Black Widow (2021) – Movie Review

Trying to remain off-the-grid, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is attacked by an assassin and forced to confront her dark past as a spy and the relationships she left behind when she became an Avenger.

Finally, Black Widow has been released and, like most Marvel movies, was awesome. I thought it had fantastic action, great humor and a decent story. We finally got a glance at Natasha’s backstory and her family before she joined the Avengers. Similar to the Disney Plus shows, it’s nice giving the spotlight to some of the other MCU characters.

The movie takes place right after Captain America: Civil War with the Avengers disbanded and Steve Rogers on the run. It seems a little odd that we are getting this movie now, given that Marvel is usually so good about releasing their movies in chronological order. But I think that this movie was meant to provide backstory to set the gears in motion for Phase Four.

Beware…Spoilers ahead.

I thought Taskmaster was cool, I just wish she played a bigger part in the movie. Taskmaster was more like a side-villain, and although really cool, ultimately not making much of a difference in the end. I thought the character was done really well emphasizing that they could mimic anyone’s movement and skills.

One part of the story I found a little weak was that Dreykov could control the actions of every Widow with “chemicals.” It explained that he did this because Natasha turned on him, but it kind of glanced over how it worked. I also hoped that we would get to see more of the Red Room and some awesome hand-to-hand combat scenes, and was left a little disappointed. There was still plenty of action, it’s just when I think Black Widow, I think of amazing hand-to-hand combat and choreography. My favorite fight scenes were the scenes where Natasha and Ylana fought in the apartment and when Natasha fought Taskmaster on the bridge. 

Another thing I wished we saw more of was Budapest, a mission that Black Widow and Hawkeye have referenced numerous times. We did get a glimpse of the mission – seeing Natasha give the all-clear to blow up a building with Dreykov in it, completing her defection to SHIELD – but I feel like there was so much more they could have shown there. But, who knows? Maybe we will see some flashbacks in the Hawkeye series coming to Disney Plus. Or, maybe Budapest will always just be a reference left up to the audiences’ imagination. 

Overall, I enjoyed Black Widow and was glad I finally got to see it. It may not have been my favorite Marvel movie, but I enjoyed seeing more of Black Widow and learning more of her origin and backstory. I’d rate it 4/5 stars and say that if you’ve missed out on some of the Disney Plus shows, definitely see this as it is the launch for Phase Four.