After being delayed for more than 14 months, the newest addition to the Marvel lineup “Black Widow” finally reaches screens big and small, due to the fact that Marvel has expanded its franchise via streaming on Disney+.
With great anticipation from the Marvel fandom, this foray into Natasha Romanov or more known as Scarlett Johansson’s early years before joining the Avengers shows that the production giant is capable of producing more than just linear storylines for its characters.
With the fight sequences harkening to the days of the Jason Bourne franchise and the crispness of the action, it seems that this approach largely works on the fans. However, as shown in the trailer, what really is at the core of this movie is the element of family, in this case, a family that is both intriguingly engaging and deadly.
The film takes place between the events of “Captain America: Civil War” and “Avengers: Infinity War” and opens with an extended prologue into the life of the young Natasha Romanov a.k.a Black Widow and her origins.
A short skip ahead finds the titular character on the run from the government, which leads to her reconnection with her spy family and the dark discovery of a heinous program, one that is used to control other “Widows” that are trained with our heroine’s special skills. Of course, it is all in a day’s work for the Black Widow.
Once again mirroring certain events from the Bourne franchise, Natasha was the by-product of a government outfit that had its roots deep in the previous decades’ Cold War. We get a glimpse at one of the villains, Dreykov (portrayed by Ray Winstone) and how he plays into the story as well. There is also Natasha’s story arc where she tries to atone for her past and seek redemption.
The mission inadvertently reunites Natasha with her sister Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, who is just as deadly and dominates more of the thickly accented Russian lines. It seems that Yelena has followed Natasha’s career and there are lots of references to the Avengers in between the action. Other key characters are the seemingly self-absorbed Alexei (played by David Harbour of Stranger Things) and Melina (Rachel Weisz), whose role is significant if relatively limited.
At the helm is Cate Shortland who directs the film. Black Widow is the first time that Scarlett Johansson steps into the lead role given that she has now been with the Marvel franchise for well over a decade, her first foray into the character being in Iron Man 2. At the time, the studio intended to use the Iron Man, Captain America and Thor one-offs as the studios’ initial building blocks.
The movie plays as an “end of one chapter, beginning of a new one” as such is the case now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It may not be the same exciting and epic feeling as the last time fans laid their eyes on Natasha on the big screen, but it’s not a bad excuse to get back into the cinema after that long of a wait.
“Black Widow ” is rated PG-13 that premieres on July 9 in US theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.
Watch the trailer here:
