Marvel Studios returns with an installment entirely dedicated to Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow — based on the beloved Marvel comic series first published in 1964. The film, directed by Cate Shortland, is set between Captain America Civil War and Avengers Infinity War, and shows how the titular character will have to come to terms with her spy past and the relationships she left behind, way before becoming an Avenger.
Scarlett Johansson returns to play Natasha aka Black Widow, Florence Pugh plays Yelena Belova, David Harbor is Alexei aka The Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz is Melina Vostokoff, O-T Fagbenle is Mason, William Hurt is Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross, Ray Winstone is The Head of the Red Room Dreykov and Olga Kurylenko plays his daughter.
Black Widow has intrigued audiences since her first appearance in Iron Man 2 in 2010 and her subsequent appearances in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame. This film grasps the opportunity to dig deep into her character, satisfying the curiosity of fans, whilst playing with their expectations, considering Black Widow is the Avenger who has revealed the least information about herself since we first met her. She has always been aloof in sharing her past, and this film spills the tea, and explains why she was so reluctant in revealing her life before becoming an Avenger.
Black Widow takes off from Captain America: Civil War, when Natasha broke the Sokovia Accords and betrayed Secretary Ross, while the Avengers disbanded. At the beginning of the film, Natasha desperately tries to escape from Ross and leave US soil. When she has the opportunity to start over, she quickly realizes that there are darker forces threatening the world and this pushes her back into action.
Every Marvel movie pursues the application of a different tone, genre, and idea; in this case what emerges is a universal exploration of what it means to be raised by a dysfunctional family, that however seems to find its redemption through solidarity. The other Avengers are completely brushed aside, and all the attention is on a Natasha Romanoff we have never seen before. As Scarlett Johansson explains: “When we see her in other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Natasha often appears as an impenetrable force. She is reckless and out of control but still has a wonderful intellect. What are her secrets? What makes her vulnerable?” This film finally shines a light on the fragility and strength of a character who lives in a male world and for this reason behaves in a certain way.
The journey into the past reveals new secrets, allies, and an unstoppable nemesis. We also get acquainted with other Black Widows, one in particular…a sibling: Yelena Belova. She is the outcome of the ruthless Red Room training program, and shares a secret past with Natasha that she is determined to confront. The interaction between Natasha and Yelena is very relatable, as they portray the usual bickering that occurs between sisters, and the latter also amuses in making impressions of the Black Widow Avenger striking a pose. Yelena is not plain evil, even though she is a ferocious killer, but she is the result of the hardships life inflicted upon her. That is why, “Yelena is wounded and complicated and often misbehaves,” as Florence Pugh explains and adds, “She’s an extremely complex and broken person, while being extremely confident in what she does. She knows exactly how to perform the tasks she was trained for, but she is absolutely unable to live like a normal human being.”
And then we have the so-called parents who raised these two girls. The mother figure is the imperturbable scientist Melina Vostokoff, played by Rachel Weisz, who comes across as a modern Circe who trains pigs to respond to her wish and command. Whilst the father figure is Alexei, known as the Red Guardian. His character brings a comedic catharsis, because of his juxtaposition with the glorious Captain America. Red Guardian grew up in the Soviet Union and was chosen for a program similar to the American experiment that led to the creation of Captain America. So he is the Russian response and the epitome of the rivalry between the two countries. Whereas the country where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly created Captain America, in the land of the hammer and sickle Red Guardian was developed, but not reaching equal stardom. The film gives depth to this disparity between the two heroes and how Alexei feels undervalued because of this.
As the film confronts the philosophical grand themes of good vs evil and saving the world from a dictator, there is also the mundanity of how families interact and how it is not necessarily biology that determines this nucleus, but rather, nurture for each other. The Black Widow film leads to the conclusion we foresaw in Avengers: Endgame, when Natasha sacrifices herself on Vormir so that Hawkeye could retrieve the Soul Stone. But wait until the very end of the credits for a surprise that anticipates what is yet to come in the saga of the Avengers!
Black Widow will be available from July 9th, simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access.
Final Grade: B
Here’s the Trailer of the film.