Espionage, ridiculous superhero poses, acrobatic hand-to-hand combat, and a steely personality mark Black Widow as one of Nick Fury’s more badass super spies. And yet, despite having first appeared 11-years-ago in Iron Man 2, going on to star as a key member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Black Widow has been long over-due her own solo film, giving the impression that the masterminds behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe have sadly overlooked Natasha Romanoff. With David Harbour’s unruly Soviet super-soldier, Florence Pugh’s endearingly sardonic Yelena, and Ray Winstone’s sleazy Dreykov hiding in the shadows, is director Cate Shortland’s Black Widow an espionage superhero Marvel, or has it come too late…?
Yelena: Why don’t you take it to one of your super-scientist friends? They can explain it to you. Tony Stark, maybe?
Natasha: Oh, yeah. We’re not really talking right now, so.
Yelena: Great. Perfect timing. Where’s an Avenger when you need one?
Picking up from Captain America: Civil War‘s climax, Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, is on the run and in self-imposed exile in Norway, when her estranged sister and new fan favourite, Yelena, tracks her down having broken free of her Red Room brainwashing, vowing to free the other enslaved Widows. Natasha agrees to join her on a mission to shut down the recently reactivated Red Room – General Dreykov’s super secret academy for deadly female assassins, of which Natasha and Yelena are alumni – and take out the vile General Dreykov once and for all.
For tone and style, of all the MCU films to date, Black Widow is more in line with Captain America: The Winter Soldier for its superhero espionage, with a dash of G.I. Joe and a sprinkling of sci-fi gadget-heavy James Bond. Minus the awkward Austin Powers flirting, pickup lines, and shaken martinis. However, like James Bond, we are constantly faced with the threat of misogynistic villainy in the form of General Dreykov and his brainwashed army of femme fatale spies; all women brutally trained from childhood, lobotomised, given forced hysterectomies, and seen as “the only natural resource the world has too much of.”
With high-octane action taking us from secret spy facilities to explosive car chases through Budapest, and climactic aerial battles, hurtling from impossible heights towards the surface bellow, Black Widow is one of the most action-oriented experiences of the MCU so far, with expertly executed acrobatic choreography. However, it’s not all fancy gadgets, aerodynamic leather bodysuits, and flashy hand-to-hand combat. At it’s core, Black Widow dives into Natasha Romanoff’s personal conflict and haunted past, introducing us to her rather eccentric “family” while exploring the darker implications of her history as a Black Widow, as well as that of Yelena and the other women of the Red Room programme. Moments of sincerity, reflecting on the trauma the Red Room caused her are highlighted by the otherwise more comical moments we spend with her family, making for an MCU entry that is capable of delivering genuine laugh out loud moments, as well as heartbreaking character exposure.
Great plan, I love the part where I almost bled to death
Yelena
Black Widow seems to have notably released rather late – as many MCU fans have voiced. As a direct sequel to Civil War, it seems curious to release a solo outing for the character five years later and arguably more so after the events of Avengers: End Game. Moreover, while Black Widow feels like a worthy, action packed blockbuster adventure for Marvel’s premier super spy-turned selfless universe saving heroine, it serves to highlight the misguided use of the character who, up until her final moments of the Infinity Saga, had been sidelined, the implication being that Marvel show runners simply had no idea what to do with her outside of fulfilling a support role.
It begs the question whether Black Widow would have had a warmer reception and maybe a bigger impact if it had only released closer to Captain Marvel or Civil War. Regardless, as is the trend with MCU releases, Scarlett Johansson’s super agent delivers on enough high adrenaline action pieces and stylish hero poses – as she is ridiculed for by Florence Pugh’s Yelena – to have revived interest in her comic book adventures.
While Scarlett Johansson continues to play the steely Natasha we’ve come to know since her first appearance in Iron Man 2 in 2010, troubled and affected by her history with Dreykov as she may be, Florence Pugh’s Yelena counterbalances her more stoic personality with a bubbly, sarcastic wit that has made her so loveable and memorable. Likewise, David Harbour’s Alexei, AKA Red Guardian – the boisterous, boastful super-soldier hero of Russia and (allegedly) greatest rival of Captain America – steals every scene with his no-longer-fits, super-tight superhero suit and playful-if-naïve optimistic determination. Rachel Weisz meanwhile portrays ex-Black Widow Melina, who along with Alexei acted as the adoptive parents of Natasha and Yelena, and is considered the brains behind their spy operation. Far from a conventional family… But then, neither are the Avengers with their steroid-induced patriot, raging green Hulk, and alcoholic billionaire Playboy.
Natasha: I’m just finding it hard to believe that he could stay off my radar.
Yelena: Well, it’s not smart to attack an Avenger if you want to stay hidden. I mean, the clue is in the name. Dreykov kills you, one of the big ones comes to avenge you.
Natasha: Wait, what are the big ones?
Yelena: Well, I doubt the god from space has to take an ibuprofen after a fight
But what would a superhero movie be without a big, bad villain and their ruthless henchmen? Enter Ray Winstone’s General Dreykov, the head of operations over the Red Room training facility, self-proclaimed “most powerful man in the world,” and another addition to Marvel’s long list of throw-away bads. Set up to be the imposing Bond villain man of mystery behind political assassinations around the world and the traumatic horrors that make up Natasha’s dark past, General Dreykov is as unpleasant a man as you can expect from someone who insists on forcing his legions of deadly women assassins to undergo brutal surgical operations and brainwashing, only to be fitted out with “suicide” devices should they become ineffective. He’s brutal, cold, and utterly lacking in remorse – a truly villainous villain where characters like Baron Zemo have had at least some level of redeem-ability.
Sadly, while Ray Winstone is no stranger to playing the stereotypical slimy gangster, he’s far from the best in this film, sticking out where the likes of Florence Pugh or David Harbour shine, and his Russian accent is… unique. Then again, he does spend most of his time barking orders at screens in an undisclosed hidden base and is most certainly detestable.
Though it’s fair to say a lot more interest had been given to the appearance of the iconic Avengers adversary Taskmaster, rather than Dreykov, here under the servitude of Ray Winstone. Like in the comics, Taskmaster uses familiar moves and technics used by the Avengers, utilised after extensively studying their battle patterns, with some notable moments that recall classic Captain America shield kicks, Black Panther claw attacks, or Winter Soldier knife fighting technics. However it has to be said that the more we learn about the MCU’s Taskmaster, the more comic book fans familiar with who has otherwise been regarded as one of Marvel’s most dangerous fighters, will be disappointed. The promise of Johansson’s Natasha facing off against her long time comic book rival Taskmaster was an exciting one, hyped up by the trailer footage. By the end of the film, however, we’re left wondering why they even bothered to call the G.I. Joe looking villain “Taskmaster” to begin with.
Melina: Good boy, Alexei. Good boy.
Alexei: You named a pig after me?
Melina: You don’t see the resemblance?
Despite falling into the typical MCU weak villain trap, Black Widow’s core cast is solid and created a robust, if comically dysfunctional family we want to see more from. While End Game may have sealed the fate of Natasha Romanoff (for now, at least…), the prospect of seeing Red Guardian finally “avenge” himself against his “old rival” or Yelena potentially come back to continue Natasha’s legacy in some capacity is exciting. Black Widow does enough to stand out as a solid edition to the MCU, but it’s difficult, no matter how hard you try, to shake the feeling that Johansson’s character has been misused and under-appreciated for too long, and that ultimately Black Widow has come out too late for the character to be properly explored in the way she should have been in the wake of her only self-titled superhero feature film.
