Filling in the gaps
The rather abrupt ending of the Black Widow plot in Avengers: Endgame could disappoint many fans of the Marvel universe. The character played by Scarlett Johannson, despite his long service in the MCU and the sympathy of the audience, was relatively little exposed in the story and when it began to develop for good, the writers brutally cut short the potential. Years later, Natasha Romanoff finally got her own film, which in its own way complements the existing storyline of the Marvel cinematic world.
Back in the shade
The main part of the Cate Shortland movie takes place shortly after the scenes known from Captain America: Civil War . Anyone who remembers this crossover knows that as a result of those events, Black Widow had to step back into the shadows. As it quickly turns out, however, there is no peace whatsoever and the holiday in Norway is interrupted when the protagonist becomes entangled in a dangerous plot with a certain Taskmaster. New threats turn out to be related to the difficult past of the protagonist, which the script (written by Eric Pearson) uses to expand the Marvel world story. So, during the screening, we will learn the secret of the Widows’ concept in the MCU. However, no attempt was made to create a typical origin story (and that’s good!).
In terms of the story and its presentation, it is difficult to avoid comparisons to the Winter Soldier of the Russo brothers. Also in the case of Black Widow, we have a spy movie in the style of Jason Bourne’s adventures (inspiration can be especially visible in action scenes), which allows you to push the superhero soap opera aside. There is also a similar theme of character control, so at times you can feel a slight repetition of the entertainment. Nevertheless, the film definitely stands on its own foundation, and while it refers to the previous films, it presents a compact and closed story, albeit with mixed effects.
Welcome to the family
It is slightly surprising that in the first and possibly the last “solo” film, Natasha Romanoff does not turn out to be the most important heroine and in some places you can even feel unsatisfied with the content. It is connected with presenting a story about the return of a dysfunctional family and working through old traumas (in breaks from chases and outbursts, of course). The second Widow, Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, plays a particularly important role, and the tragicomic counterbalance is the Red Guardian (David Harbor) – the Soviet equivalent of Captain America, unable to come to terms with the loss of long-gone fame. When it comes to casting, it is absolutely difficult to fault something (standard for Marvel) – the cast shines. However, to be honest, the movie is not particularly engaging to watch. Despite the attempt to refresh the formula, the comedy tone of the MCU was not discarded, which, combined with a more difficult topic, produces mixed results and emotions are hard to believe. The narrative is also a bit lost – in places the plot rushes at breakneck speed, while at other times it stretches and the viewer feels bored. However, the problems are rewarded by a satisfying final act, filled with spectacular action and closed in a quite reasonable way.
As for the Black Widow DVD , the Galapagos maintains the well-known, correct standard for MCU home movie releases. On the album we can find the film itself, without additional scenes or other special materials, in a quality that is as satisfactory as the old format allows. It should be noted that the possibility of watching the film in the original language version, with English, Polish and Czech subtitles, as well as with Polish and Czech dubbing is provided, which should please people with different preferences. I think that due to the modest content, the DVD release will primarily satisfy people who want to make up for the Black Widow relatively quickly (after all, on streaming in Disney +, which is always absent in Poland, we will have to wait a little longer), and the high quality of image and sound as well as additional materials in the Blu-Ray edition are not a sufficient argument for the purchase of a much more expensive disc.
Source: theverge.com
Mission accomplished
Black Widow is a slightly uneven film, leaving the viewer with different feelings. On the one hand, it is good that it was decided to fill in the gaps in Natasha Romanoff’s story in a way that is accessible to people who do not follow the entire MCU, but paradoxically – in the last farewell to the heroine, you feel unsatisfied with her presence. The split between the traditional Marvel narrative and the more down-to-earth spy cinema is also average. This is a direction worth pursuing to avoid redundancy, but not necessarily in this case. It doesn’t stand out as a plus, and I doubt Black Widow will be remembered as one of the better MCU movies. However, for those who haven’t had the chance to see this action-packed production yet, the Galapagos DVD release might be interesting.
