We’ve been waiting for you, Natascha – review of the movie “Black Widow”

Welcome to the… Russia!

If we wanted to embed Black Widow in the MCU timeline, we’d have to put it right after Captain America: Civil Warfrom 2016. The Avengers group is broken up and divided. Natasha has just become an enemy of the United States and is being chased by the government. So he has to flee the country. Meanwhile, her adoptive sister, Jelena, learns how the Black Widow group is being steered and used by General Dreykov. He wants to end this precedent. For this, he needs Romanoff’s help. However, their chances of winning against the oligarch are too small, and even finding the Red Chamber seems unrealistic. So they have to go to Russia and join forces with their adoptive parents. Their enemy, however, is not going to stand by and watch his empire be destroyed. So he reaches for his ace from the sleeve – Taskmaster.

A real sensation!

If you were getting ready for a real superhero cinema, you can be surprised in the cinema hall. Black Widowit is definitely closer to a sensational film than to a story about t-shirts saving the world. Although, of course, these elements are also present. From the very beginning, we get chases and shootings. The farther into the forest, the more demolition. Our heroes kick, beat and kill each other. On the screen we see a lot of spectacular explosions and fight scenes. At times, the action slows down a bit to give us a sentimental and sloppy scene, when Natasza renews “family” ties or possibly throw in a bit of Marvel’s characteristic humor. Immediately after that, everyone again takes up their weapons and prepares their fists so as not to spare themselves in the fight. Sometimes only Schwarzenegger or Van Damme are missing here. But we’ve already seen a similar solution in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, also about a crime film. Is it wrong? Of course not. The plot itself is addictive and the production is pleasant to watch and breathless. And, paradoxical as it is, even though there are more predictable pain scenes than surprising ones.

Welcome to the MCU

The main character of the Black Widowthere is of course Natasza Romanoff played by Scarlett Johansson. As we all know very well, this is a farewell to the MCU for both the character and the actress (at least that’s what was announced, but in Marvel it is different). How is this breakup? Very good! The agent finally has her movie and the opportunity to kick a few more butts and show her best side to the audience. Scarlett herself, in turn, plays it long enough that she knows exactly what to do and is exactly what we would like to watch her. The successor of the famous spy is to be Jelena Belova, played by S. I must admit that the British woman convinced me as a spy almost immediately. Like its predecessor, it is deadly and dangerous, but also has a sense of humor and a certain distance. Who knows, won’t she be even a better Black Widow in the future? The most humorous and stealing character of the show, however, is Alexi Shostakov or Red Guardian (played by David Harbor). It is his gags, served to us again and again, that make most viewers immediately love this superhero and start cheering for him. Perhaps Marvel has just opened the door to create another film or series in which we will learn more about the Russian’s past or future. And by the way, he will add other Winter Guard members (two have already been shown in the easter-egg). The last member of this unusual family is Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). This is probably the most mysterious and at the same time generating the most twists and turns of the heroine. She looks great as one of the older Black Widows, trained back in the USSR. The main antagonist, in turn, is Viktor Dreykov, played by Ray Winstone. As a filthy old guy still mentally alive in the Soviet Union, he is very convincing. Self-righteous and confident. It can be said that this is a standard villain that we have seen many on the screens, bringing nothing new. Although at the same time it plays its role well – from the very beginning the viewer wants to finally learn a lesson. Taskmaster also has an important episode to play. The identity of this villain was carefully concealed by the creators and for a long time no portal revealed who would play this character. And in fact, discovering who is hiding under the hood is quite a surprise. At the same time, I must admit that as a comic book fan I expected a bit more from this character. It was supposed to be a mercenary who would fight perfectly with any kind of weapon or without it. Meanwhile, we get more work here (although there is a man underneath the costume), who in an instant can defeat the well-trained Natasha or the Red Guardian super-soldier with the serum, and in a moment be stopped by … glass! However, this isn’t the best villain in the history of the MCU.

Was it worth the wait?

If you are a fan of Marvel comics and you know the stories well described in them, then be prepared for a lot of changes. The filmmakers decided to make Alexi a foster father, not Natasza’s husband, Melina became her foster mother, instead of one of her opponents, and Taskmaster … well, I don’t want to spoil anything here and you have to check for yourself what this character is about (more on You can read about the history of heroes in comics here ). The creators have already got us used to the fact that they often rely only on the plot known from the notebooks, and then write the script according to their own visions. Aware of these treatments, we can approach the Black Widowlike something completely new. And then the picture will turn out to be quite pleasant to perceive. It may not be innovative and surprising, but it will still be great entertainment that we expect from the MCU. And one more important thing – stay in the cinema until the end. The post-credits scene will surely surprise you and make you wonder what awaits us in the next productions. However, to fully understand it, you should first watch the series Falcon and the Winter Soldier .

We invite you to the movie Black Widow to the Cinema City cinema network.