(M) ★★★½
Director: Cate Shortland
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt.
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| "No. We're not leaving until we hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya'." |
It's taken 11 years, but the first female Avenger of the MCU has finally gotten her moment in the sun. Black Widow AKA Natasha Romanoff has been an increasingly integral player in the franchise since her debut in Iron Man 2, but has played second fiddle to Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and even Bruce Banner for much of that time.
Not anymore. Here we get to see why Romanoff is regarded as a deadly assassin, where she came from, and why she has so much "red in her ledger". It's an origin story without totally playing out like one, but it's also a hard-punching spy thriller with a strong central theme, even if it's much-feted family dynamic feels a likely wonky at times.
Following on from the events of Captain America: Civil War, Romanoff (Johansson) is on the run, having helped Steve Rogers and co make their escapes from Team Iron Man. Black Widow goes into hiding but a mysterious killer named Taskmaster tracks her down, unravelling Romanoff's past in the process and putting her on a collision course with the organisation that created her. It also brings her back into contact with people she cared for but left behind - fellow Black Widow Yelena Belova (Pugh), scientist Melina (Weisz), and Russia's answer to Captain America, The Red Guardian (Harbour).
Aussie indie director Shortland gives the film a feel and look that, for the most part, is unlike any other MCU film - a sizeable feat 24 (!) films into the series She embraces the spy-thriller nature of the story, slinking through back streets and hideouts in between a full-throttle chase and a string of impressive fight sequences worthy of a Bourne film. Her reliance on the shaky shots and quick edits almost strays into "too-much" territory, but Shortland manages to stay largely on the right side of the line.
For someone who had never staged a major action CG-FX set-piece before, Shortland knocks it out of the park. A battle involving a helicopter, Black Widow taking on a room full of adversaries, and a final insane gravity-defying coup de grace are all incredible; an excellent blend of stuntwork, FX, and Shortland keeping everything together.
It's funny then that the parts where the indie director should have excelled, ie. the relationships, is the part where the film is weakest. The family dynamic between Romanoff, Yelena, Melina and The Red Guardian is interesting, but doesn't ring true in places. Betrayal, guilt and hurt are too easily swept aside for the convenience of plot, or forgiveness is found too easily - a cringe-worthy scene involving the song American Pie is a key example.
But thematically the film is strong. The whole family thing has been done better in a couple of Fast & Furious films, but the movie's ideas around men controlling women are fascinating. It's very easy to view the film as a big-budget take on the #MeToo movement, patriarchy and misogyny, which might have resonated even more strongly had the film been release in May last year, as was initially intended. These themes add a weight to the movie that in many ways is different to anything else in the MCU.
However the big bad, played by Winstone with an horrific Russian accent, will not rank in the annals of great MCU villains. He's highly forgettable, and wouldn't even crack this list of the top 25 MCU baddies, despite the power he wields and the way he fits into the aforementioned theme. At least Taskmaster looks cool and is in some cool fights.
There is much to love about Black Widow. It's weak spots make it fall short of being the full-blooded solo adventure the character so richly deserved, but it's far from disappointing. Stylistically and thematically, it holds its head high.
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