Anthony's Film Review - Black Widow (2021)

Once again, Marvel Studios delivers exciting action and fun, though with a few other nice elements, too...

Whenever I hear the name Marvel, I automatically think superheroes, science-fiction, fantasy, and explosive action. These are the things you see with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc. At this point, Marvel clearly outcompetes other comic book providers in adapting their creations to film, practically having a monopoly on superhero movies. Yet, if you think about it, Marvel Studios isn't restricted to being a superhero movie studio. It really has the capability of being an action movie studio in general.

I say this because Marvel's 2021 movie Black Widow isn't really a superhero movie in the ordinary sense. Rather, it's a spy thriller that is heavy on the action and sci-fi. Think of any James Bond movie that has more science-fiction than realism, like Moonraker in 1979, then turn up the sci-fi and explosions. (Interestingly, a scene from Moonraker is briefly shown on a laptop within this movie.) The title character isn't someone with super powers originating from science or something from another planet or dimension. Rather, she, like many other women, was trained to be a Russian assassin since her youth, through a rigorous program in a secret place only known as the Red Room. But don't ever underestimate her. She is still a way more cunning fighter than the average person.

Yes, this is partly the origin story of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). I say "partly" because her beginnings are really covered just in the pre-credits prologue scenes. Otherwise, the story takes place in the year 2016. She is on an adventure that really starts when she receives a mysterious package from her younger sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), who was also trained to be a Widow. Together, Natasha and Yelena are on the run, initially being pursued by a warrior in a metal suit.

That's all I'm going to say about the plot. It's not just because I don't want to reveal too much. It's also because the plot follows a fairly straight line. It's not like one of those journeys that covers so many different places around the world, or one of those storylines that have major twists and turns. Also, I'm not going to say much about the action in this movie, other than the fact that it's fun, intense, and exciting. In other words, standard high-quality Marvel action fare.

You know what I do want to talk about? Character relationships and the theme of family. I'm not saying that this is a character-based movie. I'm simply pointing out that there's more of that than usual for a Marvel action movie. It's interesting to see Natasha and Yelena bonding as siblings. Even better is when the two get together with two other members of the same spy family. One is the matriarch, a scientist named Melina (Rachel Weisz). The other, who is essentially the patriarch, is Alexei (David Harbour), a big strong man who is also known as the Red Guardian, essentially a Russian version of Captain America. Believe it or not, one of my favorite nonaction scenes in this movie is the one in the farmhouse, showing us the interesting dynamics of this unusual family.

That leads me to admire another thing about this movie: humor. Now, I'm not talking about laughs that are big enough to make this an action comedy, like Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm talking about the little moments, mostly associated with the family dynamics. I'll just mention one joke that made me smile a lot. You know how, when Natasha lands on her feet after a long fall from above, her legs are spread far apart, she is bent forward, and then she lifts her head, perhaps with a brief hair twirl? More than once, Yelena makes sarcastic remarks about that, and they're funny to hear each time.

This was a movie I definitely enjoyed, even as someone who hasn't seen every Marvel Cinematic Universe film. In fact, as of this writing, I still haven't seen Captain America: Civil War. But that hasn't stopped me from being immersed in this movie. Yes, there are references to other events of the MCU timeline, but they're subtle at best. That said, you will definitely want to wait until the end credits finish rolling, because the post-credits scene references one particular previous MCU movie, and it's an astonishing, jaw-dropping revelation of what is to come in the MCU.

So that's it. Black Widow is a very entertaining Marvel action movie. It's a summer blockbuster for sure. It's also worth the wait after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the release of this film by a whole year. In a way, the long wait and sacrifice of one movie summer gives more meaning to the next summer, especially with the novel coronavirus being mostly under control in the United States (pending further developments). But no matter when you see this movie or where, it is sure to please action movie fans and Marvel fans. The MCU is still very alive, and it will be for quite some time.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Black Widow, visit the Internet Movie Database.