced to battle Taskmaster, the pawn of the sinister ruler of the Red Room: an on top form Ray Winston as Dreykov. Charming and vicious, he makes for an effective big bad, though one we’d have liked to spend a little more time with.

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 and what he lacks in personality, he more than makes up for by being a seemingly unstoppable force. An absolute beast of a character, he pursues Nastasha like the T-800 gunning for Sarah Connor, and definitely delivers in terms of fight scenes that will leave you on the edge of your seat. However, Taskmaster is someone in desperate need of another appearance in a movie or TV show before we get fully invested in his journey.
 


The real star of Black Widow, though, is Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. The actress commands every scene she’s in and plays a character you’ll quickly fall in love with. Charming, funny, and one of the most exciting additions to the MCU in some time, if Marvel Studios’ intention was to use this movie as a way of establishing her as a major part of Phase 4 and beyond, it worked. Another scene-stealer is David Harbour as Red Guardian; he may be here to deliver the laughs we’ve come to expect from these movies, but he also has a lot of heart and is an absolute joy to watch on screen. Rachel Weisz is similarly fun to spend time with, and while neither William Hurt nor O-T Fagbenle make much of an impact, they serve a purpose (which is all there really is to say about them).

Negatives are few and far between, but 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, and that results in a weird jump that makes it feel like there's a scene missing. Some of the key moments in the hero's life that have been referenced in previous movies also only get a passing mention, meaning anyone hoping to relive those in all their glory - which feels like a big part of why fans wanted a Black Widow movie in the first place - could be disappointed. 

Marvel Studios has been taking some big swings in Phase 4, and Black Widow is a departure from the norm that delivers a home run. Whether it’s the James Bond-style opening credits (set perfectly to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Think Up Anger ft. Malia J) or a tone that jumps between Bourne and Mission: Impossible, this is a powerful and moving story about human trafficking, the way young women are treated by powerful men, and, perhaps most crucially, family. It deftly balances all these different elements, simultaneously delivering those hard-hitting moments with the sort of action that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Black Widow is Bourne meets Bond meets Terminator...with two outstanding, badass female leads. Action-packed, funny, and at times surprisingly gut-wrenching, Cate Shortland's vision for the MCU is bold, empowering, and utterly unmissable.

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MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 6/29/2021, 9:03 AM
I'm the kind of nitpicky person to say that 5 out of 5 stars means it's a perfect movie. I can't help but be skeptical about that (though I will love this movie).
Cap1
Cap1 - 6/29/2021, 10:05 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - Wilding loves to give 5 stars to movies he consequently criticises. Beyond the poor writing it’s always my main gripe with his 5 star stuff. He either looks for negatives that aren’t there or would rate an actual perfect film 5.5 stars or overreacts
Origame
Origame - 6/29/2021, 12:07 PM
@Cap1 - there's gonna be a list of 5 terrible choices made in black widow, mark my words.
dirtyscore
dirtyscore - 6/29/2021, 1:00 PM
@MosquitoFarmer - new movies shouldn't receive 5 stars. The fifth star is earned (or not) with the pass of time.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 6/29/2021, 9:03 AM
Ror wasn’t as enthusiastic for this in his review but we all shall know soon enough. The 2 year wait, much longer than that if you account for sje should’ve been had one, is almost over.

I worry about the wait impacting the reception. People have been waiting so long that it can’t live up to expectations or people have been waiting so long for an mcu movie in theaters they’ll just automatically stamp this. We shall see though
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 6/29/2021, 9:06 AM
You had me at Terminator.................

HAUSMAN01
HAUSMAN01 - 6/29/2021, 9:07 AM
Hmm interesting take and review, this makes me excited a tad bit more. I will say Dan Murrell's review is well trusted if y'all want a diff take-
PartyBoy
PartyBoy - 6/29/2021, 9:17 AM
@HAUSMAN01 - He said “its a recommendation but not an enthusiastic recommendation”…so he did not like it as much as Josh
HAUSMAN01
HAUSMAN01 - 6/29/2021, 9:20 AM
@PartyBoy - yup
inkniron
inkniron - 6/29/2021, 9:21 AM
@HAUSMAN01 - Appreciate that. Seems more in line than this article's review to what I was thinking the movie would be.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 6/29/2021, 9:41 AM
@HAUSMAN01 - Dan is one of my favorite YouTube reviewers as well as Double Toasted.
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 6/29/2021, 10:16 AM
@HAUSMAN01 - Not a fan of Dan Murrell.
HAUSMAN01
HAUSMAN01 - 6/29/2021, 12:11 PM
@MrDandy - same bro
HAUSMAN01
HAUSMAN01 - 6/29/2021, 12:11 PM
@LukeCage2155 - meh too each their own
HAUSMAN01
HAUSMAN01 - 6/29/2021, 12:11 PM
@inkniron - EXACTLY bro
inkniron
inkniron - 6/29/2021, 9:11 AM
5/5 sets lofty expectations. It's no The Godfather II I'm sure. Can't wait to watch it from my recliner though.
WeaponXCII
WeaponXCII - 6/29/2021, 9:13 AM
It sounds like there is a lot to enjoy with this one- looking forward to it!
RohanPatel
RohanPatel - 6/29/2021, 9:15 AM
I really loved this movie, for some of the same reasons as Josh and some different ones - will try to get a review up later if I find some time
RohanPatel
RohanPatel - 6/29/2021, 9:24 AM
@KingPatel - It's more a Mission/Bourne blend with a dash of Terminator than it is Bond.
nilzzz
nilzzz - 6/29/2021, 9:17 AM
So Taskmaster is referenced as a "he" in the review. Interesting. That might debunk those online rumors about Taskmaster being Dreykov's daughter played by the rumored Olga Kurylenko. So back to O-T Fagbenle I guess.
PartyBoy
PartyBoy - 6/29/2021, 9:19 AM
5 out 5???

Now my expectations are through the roof!!!

When does it hit REDBOX???
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 6/29/2021, 9:21 AM
OT:

regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 6/29/2021, 9:22 AM
So [frick]ing hyped for this
GhostDog
GhostDog - 6/29/2021, 9:25 AM
Lot of reviews have it being a better spy thriller than a marvel movie. The MI and Bond vibes are better than any of the actual MCU stuff.
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 6/29/2021, 9:27 AM
Look how far down I have to scroll to get to articles that were posted TODAY:



So trash.
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