Black Widow arrived in theaters this weekend and Natasha Romanoff finally has her stand-alone movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff finds herself having to confront her past when she finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy. As she fights for survival, she also has to fight the demons she thought she had left behind. She also must face the life she led before she left to become an Avenger. This is a movie that had a lot of pressure to deliver and deliver, it did!
Story
Black Widow has a story that moves along at a nice pace, has plenty of action, heart, humor, and tension. At its core, the story is about Natasha Romanoff figuring herself out in the present as she faces her current and past struggles that she has chosen to bury. The secondary stories around this add to the depth of Natasha Romanoff’s story while also carrying themselves solidly on their own. The result is a movie that has several storylines going on that are successfully navigated to not distract from the main storyline. Overall, there is a lot going on but this adds to the re-watch-ability of the film rather than making it distracting.
Quality
Quality is a hallmark of films that come from Marvel Studios. Black Widow is no exception to this rule. While it may not be as grand of scope as some of the Avengers movies, the movie doesn’t shirk away from creating a quality product for viewers to enjoy. The locations where this film was shot were beautiful and come to life on the screen as the story moves around the globe. The combination of the visual and sound effects adds to the movie and does not distract, which is very important. There weren’t any moments as I was watching the film where my eyebrow was raised as I began to question something that was shown or heard in the film.
Characters
The characters in Black Widow were some of my favorites from any in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Pick any character in the film and it is safe to say that their character and motivations made sense. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova were definitely the standouts of the film. However, those around them and those who faced off against them all were solid as well. From the good guys to the bad guys, everyone had a story that could be recognized, understood, and believed. There were also some fantastic humorous moments, particularly from David Harbour’s Alexia.
Music
The music accompanying Black Widow is really well done for the film. It is beautiful but also coupled with a sense of danger that matches the movie wonderfully. The Russian influence on the soundtrack is present throughout the film as well and adds to the worldbuilding that is happening in the film. It also conveys the pain that Natasha Romanoff has felt throughout her life. It is a beautiful and sad soundtrack that also has moments of hope and strength. This is a soundtrack that really fits in solidly with the film and helps to further the story and worldbuilding of the film. If there were to be any complaints about the soundtrack, and this would be a nitpicking one, it would be that I didn’t walk out of the film with a theme from the soundtrack stuck in my head. However, I really did still enjoy the music.
Final Thoughts
Black Widow is such a solid and enjoyable film. It moves along at a quick pace. It has a solid storyline. It has some incredible action sequences. The characters are enjoyable and any of them would be interesting to dig deeper into. The music is lovely and so are the visuals that are seen and the sound effects that are heard. All of this adds up to a movie that lives up to one of Earth’s mightiest heroes. This is a film that is as awesome as Natasha Romanoff herself. It is a hero movie that is very real and human with a lot of heart. Scarlett Johansson and company delivered with this film and it is sure to be a fan favorite that is watched and rewatched. It is very easy for me to give a solid tip of the hat to Black Widow and I look forward to seeing it again!
One added thing, make sure and stay through the credits for the end credit scene! It is definitely worth watching!
