Film Review: BLACK WIDOW (2021): A Blockbuster Film that Plays Like an Art House Movie

Black Widow Review

Black Widow (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Cate Shortland, and starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, Ever Anderson, Violet McGraw, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Michelle Lee, Lewis Young, Nanna Blondell, and Simona Zivkovska.

Black Widow, as directed by Cate Shortland, may be the biggest blockbuster coming out this summer but it has a certain quality about it that makes it feel more substantial than your everyday action picture. Of course, the performances can have a lot to do with that but the film devotes so much screen time to the development of its characters that it almost feels like an art house picture at times. That’s in between the big budget action sequences, of course, which look like they cost a fortune to create. I don’t know if that makes as much sense as I want it to make but I was absolutely won over by the central characters in the new Marvel film which is occasionally so good that you may wish it never ended.

The film opens in Ohio years before the main action of the picture takes place. We meet two young girls Natasha (Ever Anderson) and Yelena (Violet McGraw) as well as their parents Alexei (David Harbour) and Melina (Rachel Weisz). Natasha is a passionate young woman and just as fearless as we’d expect her to be considering she’ll grow up to be the infamous Marvel hero Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow). It so turns out that Alexei and Melina are Russian spies. Natasha and Yelena are turned into killing machines by a man known as Dreykov (Ray Winstone, working up to his ability). Natasha and Yelena are eventually separated and the film skips ahead years later.

Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) receives a package with vials from Yelena (Florence Pugh). These vials contain the solution to turning female killing machines back into normal women. When the two “sisters” reunite, they proceed to get in some high speed chases before heading to prison to break out The Red Guardian, Alexei, in order to stop Dreykov. When the film reaches the prison break sequence, it’s absolutely fantastic as the two women do what they have to do to bust their “dad” out and proceed to do what they need to do to save civilization as we know it.

The family aspect of the film is what makes the film so successful. Though, the family construct presented in the film is technically a facade, the characters learned to live with one another and when the family reunites, it makes for some terrific screen time. Although Pugh’s Yelena Belova tells the man she has come to know as her father, Alexei, in one key scene that he smells bad, she still respects him, for whatever reason. As the mom, Melina, Rachel Weisz is absolutely in top form. There are scenes where the four central characters bond and these moments feel like something you wouldn’t normally get in your typical blockbuster. The character development is top notch.

Scarlett Johansson is good as Natasha but doesn’t feel overbearing in any way like some superheroes can become in other films. Johansson has a calm demeanor playing Natasha except when she’s trying to fight the bad guys. In a hysterical scene, Yelena tells Natasha about her “pose” when she is fighting and that part of the movie is just so very funny. In fact, Pugh, is a revelation here. Pugh was recently nominated for an Oscar for her supporting work in 2019’s Little Women but she is so hysterical as Yelena that you could hardly see her performance in this film coming. Let’s not mention Pugh’s solemnly intense work in Midsommar. Pugh is a very versatile actress and her work in this film is more than just comic relief–it’s Oscar nomination worthy. The fact that Pugh’s character can always crack a one-liner even in the most intense situations is just phenomenal.

The supporting cast is mostly in fine form. Harbour is terrific as Russia’s answer to Captain America and when he wears his red suit (which he can’t fit in to too comfortably), it’s pure cinematic bliss. Weisz holds her own beside Harbour and the women as she creates another memorable character to add to her resume. On the other hand, William Hurt’s talents are almost entirely wasted as Secretary Ross who tries to catch Natasha. Olga Kurylenko in her surprise role is simply not given enough screen time. Hurt’s role is merely a small portion of the film but I thought it could have been a bigger part. Same for Kurylenko’s role.

While Black Widow is character driven, it is also action driven and the sound effects and sequences towards the end are simply first-rate. Surprisingly touching is the bond between Natasha and Yelena as their love for each other comes into play as one must save the other. But, they really truly save each other (at least for the time being) and their relationship here is truly moving.

There is, of course, an after-credits sequence per your typical Marvel film so stay seated as the credits roll. Black Widow is a character driven action film that will please both those looking for a blockbuster movie and others looking for a film with compelling characters. This is a picture that was worth waiting for.

Rating: 8/10

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