#REVIEW: “BLACK WIDOW”

By Mr. Will Wong

Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, we see Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) after a falling-out with the Avengers. With the distinction of being the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this entry directed by Cate Shortland gives us insight into the fallen heroine’s backstory. Natasha finds herself marked for destruction by an opposing force and must confront some burnt bridges in her past and her history as a spy.

What makes BLACK WIDOW different from any other film in the MCU is that delicate way it looks at familial bonds and what it means to reconcile.  We meet Yelena (Florence Pugh), a sister figure who is estranged from Natasha, angry all these years thinking that the latter abandoned the former. Yelena sends Natasha a mysterious package, which turns out to be an antidote to the mind control they endured in the Red Room along with other female assassins in-training. While their reunion isn’t exactly a happy one initially, the Film lends space to their reconnection and reuniting with their father figure, Alexei (David Habour) and mother figure, Melina (Rachel Weisz).

The Film mixes plenty of jaw-dropping action, including an amazing face-off between Yelena and Natasha, with plenty of humour, heart and emotion. A refreshing change of pace for the MCU, while still feeling cohesive with the rest of the universe in which the story is set. We love the pairing of Pugh and Johansson. Yelena’s self-confidence and outspokenness is the foil to Natasha‘s introversion and seriousness. Harbour and Weisz also are delightful, trying to reconcile the parental figures they were to Yelena and Natasha as children with the people they are now.

While much of the weight of the Film lies on the relationship between Yelena and Natasha, other stories like Natasha‘s fight against the villain in Red Room mastermind Dreykov (Ray Winstone) perhaps are sacrificed, in addition to an understated romantic story line between Natasha and her contractor Mason (O-T Fagbenle).   That being said, we’re totally here for the Film being an allegory of fighting the patriarchy which has set-out to divide and conquer strong females. BLACK WIDOW dares to go to vulnerable places other MCU films haven’t and we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

BLACK WIDOW arrives in theatres July 9, 2021 and on Disney+ with Premier access.