Black Widow (2021)

★★★

Black Widow is another additional to the long line of "pretty good" Marvel movies. This movie has a lot of good things – Florence Pugh being chief among them – but seems to be too little, too late, especially for a character whose (SPOILER) Marvel Cinematic Universe journey has come to an end.

Black Widow's standalone film takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Natasha is on the run from the US government and attempts to go off the grid, only to be brought back into the system that turned her into a lethal killing machine in the first place. In the process, Natasha teams up with Yelena (Florence Pugh), her long-lost adopted sister, as well as her adoptive parents, played by David Harbor of Stranger Things fame and Rachel Weisz. Together, they take on the Red Room, the mysterious organization behind Natasha and Yelena's training. 

The film attempts to explore Natasha's family relationships and how they have affected her underlying motivations. The Avengers have been her family, but the lack of real connection with most people has been a through-line for her in the MCU. In Black Widow, we learn that Natasha lived with her "parents" and "sister" in Ohio as a child – all a front for a covert Russian operation (a la The Americans). But because her "parents" were merely a farce, it's hard to take any emotional connection with them seriously. 

Despite the weak emotional center, the movie shines every time Florence Pugh is on screen as Yelena. Already one of the most talented young actresses of her generation, she takes this movie to another level by injecting it with dark humor and emotional intensity. You really buy the affection between the two sisters and they discuss the pain they've experienced throughout their lives. Throughout the film, Pugh blows everyone, including the accomplished Scarlett Johansson, off of the screen. She makes this a 3-star movie by herself. It will be fascinating to see what the future holds for her, both in the MCU and beyond.

The movie also succeeds in its fun action sequences and trademark Marvel humor. MCU films usually have a pretty high floor, so even the ones that are just ok have many brights spots.

Quite frankly, Black Widow should have come out in 2017. It would have fit more neatly in the overall MCU storyline and given a decent character the movie she deserved. Because the film essentially retrofits Natasha's origin story into a world in which she presumably no longer play a part, much of the emotional weight of her character falls a little flat. Still, this Bond-esque thriller is an enjoyable time at the theater, with enough action and humor to keep you engaged throughout.