Black Widow is releasing July 9th. No kidding this time. We have been teased for this film’s release since before Covid and it is now here. Nothing kicks off the summer film season like a Marvel movie. We have all been excited about a return to the theater but now it feels official. Black Widow – the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe— will launch simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access in most Disney+ markets on July 9, 2021.
Origin films are a chance to get a deep dive into our favorite characters. Find out what motivates them or in some instance what has closed them off to the rest of the world emotionally. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) aka Black Widow has been a prominent member of the Avengers and one of my favorite characters. I am not sure if that is more about the persona or the fact that I just really like Johansson. She is strong in spirit but carries with that an inner vulnerability that makes her personable and relatable. Scarlett has used that ability to make Romanoff believable and get us to join her mission. Which if you think about it is one of Black Widow’s greatest assets. Lull men into a false security so they are willing to tell her anything. SJ is the perfect actress to do that.
This film takes place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Romanoff is on the run and decides to take out a nemesis from her past. This gives us a chance to visit her childhood through minor flashbacks. We know that she was a spy before becoming an Avenger. What we didn’t know is how horrible the organization is that molded her, and how maniacal its leader is. Natasha now has the chance to shut it all down and get her revenge.
There is a lot about family in this one and it is easy to say that the story is just as much about the other characters as it is Romanoffs. Yelena (Florence Pugh) is Natasha’s sister who still works for the group that destroyed their family. Yelena is more than willing to help Romanoff bring it down. Yelena is a deep character and we get a lot about her drive and motivation in this film. It is not a stretch to say that we may get more of her in future films or even a Disney+ series. It helps that Pugh is fantastic in the role.
We also meet Romanoff’s “parents”. Those the industry assigned to raise her. It felt like family and much of that hurt and pain motivates her still. One of the best characters in the film is Alexei (David Harbour) the only father the girls have known. They elicit his help on this new mission and have to move past the betrayal and deep rooted angst. Alexei is just excited to have the gang together again and his ego and vanity clouds his ability to see much else. But this is all very light and adds humor to the story. There is a lot about his character that I will not go into here. Many comic’s fans may know about him, but it was fun for me to find it out here. So I will not spoil the juicy bits.
Rachel Weisz is Melina the mother figure. Her role to me is the weakest and even though Weisz is professionally perfect as always the character has very little meat on the bone. I understand her place in all this but this show is all about the girls and pop.
Plenty of action in this one and the stunts and visuals are grand. If I am honest it didn’t feel to me like a MCU film. It was a lot of fun and enjoyable but it could have been just another action flick. There is very little – other than Natasha – to ground it to the other world. It might not be worth mentioning but I thought I would. This film kicks off Phase 4 so I wanted more of a wallop. I am being overly critical for sure. It really is a lot of fun.
BLACK WIDOW releases simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9, 2021. Where should you watch it? With the price that D+ is charging for Premier Access and the fact that theaters are now open, and this is a Marvel film.. it is a no brainer that this be seen on the large screen. I give it a B- for bravery. This film took a few chances and it seems to have paid off.
CREDIT CLIP – Stay around for the mid-credits clip!! The short scene in the middle of credits says so much about the future of this story. Don’t miss it! Without spoiling anything I will say that it packs even more of a punch if you are current on all the Disney+ Marvel series. Enjoy!!
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