Black Thoughts

I expected that Black Widow would have a bit of "halo" to it -- as one of the few big, brazen action movies released in more than a year (and for many, the first movie seen in a theater in more than a year), it was likely to be the beneficiary of goodwill. It might seem better than it is. So pronounced was this effect, though, that I'm finding the movie almost has a "half life." It struck me as pretty damn entertaining in the immediate aftermath of seeing it, but my opinion has faded quickly in the hours and days since.

Black Widow is still decent enough. Scarlett Johansson has always been one of the better parts of the MCU, handling all the action with skill, and infusing the quieter moments her character was often given just as easily. It was a no-brainer to give her and her character her own movie... but apparently, there was "no brain" driving this aspect of the decision making for years and years.

The cast is mostly good. Florence Pugh is the best addition as Natasha's sister Yelena. She plays very well off of Scarlett Johansson, has her same skill with both the drama and the action, and is also the source of most of the movie's legitimately funny comedic moments. Those two are so strong together, in fact, that when the movie expands to include their mother and father, played by Rachel Weisz and David Harbour, it only dilutes the hyper-effective pairing. The movie begins to decline.

Actually, the main problem is in the writing of Harbour's character, Alexei. (A few small spoilers here, if you want to skip this paragraph.) It's pretty hard to connect the dots between the Alexei we see in the opening flashback and the Homer Simpson-esque goober we get later in the movie. Modern Alexei is a sitcom cliche (fat dummy with a smart wife). There are Marvel movies that could take on his tone (imagine Alexei hanging out with the Guardians of the Galaxy, or the newer Thor), but Black Widow doesn't set itself up to be that movie. Its themes, its main character... everything is fundamentally too serious. Alexei is probably being made such a clown to amplify the powerful women here, but his antics deflate the stakes and bring everything down with him in the process.

The movie is also held at "good but not great" for being quite predictable throughout. I suppose the good side of that is that what could have been an overly convoluted plot is actually quite straightforward and easy to follow. But nothing happens that you won't see coming a mile off.

Then, of course, there's the tidbit that many critics have picked up on in their reviews: this movie should have been made years ago. Literally, it falls between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, so it should have been made years ago. (Though we wouldn't have gotten Florence Pugh, so at least one part was worth the wait.) Better late than never, I suppose. But this movie definitely arrives late (and COVID has little to do with that).

Overall, I'd call Black Widow a B-. It's perfectly watchable, and not truly in the "lower tier" of MCU movies. But I also feel like the character and Scarlett Johansson deserved better.