Close Menu
NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Culture
    • Nerd Voices
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»Movies»“Black Widow” Stands Among the Top of MCU Solo Entries [Review]
    Movies

    “Black Widow” Stands Among the Top of MCU Solo Entries [Review]

    Bill WattersBy Bill WattersJuly 9, 20213 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    It’s taken far too long for “Black Widow” to finally come to the big screen, but now that it’s finally here it’s a solid and entertaining entry into the MCU pantheon of films, and easily among the top of the solo outings. Beyond it being a combination origin story and solo adventure, it also beings a new flavor of film to the Marvel franchise.

    Scarlett Johansson‘s Natasha Romanoff finally gets her change to be showcased in the type of adventure her character was created for. It’s her Black Widow along with Hawkeye who are most often framed as the lesser tier of Avengers. However their skills were designed as Spies and Assassins, they are surgical tools meant for exacting operations, where the Likes of the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America are blunter creatures who wipe out massive sections of cities when they are in the midst of a hand to hand fight.

    Here Marvel has opted to go with deft shorthand for giving us Black Widow’s backstory. Opening with a young teen version of Natasha, along with her sister Yelena (played by Florence Pugh), Melina (played by Rachel Weisz), and father Alexi (played by David Harbor), as Russian deep-cover Agents living in middle-America. The family mission now coming to completion, they have to flee back to the Soviet Union.

    From there the story jumps ahead 21 years to a time right before the end of “Captain America: Civil War.” Now it’s the Black Widow we know – and she’s on the run from the world governments – in particular Thaddeus Ross (played by William Hurt). She receives a mysterious message from Yelena, who she hasn’t seen since the day of their flight from America.

    The film shifts into more than a passing nod to the story format of most good James Bond films. So much so there’s even a great gracenote moment of Natasha hiding out, watching a Bond film on a laptop while reciting the lines like any good die-hard fan.

    Directed by Cate Shortland, the set pieces are effective, including a final battle in the sky that would have done Bond’s Blofeld proud. The film is less a superhero story than a agent with a mission one, in the vein of Jason Bourne. It works well in “Black Widow’s” case, because she’s not a toe-to-toe with a space god fighter, but she can take on an army of ex-Soviet super-assassins and their evil overlords.

    There had been some concern that we may have already had the itch scratched for effectively a Black Widow film a few years ago with Charlize Theron’s “Atomic Blonde.” A Russian girl raised by a secret government assassin/spy organization setting out and kicking ass. But Shortland gives Natasha the right balance of human spy in combination of super-feats. It turns up the dial on the action, but no more out of bounds than any Bourne, Wick, or Bond adventure.

    Johansson should have had her film back when it would have fallen in the timeline, but at least we’ve finally gotten it, and it’s getting the theatrical release it deserves. Disney and Marvel knew it was time to give fans something to bring the even further back to the theaters.

    “Black Widow” is rated PG-13 and is available as a Premium purchase on Disney+, and also in theaters everywhere. It has one credits scene at the very end of the credits. So don’t leave until the projector turns off.

    Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

    Do You Want to Know More?

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHeinz Petitions Hot Dog Bun Makers To Sell Enough For Every Weiner
    Next Article 5-Year-Old Finds Megalodon Tooth While Vacationing in South Carolina
    Bill Watters
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Bill Watters is a child of the late 70s- he walked into a theater to watch Star Wars, and emerged to become a lifelong fan of cinema and television. Spending nearly a decade as a projectionist, he fell into the Silicon Valley dot-com boom and became a codemonkey for a range of game companies. These days he's a frequent speaker, moderator, and panelist at pop-culture events and conventions, as well as a prolific film and television critic and genre news writer. He is also a member critic of both the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. In addition to his writing, he is also a photojournalist and can be found on Getty Images.

    Related Posts

    Kathleen Kennedy on Future of “Star Wars” at BFI Screening

    June 14, 2025

    Jason Coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

    June 13, 2025

    David Lynch’s Family Wants to Publish His Final Work

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    Robert Eggers to Adapt “A Christmas Carol,” Wants Willem Dafoe to Star

    June 12, 2025

    Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis Return for “Spaceballs: The Sequel”

    June 12, 2025
    • Latest
    • News
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Reviews

    Warzone 3.0 Complete Player Guide: Dominating the Battle Royale in 2025

    June 15, 2025

    What Does a Call Answering Service Do?

    June 15, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025
    Mobile App Development

    Why Flutter is the Future of Mobile App Development for Startups

    June 15, 2025

    Jason Coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    “Mufasa: The Lion King,” 2024

    Disney, Universal File Lawsuit Against Midjourney AI

    June 11, 2025

    Kathleen Kennedy on Future of “Star Wars” at BFI Screening

    June 14, 2025

    David Lynch’s Family Wants to Publish His Final Work

    June 13, 2025

    Robert Eggers to Adapt “A Christmas Carol,” Wants Willem Dafoe to Star

    June 12, 2025

    Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis Return for “Spaceballs: The Sequel”

    June 12, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025

    What is BFDI (Battle for Dream Island)? An Interview With My Kid

    June 15, 2025

    Celine Song Developing Esports Drama Series “Damage” at HBO

    June 14, 2025

    Upcoming “Crystal Lake” Series Adds Three More to Cast

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” 2025

    “Ballerina:” Ana De Armas Shines in Fun, Violent Return to the World of Wick [Review]

    June 4, 2025

    “The Life of Chuck” Joyous, Hopeful, Life Affirming [Review]

    June 1, 2025
    Check Out Our Latest
      • Product Reviews
      • Reviews
      • SDCC 2021
      • SDCC 2022
    Related Posts
    • Analyzing "The Suicide Squad" Weekend Box Office with Dan Murrell
    • Emma Stone Reportedly Also Contemplating Disney Lawsuit
    NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Nerdbot is owned and operated by Nerds! If you have an idea for a story or a cool project send us a holler on [email protected]

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.