BLACK WIDOW (2021): FILM REVIEW

Black Widow (M)

Directed by Cate Shortland

Written by Eric Pearson

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh and David Harbour

Duration: 135 minutes

It feels little bit strange to be talking about a feature length MCU film after the time away we have had since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home left theatres. WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki have been really effective at shifting gears for Marvel into the Disney+ model, which has turned out to be a good thing given that the only way to see this here in Sydney on release was on Disney+. 

Let's cut to the chase, though - I didn't like Black Widow. There were definitely things in it that I liked, but on the whole I thought it was pretty disappointing. Not least because of when we are finally being able to see this film; the fact that we got Captain Marvel before this inexcusable. Not only that, but given that we already know how Natasha's story ends in Endgame, almost all tension and dramatic interest in her character was completely evaporated before the film had even started. The problem of the film's chronological placement isn't insignificant, either. It takes place in between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, and yet we have had two years to digest the conclusion of the Infinity Saga - being asked to return to that story retrospectively feels strange given the effort that was put into ensuring Endgame felt like a satisfying conclusion. Thematically, this film actually feels like it would have been more at home with a release date similar to 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a much better film than this that has similar aspirations of espionage and intrigue in its twisty storytelling. 

This is all contextual, however, and the reason I don't like Black Widow is the film itself, although the context in which we are finally seeing it is important. My biggest problem with the film is the complete lack of stakes. This is exemplified in a moment that probably flew right by a lot of viewers, but for me was an early sign of what was to come that did not bode well for me. Very early on Florence Pugh's character violently stabs a character in the stomach, before twisting the blade and tearing it out through the victim's side. At this point I was a little taken aback by the bluntness of such violence in what is theoretically a kids movie, but we immediately cut to a reverse shot in which the only sign of any harm to the character is a rip in their shirt. This is a huge problem for me, and one that only continued to be a problem as the film continued to get bigger and sillier in its action set-pieces. How am I expected to feel peril or danger on behalf of these characters if acts of violence or destruction have no consequence? Moreover, what is this saying to the droves of children that are no doubt watching this film? I have a real hatred for this bloodless style of violence that these types of movies are filled with, because not only does it dull any sense of peril or stakes, but it is conditioning younger viewers to understand violence in a way that in my mind is harmful and dangerous - that violence doesn't hurt, and it doesn't have consequences. I won't rant for too long about this because it warrants its own discussion, and to be clear I'm not saying that I wanted Florence Pugh to eviscerate that villain on screen in a spray of blood and gore. All I'm saying is that this leads to a real lack of stakes and peril, something that you need your audience to feel in a film like this. Taskmaster's first appearance where they blow up Natasha's car, the explosion that sends the two female leads' car tumbling into a heavily populated subway, the absurd skydiving sequence - all examples of situations that would in real life cause immense pain and injury, which are treated as flippant and "cool". Maybe I'm missing the point, but it just pulled me further and further away from enjoying the film. 

Secondly, I just found the storytelling of the film to be so incredibly muddled and confused. I understand that a film like this needs its twists and turns, but a well-written script has surprises that make sense retrospectively, that are planted beforehand and pay off in satisfying and unexpected ways. Black Widow did not have any of that sense of tightly-wound narrative tension, but rather a confusing sense of not quite knowing exactly what was happening in a narrative sense at any one time. When the narrative shifts do come, they are not so much exciting and unexpected as they are "wait, what's happening?"

Another big problem I have with Black Widow is the way that it constantly undercuts its serious character moments with jokes, many of which don't land. There are a number of instances in which this does work - a recurring gag about Pugh making fun of Johansson for doing a superhero pose, for instance - but generally it only served to deflate any sort of dramatic tension or character momentum that the film managed to build up. 

Because there are good elements to be found in here, and the character moments are definitely a positive. It has really well-conceived themes of family and how family units fall apart and come back together, the fake family unit of Natasha acting as the literal embodiment of this idea in the film. There are some really good character moments and scenes where we have different characters with different perspectives coming into conflict where their feelings clash, and this is where the film is at its best. There is a sequence on a farm where the family unit is briefly reunited, and for a little while I begun to really enjoy the film. Florence Pugh's character, Yelena, has the most dramatic heavy lifting to do in this department, and she really gets the opportunity to flex her acting muscles. I have long been a fan of hers, and her scenes were the most enjoyable for me; her character is fully developed but ambiguous enough to draw the interest of the viewer as her character unfolds. The fact that Johansson's Natasha has already had her story told to completion in previous films also means that my interest was by default aimed at Pugh's character who has more mystery and narrative potential baked into her. 

Johansson has always owned this role as well as any of her MCU counterparts, and her first solo feature is obviously no exception. She brings a level of humanity and gravity to a character that could feel distant and cold in the hands of another performer, and while she is outshined by Pugh she does an excellent job as the leading heroine (even though it should have happened five years ago). 

David Harbour is a great addition to the MCU, too, although I did feel that as the narrative progressed his character descended more and more into caricature. The opening sequence I felt was a really well-conceived action set-piece that communicated character through action, and introduced Harbour's character as immediately untrustworthy and yet devoted to his family at the same time. The way it introduced us to his super-soldier powers was surprisingly subtle and quite tasteful in how it didn't draw attention to itself amidst a scene that was not about his powers. As it went on he became more and more just a comic relief character, and the main culprit for the deflation of tension through humour than I mentioned earlier. 

So overall, while there are elements that I like, I was pretty disappointed by Black Widow. It's not terrible, but it is a really big missed opportunity. I like that they were attempting to work within the espionage subgenre that the MCU dipped into so successfully with The Winter Soldier, but Black Widow does not have the narrative succinctness, dramatic weight or tonal consistency of The Winter Soldier. Given the time at which it comes out, with Marvel gearing up for Phase 4 and the introduction of the Multiverse going forwards, it seems like a particularly odd return to an era of Marvel storytelling that most people have moved on from. I feel a little bad ragging on a Marvel film that is tighter in scope and more immediate, because that is something that I always ask for more of, but overall it seems like a half-hearted swing and a miss at an idea that is four or five years out of date. 

Black Widow is now in theatres and streaming on Disney+ for Premier Access.