Black Widow Brings Back the Joy of Summer Movies

Black Widow (2021)

Black Widow is the most recent iteration in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and while the Disney+ shows have been great, they can’t replace the feeling of going to see a tentpole superhero summer blockbuster on the big screen. Black Widow is that return to normalcy that we all need. It is a pseudo-origin story for an established character in the MCU who in the current timeline is (spoiler) dead. Due to her current status, this movie is obviously a prequel because superheroes never come back from the dead. Never. But it doesn’t fall into the trappings of most prequels, which try to do too much to remind you that certain things happen in the future. The movie does this by barely using any established characters, only Natasha and General Ross. It strings together some loosely laid plot threads mentioned in previous movies but stays confined to a tidy little pocket of the greater MCU. It was ambitious enough to be entertaining, but not so ambitious that it undermines itself and the greater continuity.

It spends most of its time shortly following the events of Captain America: Civil War, but actually begins with some exposition in the 90s, when Black Widow, Natasha, was just a child. This scene was a textbook flashback, built in to introduce a few characters, set up a few dialogue call-backs for later in the movie, and created a deeper motivation. If you frame the movie about Natasha, then this entire scene is essentially meaningless, but even though Johansson’s character is front and center on all of the posters, she is not really who the story is about. The true protagonist with narrative growth and motivation is Florence Pugh’s Yelena, who is also a Black Widow.

Pugh is excellent, and re-orienting your viewpoint to see her as the titular character, the movie follows the MCU tried and true origin story: 1. Meet the new character and friends who will help along the way, 2. Introduce the villain who will barely be fleshed out, 3. Conflict occurs to change the protagonist from a normal, but flawed person, to the hero, 4. Action and comedy ensue as the pieces get moved around the board, preparing for the climax, 5. The climax happens and awesome action occurs and resolves the story, 6. Wrap up some loose ends and roll credits/post-credits scene. I’m not saying that this is a bad formula. It is literally worth billions of dollars. I’m just saying that the MCU is formulaic and I find comfort in that. So if you like the other MCU origin stories, you will also like Black Widow. It has stellar action and great fight choreography and it was clear that the production did not skip on any visual effects. I don’t know if it was as crisp and clean looking before the pandemic or if they used the extra time to square everything away, but for all of the falling from the sky battle scenes I have seen, this was the best looking. The humor is present and only a bit heavy a couple of times, but the movie is mostly appropriately serious. The villain(s), like most MCU origin villains, are barely developed and exists for the sake of conflict and motivation. I am just excited to see what this movie will lead into in the future of the MCU, whether it is on Disney+ or the theatrical continuity. Overall, Black Widow was exactly what I needed at the right time. It was a fun, superhero action romp with good acting, good action, and a serviceable story. I give Black Widow 18 out of 24 MCU movies.