The Mosley Review: Black Widow

I know I'm like the rest of you in wondering why it took this long to get a solo story for one of Marvel's most prominent characters. As we all know, nothing happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe happens without it being strategically timed out. Each film in the MCU has successfully slipped into a different genre and this entry was no different. I loved that we get further into her childhood and how much she tried to hang on to as much innocence as possible. The espionage angle has been tapped into before with Captain America: Winter Soldier, but this film had it's own identity. At its core, its a somewhat sad and brutal family spy drama that takes a look at the darker side of espionage world and the damage it does. I loved that this film also took its time with the character development in between the action sequences. Honestly, if this film only had no action scenes and was a straight up drama, I’d be down with it.

Scarlett Johansson was excellent once again as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. You see more of the pain she has suppressed from her past and how it hurts her as each wound gets reopened. The dynamic of her character has changed over the years and this film solidifies why she was one of the most complex. Florence Pugh was fantastic as her younger adopted sister Yelena Belova and I loved their chemistry. They may have been through the same atrocities of their training to become assassins, but through her eyes you see and feel it more. Even though their relationship is estranged, they felt like real sisters. David Harbour plays their father figure Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian and he was having so much fun. David plays him up as a sort of stereotypical Russian operative in the beginning, but there is a bumbling charm to him. He may have been a terrible parent when he gave his daughters away, but there is still the fatherly love he shares for them. I would've liked to have seen him in his prime as the Red Guardian and not the punching bag he is in the film. Rachel Weisz plays their mother figure Melina Vostokoff and I thought she was fascinating. She comes off heartwarming in the beginning and then when you see her again, she is quite cold. Its an excellent balancing act she plays with the character and I can't really say if I liked the character that much. They are all a perfect example of a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. Ray Winstone was perfectly vicious and pure evil as the villain General Dreykov. Amongst all the villains the MCU has seen, this guy was the nastiest and there is nothing forgivable about him. I liked that we got to the source of the Black Widow program and how scary it is. The scenes between him and Natasha were the most intense and violent in my opinion.

The score by Lorne Balfe was good and kept the action intense with his tonal score. The action in this film is up there in the collection of greatness the MCU provides with all of their films. What I liked about the majority of them is that there is still practical techniques used instead of overly CGI layered visuals. You feel every punch to the face or fall to the ground from all heights. As far as the film side of the MCU, this was a welcomed and more brutal addition that I think has a chance of secretly being one of the best. Do stick around until the very end for the end credits scene and if you've been watching the Marvel tv series on Disney+, then this will be the first film to reward you. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!