Prequels have an inherent problem that no other movies do. Viewers already know the fates of the main characters. This is especially problematic in action movies, where the characters are in constant danger. This issue runs even deeper with Black Widow, the latest entry into the MCU – and first since SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME in July 2019.
Not only do we know Natasha Romanoff’s fate (spoiler: she dies in ENDGAME), but it was an emotional sendoff. Fans already said goodbye to this character. I’m not saying this movie shouldn’t have happened; prequels can still work, and BLACK WIDOW actually mostly does in spite of this. But it would have been better served being made earlier. There’s truly great character work done here, but so much of it is undercut by knowing where the story ends up.
But that character work is still where BLACK WIDOW shines. The movie opens in Ohio in 1995, where a younger Natasha and Yelena (Florence Pugh) flee from the US government with their undercover Russian spy surrogate parents, Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). Through the opening credits we see some of the experiences both girls go through at the Russian Red Room. The film then jumps to 2016, shortly after the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, with Natasha on the run from Thaddeus Ross for her violations of the Sokovia Accords.
From there, Natasha finds herself reconnecting with Yelena and eventually Alexei and Melina as well. After Natasha learns that General Dreykov – who she thought she killed years earlier – is still running the Red Room with an army of mind-controlled Black Widows, she and Yelena embark on a self-appointed mission to take down the Red Room once and for all.
While BLACK WIDOW still carries several hallmarks of your standard MCU fare, this lower stakes mission (relatively speaking) allows for more time to focus on the characters and their relationships. The four of them were never a real family; it was manufactured by the KGB. But Natasha and Yelena were younger. This would obviously affect children differently than it would Alexei and Melina. Yelena didn’t even know until later that they weren’t her blood family. But it was still very real to her. You don’t need blood to be family (Dom Toretto would be proud).
Johansson, Pugh, Weisz, and Harbour are all fantastic actors, and they all shine. It’s not often that the MCU affords their stars the chance to really act. It’s a welcome change, and one that was critical to the success of this movie.
Like all prequels, BLACK WIDOW needed to find away to distinguish itself, to make the audience care even though they know the big picture of how the story ends up. Pugh specifically is in a class of her own here. From the dramatic moments to the action sequences to the humor, she hits on all cylinders. I honestly believe she should get serious award consideration for her performance as Yelena.
But while the main characters and performances are undeniably great, there are still faults that prevent BLACK WIDOW from reaching its full potential. To start, the villain. This has been one of Marvel’s biggest issues, going all the way back to IRON MAN in 2008. They’ve had a better go of as of late, with the likes of Thanos, Killmonger, Vulture. But here we see the same kind of bland, one-dimensional villains that I had hoped we had seen the last of. Dreykov is extremely one-note; he’s bad because he’s bad. And yes, he is evil, but he doesn’t even have a specific plan that Natasha and Yelena are trying to stop. Sure, he talks about what he could do with the Widows, but the mission is just to shut down the Red Room and free the existing Widows from his control.
Then there’s Taskmaster, a villain who could have been awesome, but who instead gets relegated to being a sideshow attraction. Taskmaster possesses photographic reflexes, allowing them to perfectly mimic the fighting style of anyone it sees or comes up against. Taskmaster is ultimately wasted here, though every time they get a chance to fight on screen, it’s awesome. This could have been a really effective and fun foil for the Widow sisters, but sadly the creative decided to shift the focus elsewhere.
How much mileage you get out of BLACK WIDOW might depend on one main factor. It works really well as an independent spy and espionage film, but not as well as an addition to the large MCU. If you’re able to separate those some, it will no doubt work better for you. But if you can’t see it as its own, self-contained story, it’s likely to end up farther down the ladder of MCU movies. But either way, it’s a well-made, fun movie that offers up a fitting – if years late – solo story for a beloved character while introducing budding megastar Pugh to the universe.
Score: 83/100
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