Okay, what took so long?? Black Widow is one of the OG’s! She’s been with us ever since Iron Man 2! She helped the Avengers defend Earth from destruction like a million times. Why did it take so long for her to get her own movie?
I don’t know. But it’s finally here in all its Scarlett glory.
Let’s be real, Black Widow isn’t a fantastic movie, but it’s a pretty good one. There’s a lot of good to be said about it and not much bad. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
The Good
David Harbour steals the show. He’s hilarious as the Red Guardian, a washed up Soviet superhero that considers himself equal to Captain America. He’s almost as cool and hilarious as he thinks he is. But he’s terrible at reading the room, which I guess actually does make him kind of hilarious. When you have the chance, try to find all the Soviet references tattooed on his body, including the words “KARL MARX” across his knuckles.
Also, Florence Pugh. She could be in every single Marvel movie and I wouldn’t be upset. She’s a stellar actress that did an amazing job in Little Women, and it was fun to see her take a role of a more action-y flavor. She’s funny, cool, tough… am I in love with her? I mean… probably. Give us more Florence.
I know I’ve mentioned the funnies twice now, but this movie had some genuinely hilarious moments. *Minor spoilers* At one point, Natasha’s sister Yelena makes fun of her for the “pose” that Natasha always does fighting bad guys, and calls her a “poser” for it. I live for that kind of self awareness, especially at a time where we’ve seen so much superhero content.
On a more serious note, this movie genuinely has things to say. There’s an important message here about toxic masculinity, clearly articulated through the ventures of the main villain. There’s exploitation, lies, deceit, gaslighting, abuse, and we see it through the villain’s interactions with everyone, not just Black Widow. To watch a victim overcome their abuser in this way is cathartic.
The Bad
This isn’t really the movie’s fault, but… is anyone else kind of over superhero movies right now? Like, we’ve had this for the past fifteen years and I’d like a break. I’m pretty down with the experimental stuff like WandaVision and Loki, but what if we gave the bam-boom-crash superhero flicks a rest for a while? Would that be so much to ask? Disney? Are you reading this?
Oh, and the ending sequence had some things that looked just a little too convenient for our protagonists. Like, there just happens to be a thing sitting there that will help you save this person’s life. And there just happens to open up a hallway that you can jump into and run to safety. We could have ramped up the suspense a little more, but it wasn’t terrible.
The Verdict
Definitely worth watching once. It’s an explosive movie about family, overcoming toxicity, and how important it is to come to terms with your past. Would I watch it again? Eh. Maybe. But I’m looking forward to Star Wars Visions more than anything else.
Overall Score: 7/10
What do you think?