Black Widow: Review

Photo by Jay Maidment. ©Marvel Studios 2020.

We all remember the feeling well, before the world turned upside down, popping down to the cinema with your mates to see the latest action-packed addition to the MCU to completely lose ourselves in. With 2-3 releases a year, the MCU became a staple in many of our cinema going experiences with a guaranteed 2 hours of blockbuster joy. Almost two years after Marvel’s last theatrical release, we finally have a new addition to the MCU with Black Widow. 

 

I wasn’t sure how to feel when I saw this film was to be released in the wake of Endgame. Black Widow had always felt somewhat of a collateral character to me, I never cared much about her story and found her typically expositional dialogue quite bland. I should also probably note that from the age of 12 I’ve actively rejected absurd fetishization of the character, never feeling I could truly relate to this boring and sexy figure of womanhood presented in a tight, low cut catsuit on the screen before me. So, it’s no surprise that I was fully expecting not to enjoy this film and for it to match the shallow feminism of Marvel’s previous female led film. 

 

Boy, was I wrong! 

 

Black Widow was fun from start to finish. For fans not clued up in the lore behind the titular redhead, the film delves into Natasha’s past and into her life before she was an Avenger. We follow a pre-endgame Natasha as she revisits her past life and the ‘family’ she grew up with introducing us to Florence Pugh’s Yeleena, Racel Weise’s Melina and David Harbour’s Alexei. . Watching Johansson and Pugh’s sisterly relationship grow on screen as they team up to save their fellow Black Widows was great fun and it felt refreshing to watch two powerful women work together on screen. 

 

Serving as executive producer on the film, it seems Johansson finally got to have a say on how her character is treated on screen. Now don’t get me wrong, the character isn't fixed suddenly, but a few moments showing off more of the character’s personality finally gave me the chance to connect with the character and finally care about her. The little moments littered within the film showing the person inside the catsuit developed the character more in 2 and half hours than the last 10 years has. 

 

Working alongside Johansson, Florence Pugh is absolutely electric in this film with a perfect blend of humour, depth and the ability to kick ass, she steals every scene she’s in. Pugh’s Yelena is the perfect antidote to the issues found within Johansson’s version of the character. First appearing on the big screen in 2009, Scarlet Johanson’s Black Widow was treated as a sexual being, a serious action babe and nothing else. A decade later and with the mantle being passed to Pugh, Yelena shows us the potential the character had all along an interesting backstory, a quick wit and badass action scenes with not a hypersexual shot in sight! I can’t wait to see what Marvel has in store for the character but it’s the first time in years that I'm excited to see what's to come.  

 

Now don’t get me wrong, the film isn’t a masterpiece, but Black Widow finally gave us the female led film that Marvel fans deserve. Marvel’s first attempt at a strong female lead, Captain Marvel, was a cheap, money grabbing attempt, with shallow feminism slapped on top of a lacklustre story resulting in an overpowered, un-inspiring hero. Black Widow had an interesting story, with a tight group of main characters to keep the story grounded to Natasha and her journey. It’s packed full of some great action, powerful moments and some great comedic moments courtesy of Pugh and Harbour. It might have taken over a decade but watching Black Widow in the cinema (as it should be experienced, not watching the overly expensive version available on Disney +) allowed me to feel genuinely empowered by a female character in the MCU. 

 

I felt proud of Natasha as the film grew closer to the credits, proud of a character I couldn't have cared less about this time last week and genuinely felt a twinge of sadness knowing that this was the end of her story. To change my mind about a character is no mean feat, so I must give the film some credit for that. I’m excited to see what’s to come with the Black Widow story and where Marvel will go with Pugh’s character and the rest of the Russain team. Whatever they do, I'll be in the audience, cheering them on.