Black Widow

For fans of Black Widow and everyone else, this episode is great fun and Harbour could well ascend to spinoff greatness of his own. It shouldn't really have taken 11 years for the Widow to get her own standalone adventure. But thanks to some zesty new character dynamics and smart twists, Marvel have finally done her right. Whether the narrative is in amped-up overdrive or idling, the director and her magnetic cast keep us fully invested in their cautious reconnection and their ability to survive a series of life-threatening encounters. Marvel's Black Widow is a strong solo superhero effort that feels both timely and also way too late.

This is a super solid, fun, well choreographed action entry in the Marvel universe. Very similar feel to the winter soldier and civil war. Acting is great, fight scenes are awesome, and the humor is well timed and refreshing.

After all these years, Black Widow finally gets her own standalone movie and... it's okay. I actually found Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz to be entertaining additions, but the story felt cobbled together and it was riddled with plot holes. I know Natasha is a very skilled assassin, for instance, but she's almost invulnerable in this. It probably would have been better to give Black Widow her solo film a year or two after Iron Man 2 came out.

Rewatching this film was something I needed-because now I appreciate it far more than before, despite all the flaws working against it.

The CGI, for example, hasn't aged well at all; it's still bad. Some scenes needed more polish, and it was even used for things that felt unnecessary.

As for the story, the villain should've had a stronger presence throughout. The transition from the second to third act was anticlimactic. Alexei's character honestly struck me as annoying, disruptive, and completely pointless. And the Red Room's metaphor for human and child trafficking of girls was something I wish it had been explored more deeply across the entire narrative.

Despite that, I've grown to appreciate the action and characters far more: Natasha and Yelena shine. The action truly excels in the hand-to-hand combat scenes, which were the highlights.

Florence Pugh as Yelena was the perfect casting choice. They gave her character so much charisma, personality, and layers that it was impossible not to love her-and to want more of her in future MCU films or shows. Her chemistry with Scarlett as sisters is heartfelt and portrayed flawlessly.

Natasha Romanoff feels like a completely different character compared to her past MCU appearances-and that's a good thing. Here, Natasha has far more depth: her vulnerability, regret, anger, determination, sadness, tastes, goals, and dreams are all explored. This version of Natasha was a joy to meet, and I'd have loved even more of her. With her rich backstory, she deserved a full trilogy. We'll miss you, Black Widow.

Black Widow ( Scarlett Johansson) must deal with a villain from her past and her long-absent family.

LOUD, confusing and far too long. It starts off OK but quickly falls apart and becomes confusing and convoluted. The film is also way too long--it doesn't need to run over 2 hours. There's also tons of CGI at the end--way too much. The acting is OK. In short a long forgettable MCU movie.