Movie review: Black Widow opens new Marvel chapter

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is the first Marvel movie to be released since 2019’s Endgame spectacularly marked the end of an era. Is it worth the wait?

You can safely file away Black Widow under both of the following categories: better later than never, and better see it when it opens.

Better late than never? Well, for more than a decade, a standalone Marvel movie for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow (aka Natasha Romanoff) was always a rumour, and never a reality.

The most human member of the Avengers stable – with no superpowers or tech gimmicks to enhance her extreme fighting abilities – this fascinating character deserved much better than the “yeah, yeah, we’ll get to you when we have the time” treatment.

Better see it when it opens?

Well, as the first major Marvel motion picture to be released since 2019’s Endgame spectacularly marked the end of an era for the original incarnation of the Avengers, the pressure is on Black Widow in a big way.

Black Widow delivers on its promise, Leigh Paatsch says. Picture: Marvel

Fans starved of Marvel’s fabled shock, awe and shrewd humour will be expecting more of the same in their usual quantities. However, that hardcore fanbase will also be wanting Black Widow to pivot into fresh new territory.

It is a pleasure to report that the movie delivers all that it should on both of these crucial fronts.

Story-wise, the time frame in play here comes in a few years ahead of Natasha’s jaw-dropping demise in Endgame.

Once again, we are back in that period (2016, roughly) where the Avengers had broken up, and Natasha had gone into hiding in central Europe for a while.

While in Budapest, Natasha crosses paths with her long-lost younger “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh). The exact nature of their relationship will be explained in the punchy prologue that opens Black Widow.

What their reunion (accompanied by one heck of a house-shattering fight by way of hello) does reveal is that a notorious top-secret program that Natasha believed she had ended before joining the Avengers is still going strong.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow. Picture: Marvel Studios

The reckless Russian military strongman Dreykov (Ray Winstone) commands an all-female army of super-soldiers, each welded to his nefarious cause by means of chemical control. Therefore Natasha and the wisecracking, bone-snapping Yelena (who deserves her own spin-off after this) must break up Dreykov’s druggy stronghold over these women once and for all.

This they will do with the erratic assistance of two Russian agents who once posed as their parents in the 1990s: the brilliant bioscientist Melina (Rachel Weisz) and the brawny brawler Red Guardian (David Harbour).

While the usual blockbuster flaws (mammoth two-hour-plus duration, and flat spots galore) are still part of the mix here, there is a welcome new emphasis on nuanced character development and a narkier, darker sense of humour that makes Black Widow a very welcome addition to the Marvel fold.

Black Widow opens in general release Thursday July 8, and will be available to stream on Disney+ Premier Access (for an additional surcharge) from Friday July 9.

BLACK WIDOW (M)

Out of the shadows and into the spotlight

Director: Cate Shortland (Somersault)

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour.

Rating: ★★★½