Black Widow (2021)
By Ephraim Belnap
Directed by: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johannsen, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh
Released: July 9 2021
Five Out Of Five
Marvel movies have become at risk of being boring, if only because everyone can predict what the beats will be. There’s always some world-ender, some supervillain, some beam of light shooting into the air. But with a year off, and the debut of their Disney+ shows, Marvel has tightened up its formula and given us something with the same strengths but a different shape. Instead of a standardized world-saving story, Black Widow is a high-budget family drama with cutting edge action and devastatingly funny dialogue.
Black Widow has been kind of a cipher. She’s mostly defined by what the plot demands, most often Captain America’s buddy or Hawkeye’s platonic work bro. But with her own film at last, and the knowledge that it’s not part of the Marvel uber-plot, the character has room to breath and exist on her own, and sure enough provides a fascinating story. As many people could tell you, it’s not the hero’s name that makes it great, it’s the story. Batman V. Superman has of course proved this in the opposite way.
But really, it’s very good. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the film tells us some of what Black Widow - Natasha - was up to between movies. Since she won’t be in future movies going forward, this is a swan song for the role as played by Scarlett Johansson, and a chance to finally show us more of the woman behind the red hair.
And we get it. The first reveal of the movie - its central premise - is a doozy in itself. Natasha, always thought to have been an orphan raised alone, once had a family. Not a biological family. Not even a proper adopted family. But a fake, undercover story family, that she was embedded with in the United States as part of a spy operation. A Russian orphan taken from the streets, she spent three years there pretending to be a normal kid, with a little sister Yelena (Florence Pugh), a grouchy father named Alex (David Harbour), and a caring mother named Melina (Rachel Weisz). Like The Odessa File or The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, they were pretending to be normal for a greater purpose. But when your kids are six and four, the faking becomes pretty real. Their mother fixed their boo-boos and their dad sang with them in the car. But when their mission ended, the girls were sent into the Black Widow program, and they've lived the rest of their lives wondering if their parents ever cared.
Now, they're brought together again. The director of the Widow program - General Dreykov - has developed a mind control reactant that gives him complete control of every agent. Shoot that man, hurt that kid, stop breathing - they have to do it. And Natasha's ostensible little sister has tracked her down for help stopping it. It's either that or let the dozens of girls in the program languish in servitude for the rest of their lives. But since Natasha's not an Avenger at present, they need to find their old connections.
Despite this complicated premise, the movie works very well. It's a Cold War-esque spy thriller combined with an old-school Bond movie. Dead drops and trailer homes exist alongside laser guns and flying fortresses. The action is crisp and real, and the dialogue is sharp and energetic. It isn't a slow-burn story; it's a cutting-edge action film from the best minds in the game. The mind-controlled-agent plot is surprisingly serious, calling to mind real-life issues of people trafficking and child exploitation. But the film is full of humor, acknowledging how grief and amusement can be so close to each other. The best example of this is undoubtedly Alexei, played by David Harbour. A failed version of Captain America, he never stops trying to be a good time, despite having possibly one of the hardest lives of any Marvel protagonist.
None of this to disregard the female leads, though. Scarlett Johansson plays the role very well, putting the final touches on her character. After ten years of acting, her presence is kind of familiar, but the movie still finds ways to surprise viewers with her mix of expertise and deception. Similarly, Florence Pugh is the other stand-out character as Natasha's younger sister Yelena. Initially pictured as a heartless assassin, another side becomes clear when she meets her family, and she displays toughness, vulnerability, and relatability in equal measure. In a film full of fantastic performances, she leaves the biggest impression, even. And it's been confirmed that she'll appear in future projects, taking on the mantle of the Black Widow in a sense.
The role of Marvel movies is to be a family-friendly, action-figure-selling summer blockbuster that turns a massive profit and sets up more films to do the same. In truth, it's almost heartless, because the only reason these films continue is because they make a lot of money. But Marvel seems to have figured out that a movie that entertains and has something to say is more likely to do well financially. And so against all odds, the film is actually a very popular production that discusses some very uncomfortable topics, but all in an accessible way. It'll be interesting to see what people remember from it in the next few months. It undoubtedly ignores the "us versus them" mindset that so often permeates Marvel conflict. In the end, the mission is to save the troops they're fighting, not kill them. And that's part of why this film is an utter triumph.
Black Widow is currently available to watch in theaters and is available with Premier Access on Disney+
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