Review: 'Black Widow' is a compelling character study obscured by its bombastic approach

Black Widow
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Cate Shortland
Writer: Jac Schaeffer, Ned Benson, Eric Pearson, Stan Lee, Don Heck, Don Rico
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: Having sided with Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff is a fugitive on the run once again.

Review: I’ve been clamoring for a Black Widow film since the moment Scarlett Johansson appeared as the character in 2010’s “Iron Man 2.” A decade really isn't that long unless you consider that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has released 20 films since 2010. 20 films, that’s a lifetime in MCU years. I envisioned a Black Widow film as something smaller, intimate, and far more grounded than a traditional Marvel film. It would be like the vibe of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” with a heavy influence from James Mangold’s “Logan.” A somber exploration of Natasha’s evolution from assassin to hero. A journey of unquestioning faith, disillusionment, and self-rediscovery.

I wanted a story that was about the fate of a woman. Not a story that was about the end of the world.

There certainly are aspects of that narrative in “Black Widow.” We see pieces of Natasha’s childhood and how some of those moments reverberate in the woman she has become. We meet her “family;” younger sister Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), mother Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), father Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), and all the baggage and trauma that comes with them. There are some incredibly effective moments in the flashback scenes at the beginning of the narrative that grounds the film as it transitions into a fairly traditional action film where emotional depth is obscured by humor and obstructed by massive explosions. Most of the humor feels appropriate. I’d pull back on the explosions, they’re superfluous to the meat of the story.

Yes, that's me asking a comic book movie to be less comic booky. I recognize the absurdity.

Pugh is one of the best actresses working in film and it should be obvious why Yelena is given almost as much face time as Natasha. Weisz’s Vostokoff is innately more interesting than character because she reveals less than Harbour’s Shostakov, who tends to ramble in the sort of way that that makes what he says seem less important than it really is.

The film is a little strange in that its villain, Dreykov (Ray Winstone), is rarely present. He looms like a puppet master just out of the frame. It’s a particularly wise decision. I’ll let you figure out why.

I feel like the final act missed a few opportunities and a little ambiguity would have gone a long way to set up a more impactful story down the line.

It’s hard not to view “Black Widow” as the character’s swan song and while a post-credit scene pushes us into the present, it should be remembered that Natasha was given a more respectful and powerful adieu in “Avengers: Endgame.”

At least that’s what I’m telling myself because I hated the post-credit scene and I’m worried about the direction that Marvel is heading in for “Hawkeye” and Phase 4 in general. It’s very early in the game and I want to believe that the twist and turns will eventually win me over.

Ultimately, “Black Widow” is a bigger spectacle than I wanted but it is effective enough to serve as a bridge to the future we know and the adventures that we’ve yet to experience.