Because Avengers: Endgame has such a fitting finale feel to it, the Marvel movies that have come in its wake have felt a little bit rudderless. It took several movies to build up to Thanos and the stakes for that movie could not be higher. And so the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home and now Black Widow, feel quaint by comparison.
Black Widow is of course, too little too late -- Scarlett Johansson's superspy character is finally getting her own film but after she has already perished in the timeline of the Marvel movies. So it's a little weird watching -- an admittedly well-made -- action thriller where the tension is somewhat diffused by the fact we know she lives for a few more movies.
This one takes place between (if you can remember it) Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It plays like a bit of a hopped up Bourne movie -- with some real rock 'em sock 'em action scenes that are exciting if a bit chaotic and absurd. Johansson and her sister (played by a scene-stealing Florence Pugh) are supposedly human beings and yet the amount of pain they endure and shrug off is insane.
But, this is after all, a comic book movie and it's definitely trying to be a little different than its predecessors, which I appreciate. But It also feels like a movie without a purpose. Johansson can be very effective actress with the right material and she was a likable presence in past Avengers movies but she's a little too mopey here. She doesn't have the same sense of play she brought to other Marvel projects.
The real find here is Pugh who proves yet again that she is one of the more exciting young stars working today. Saddled with a Russian accent which could have totally tanked her performance, she has the pluck and charisma you want Johansson's titular character to have.
Pugh is not only believable in the action scenes but she is credible in the dramatic ones, too. Clearly, this will not be the last of her in the MCU and I'm here for it.
The Marvel TV shows have proven that some of the more tertiary characters can have more life to them than we might have imagined, but I am not sure that Black Widow does. She's haunted, ok -- but what else is there to this character or this story?
I still don't get why she doesn't have a Russian accent. And in retrospect, while I always like her, she was usually used to bring out character elements in the other Avengers -- think her playful relationship with Captain America or aborted romance with The Hulk.
Here, after a bravura opening sequence, we're treated to a bit of a soggy family melodrama with little bits of intrigue. It's different for sure than most Marvel fare, but is it better -- no. Perhaps this year's upcoming Eternals will be the game-changer these kinds of movies need. They certainly are attracting terrific actors, although Rachel Weisz is totally wasted (today brought news that the brilliant Michaela Coel of I May Destroy You will be in the Black Panther sequel) now they just need the material to match.
There is already griping about the movie's supposed under-performance -- but really there's no telling how much COVID and the fact that the movie can be purchased at home via Disney Plus (which is what I did) hurt the box office. I think that this film just isn't quite special enough to get butts back in the seats. It's ok, just not great. But that shouldn't deter Marvel from experimenting with unconventional leads or unconventional stories.
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