MY THOUGHTS ON BLACK WIDOW ( 2021)

  

I just finished Marvel’s latest (?) standalone film Black Widow and while it was quite enjoyable, I have several thoughts about this film I feel I must share. I do not want to summarize this film as the point of this post is to spark discussion between viewers of this film, so I have assumed that you, being the reader, have watched this movie already. If you have not watched this film already, go ahead and watch it. It’s worth the time and seals some holes in the Marvel timeline if you’re invested in that.

I understand the general consensus is the fact that this movie is five years too late and while the film is enjoyable, it doesn’t add up to the best Marvel standalones like Iron Man or Captain America. And the general consensus is true. If we are comparing this to other Marvel standalones, I would place this above Captain Marvel and Captain America : Winter Soldier and below more comedic and charismatic films like the Iron Man series and the Antman movies. This was a good film with excellent actors, great cinematography and even some comedic notes from Florence Pugh (Yelena) and David Harbor (Alexei), but the film lacks in general excitement and warmth due to the fact that we know that Natasha is dead from a film from two years ago.

In a lot of ways this feels like a disposed script revived. This doesn’t mean the film is bad, but it feels like what Mercedes-Benz did with its G class SUVs in 2017. They kept tacking on objects that made it more modern and comfortable like leather seats and a massive engine, but in the end, it felt like comfortable SUV from the 1970s, which it was (I highly recommend watching Doug Demuro’s review on the G65 AMG. It’s a hilarious review and is very enjoyable). The film has its chronological roots from 2017 and while all Marvel movies match the chronological timeline except Loki, which needed its roots from Endgame, this film requires no such roots from any film made after 2015. This means if the film was released in 2016, like most following films, it would actually be more relevant than it is today because the viewer would have the anticipation for more Black Widow content unlike today.

While this is a common issue and probably a terrible executive decision, the part that disappointed and gave the “disposed script revived” feeling is the story. Look, I love Black Widow. She’s the only Avenger along with Hawkeye who isn’t a freak of nature or uses tools to fight. She’s cool, badass and beats up aliens with martial arts. Through out the MCU films, we would get hints of her past, like the fact she was Russian or she was given a hysterectomy in her training place, I felt like it would build up to something big with a deep backstory with her childhood and boy, was I disappointed. I wanted this film to focus on her experiences in the Red Room, how she broke free and what makes her so special from all the other trainees and the film did none of it.

The movies skipped everything I wanted to see and for a two-hour film, the emotional and “backstory” substance is deeply lacking. I constantly found myself waiting for the part where Natasha flashes back to her childhood in the Red Room and it was an itch that was never scratched. Dreykov was a hatable villain on his own and his final monologue sealed his villainy and the viewers desire to see him dead. But this was two hours in.

For the past two hours I knew Dreykov was evil, I knew the Red Room was evil, but why? Why should I hate it? Because Natasha said so? Because Yelena said so? Or is it because of the masked soldier? As a film enthusiast, these are all terrible reasons. I give movie villains the benefit of doubt and even sympathize with them from time to time and the only thing that stopped me from doing to same to Dreykov is my own moral compass saying “he abuses little girls”. This is not good. This was a 2 1/2-hour film and showing Natasha and Yelena’s experiences in and outside the Red Room would’ve made this film something worth watching and Dreykov’s death in the end would’ve gone from “Yay! That man is dead!” to “You deserve every ounce of it” and that what makes a good villain. This film disappointed me in several levels by not delving deeper here and this feels like a concluding sequel to a film that should’ve existed. And I feel like this is what gives it the disposed script feel. Marvel isn’t Pixar, it’s not known for its excellence, maturity and deep values, but it makes great films that spark conversation, story and thought and this feels a bit lacking there. I assume they planned to make the film several years ago, but chose to dispose the script for better films like Captain America : Civil War and Thor : Ragnarok, which is arguably the best Marvel film after the first Iron Man.

The last thing I would like to cover on the topic of disappointment is the fact that it never showed why Natasha was so special. I understand she’s better than all the Widows, but for a superhero film, it’s not enough. If this were a martial arts film or a story of perseverance, I would be more than satisfied, but for a superhero film, I need more. Maybe she took too much serum, maybe she was exceptionally moral or anything else would’ve made me feel better about justifying Natasha’s greatness as a Widow.

Otherwise, and I mean it, it’s a great movie. Yelena is a delight and her little sister-ness is hilarious and brings the bond between the sisters to be a very heartwarming part of the story. I especially enjoyed the lack of a romantic lead and I would absolutely love to see similar tropes in other films. I quite enjoyed the strong female leads and it was done masterfully without engaging in prudish dialogues or misandry. The cinematography, the humanity and scenery were quite good. The rampage in Budapest irked me a bit, but I’m the one to prefer more realism even in these fantasy films. I liked the BMW plugs in the film, especially the part where the X5 is launched into a train station and still survives the rollover. I wonder if that was made into a real advertisement.

This was an enjoyable film and if you can get past the shortcomings, it’s a very enjoyable 2 ½-hours that can be spent with your family. If I were to give it a rating, I would give it a 7/10.