by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
It’s been two years since Marvel was last in theaters — TWO YEARS! And I cannot tell you how good it felt to be back, ready to experience the next stage of the MCU the way in which it was meant to be shown.
However, all that is besides the point. The point is that Black Widow, one of the original Avengers, has finally gotten a solo movie. This is a very big moment, especially as a female fan. Yes, there are many other strong women in this Cinematic Universe — even one who has gotten her own movie and another who got her own TV show (kind of) — but that’s not the same as having your own place on the big screen after 11 years of character development.
So to say that there was a lot of excitement and expectation is an understatement.
The first thing I want to talk about is the performances. Everyone is doing a fantastic job with the roles they are given. Special shoutouts go to Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, and Scarlett Johansson for bringing their characters to life in a way that is entertaining, dynamic, and just visually interesting. As you watch the movie, you want to know more about them, and you want to see more of them.
Of course, regarding Johansson, there’s a tinge of sadness marring every one of her scenes due to her (spoilers for Avengers: Endgame) future untimely death, marking this as her definitive and final performance as this character (unless Marvel wants to do some tricksy resurrection of a beloved identity who was unjustly fridged? No? Oh, fine). And this tinge is ever so perceptible in her performance. You can tell that Johansson is having fun and leaving behind one of the most defining roles of her career, which makes it all the more bittersweet.
However, the chemistry the cast has together is palpable and well worth the watch on its own.
The real shining light is the magnanimous Florence Pugh (see, I didn’t forget one of the key characters). She steals the entire movie — if not the franchise — with her performance as Natasha’s younger “sister” turned world-class assassin. By far the most magnetic of the cast, you’re left wanting more every time she leaves the screen, so hopefully we get just that in future installments.
Another great and necessary part of this movie is the fight choreography. It’s innovative, cool, brutal, and ultimately fitting given its spy-thriller nature. There were definitely some moments where I was watching what was transpiring on screen and had to look away due to the intensity of it all. With that said, are there moments that fall into the quick-cut editing that we’ve grown to know and tolerate in the MCU? Yes, but not enough to affect your enjoyment.
However, with that, I will get into why this isn’t going to be making the list of my favourite superhero movies. For now. While everything about it was fun, thrilling, and what you’d want out of Marvel, I still left the cinema feeling like I was missing something. A certain je ne sais quoi that ultimately affected how I felt upon its end. Part of it had to do with it having a relatively ineffectual villain and part of it had to do with the fact that the storyline seemed to lose some of its strength and structure as the second act got underway.
Most of it, though, has to do with the fact that while this movie does deliver Black Widow in a way you haven’t seen her before — namely as the lead — it still doesn’t do her justice. The parts of her history that had been teased for years, her darkness and psychological conditioning under Russia’s female spy ring, wasn’t as explored as I felt it should have been. It’s certainly touched on! It’s glanced over enough so that the overall story and characters make sense, but it’s never truly revealed in a way that would have given Natasha the dimension she has sorely needed these past years. The agency and strength that audiences have always been able to sense, but never truly grab a handle of, is missing and that is why I left feeling disappointed.
In the end, I felt that this movie served more as a bow to tie on the Black Widow story to appease those of us who had been desperately crying out for her to have a standalone entry in the MCU and to — most importantly for Marvel — tease exciting happenings in the future phases. When in reality, it should have been about serving the character so that we felt that she could finally be put to rest in a way that was more respectful and powerful for such a key character in the franchise.
Now, it’s possible that following future viewings of this movie, I will feel differently. It’s possible that there are some more powerful elements hiding in the margins that I missed due to my first screening excitement. On the other hand, it’s also possible that it will only cement my judgment and reveal itself to be exactly what I expected — an origin story for the new Black Widow, Florence Pugh.
Having said all that, I’m sure what you readers are really wanting to know is whether or not this is worth watching. If you’re an MCU fan already, I doubt anything I say will sway you in either direction. However, for my more casual viewers out there, I would still say that this is worthy of your time. It’s fun, thrilling, and a little bit different than what you’ve seen Marvel do before, which might just hit your sweet spot.
If this is the last we see of Johansson, then I salute her on 11 years of excellent work. Yet I will still harbor hope that maybe a future storyline brings her back to close out the story in the way she truly deserves.
But that is something, that only time will tell.
Grade: B
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