Review: Black Widow is the must-see action spectacle MCU fans have been waiting for

Black Widow finally gets the spotlight she deserves in an epic action-thriller. But is that enough to do Natasha Romanoff justice?  Our in-depth post-watch review. Spoilers ahead.

Black Widow is the Black Widow movie we’ve been waiting for. That might sound like a bit of an obvious statement to make but, like the film’s star hero, there are layers to that sentence. For this was Marvel Studios’ chance to give Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff the perfect send-off and they absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Directed by Cate Shortland, the 24th film installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of this year’s most anticipated offerings – which, in itself, is pretty ironic considering it was supposed to be released last year. But it’s a sign of the enduring appeal of the MCU and, more importantly, the appeal of ScarJo’s assassin-turned-hero.

Black Widow review: An action thriller unlike anything else in the MCU

Black Widow is one of that shared universe’s longest-serving Avengers, having appeared in eight movies prior to her solo offering – a feat that made fans adamant that she should headline the first Marvel Studios female-led superhero movie. That honor ultimately went to Captain Marvel, so Black Widow was saved as a farewell to their greatest female hero instead. And what a fitting farewell it is.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has multiple tones that it can rely on and deploy depending on whichever story it is telling in each respective movie. Black Widow‘s strength is that it doesn’t really adopt any of them. There is some MCU familiarity in there, with occasional similarities to the more grounded offerings like the second and third Captain America movies but this one is very much its own entity, setting itself apart from this superhero franchise by being more of an action thriller than anything else. And the tone reflects that, ensuring that it is more of an uneasy and, well, thrilling watch than the previous installments.

That ultimately complements the character it is serving because Black Widow is everything you could ever want from a solo Natasha Romanoff movie. And it’s packed full of that goodness too, with some stunning fight choreography and high-impact car chases bringing out some of the very best that the veteran Widow has to offer.

Black Widow review: Scarlett Johansson shines in a long-awaited character study

The decision to finally delve into Natasha’s backstory doesn’t just make for a compelling two-hour movie (and believe me, it does), it also provides closure to her arc, filling in the blanks in the life of one of the MCU’s most interesting characters. It also presents Black Widow with its greatest quality: Family.

The unorthodox family dynamic between Johansson’s Natasha, Florence Pugh’s Yelena, Rachel Weisz’s Melina and David Harbour’s Alexei holds much of the film together, offering up a number of hilarious moments but also making time for more nuanced ones. And it’s the unexpected symmetry between her old life and her new one that ultimately results in her attempting to put the Avengers back together.

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But we can’t wrap up without talking about the film’s truest strength, and that’s the Black Widow herself. Scarlett Johansson has always been one of the MCU’s most consistent performers but there is something about her leading performance in Black Widow that stands apart from the rest. Whether that be down to the fact that she knew it would be her final performance as that character or the determination to prove that the fans were right and that Natasha was always deserving of that headlining adventure, it doesn’t matter; because Johansson is nothing short of magnificent here, leading the film with such efficiency that even the most casual viewer would quickly see why Natasha Romanoff is such a revered figure.

There are some flaws along the way, particularly in regards to the underwhelming handling of Taksmaster, but Black Widow ultimately succeeds in everything it sets out to do. It’s not a perfect movie and no doubt a couple of watches on Disney Plus Premier Access will highlight a some of those aforementioned flaws, but it is the perfect Black Widow movie, fulfilling a promise to MCU fans and sending the most formidable warrior in the Avengers off on an incredible high, leaving us all yearning for more in the process.

Simply put: Black Widow was absolutely worth the decade-long wait.

Grade: A

What do you think of Black Widow? Will you be watching it? Let us know in the comments below!