250. Black Widow; movie review

 

 

BLACK WIDOW

Cert 12A

134 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, injury detail

How the Marvel fans must have been salivating when the release date for Black Widow was announced.

They had become used to their superheroes being almost omnipresent at cinemas since Iron Man - the first of the studio's movies in 2008.

And then came the pandemic and, for 15 months, the world has been free of new Marvel releases.

Black Widow is a gentle easing back into blockbuster-land because its headline act is arguably the least exciting of The Avengers.

We learn of the back story of Natasha Romanoff as she escapes from the forces under Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt).

She finds herself wanting to understand why she was abandoned as a child before being trained as an assassin and is keen to know what happened to her sister.

This leads her to meet her estranged sister (Florence Pugh) who remained in the programme and puts her on the trail of her disappeared parents (David Harbour and Rachel Weisz).

Inevitably, because Cate Shortland's film is the vehicle for a superhero, she must be up against a dastardly villain - here in the shape of a rogue Russian general played by Ray Winstone.

Yep, Cockney Ray slips from geezer language into Ruski as he plays a megalomaniac hardnut.

Anyway, Natasha is after his blood but first, she has to find him and get past the black widow army which he has programmed to kill.

Inevitably, there are many an explosion, heroes defying gravity and some plain old hand-to-hand combat as battle ensues.

Harbour tries to add a comedic touch in his role as the washed-up Red Guardian and there is a touch of pathos surrounding Natasha and her sister growing up without a real mum and dad.

But what the Marvel fans care about most is action and here they have been given a mere appetiser for the rash of films being held while audiences become used to returning to cinemas.

As a toe back in the water, the final outing for the Black Widow will certainly leave them thirsting for more.

Reasons to watch: The return of Marvel

Reasons to avoid: Black Widow is the least interesting of the superheroes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Emily Blunt was the original first choice to play Black Widow. Scheduling conflicts with Gulliver’s Travels forced her to opt-out.

The final word. Scarlet Johansson: “The whole process of making this was really emotional — I have such an affinity for Natasha. She has a lot of integrity. And I find her very, very touching.” Variety

Share this post