Black Widow: Marvel is Back on the Big Screen!

Watching Black Widow in an IMAX theater on opening weekend was a grand experience. The theater was mostly full, the audience was excited, and once the movie started, there was lots of laughter, cheering, and whooping as the events unfolded in classic Marvel fashion. After a month of going to see some lovely movies in mostly empty theaters, I finally felt like I had had the complete cinematic experience. And remembered what a difference it makes to watch a Marvel movie in a theater versus trying to watch one of their TV series on Disney+ at home.

First off, this is the first Marvel movie directed by a woman, Cate Shortland, and THANK GOD. Marvel had gotten a lot of flack for never having a female character star in a standalone film (which they finally rectified in 2019 with Captain Marvel) and it's unfortunate that the next one we got is a prequel of sorts since Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff died in Avengers: Endgame (spoiler alert? You should have known that going in, come on). So it's a little bittersweet, but Shortland takes this material, this incredible cast, and runs away with it. Scarlett Johansson reprises her role (presumably for the final time?) as Natasha and Florence Pugh is introduced (presumably not for the final time?) as her younger sister, Yelena. We also have Rachel Weisz and David Harbour playing their "parents," and that's about all I'm willing to tell you about the plot. While there are a lot of references to events from other Marvel films (this film takes place shortly after Captain America: Civil War), you don't really need to remember anything (I certainly didn't!) to sit back and enjoy. Because this is a tour-de-force action movie and you've got a wild ride ahead.

Much like when Wonder Woman came out, I was re-reminded of how excellent it is when we get to see women fight on screen. There is so much inventive stunt choreography going on here, with Johansson and Pugh doing a lot of stunts themselves but also relying on some incredible stuntwomen along the way. And as the plot of this movie hinges on a whole cadre of women like them who have been trained to be assassins, you are going to be treated to multiple action sequences where women are just whaling on each other or other people who can't stand a chance, and it is oh-so gratifying. Everyone gives as good as they get, and I always enjoy how women have a lot less ego about how they look in fight scenes - if they're ultimately meant to win the fight, they don't care if they get roughed up along the way, and that allows for a much more realistic and tense scene as you watch these battles take place. And don't fret, it isn't just all hand-to-hand combat - there are a lot of helicopters and cars and dazzling sequences of sliding along bannisters and roofs to make quick getaways as well.

Finally, this is a Marvel movie, so it is funny. Written by Eric Pearson, the script zips along but always takes time to breathe and throw in those comedic beats that are so crucial to ensuring that Marvel characters don't take themselves too seriously. There's a whole thing about how Natasha "poses" when she's in a fight, there's a lot of sibling rivalry and banter between the two sisters, and David Harbour has a nice time chewing the scenery with a character who is slightly pathetic and being rapidly left behind in the new world order. So watch Black Widow. There's action, there's intrigue, there are laughs, and there are a lot of women violently and emphatically taking down the patriarchy. It's exactly what we need.