Rate and Review Black Widow!

[Mysteryman]

Anybody want to give this a 10 out of 10?

 

[Primal Slayer]

I'd give it a solid 8. A little over the top in some areas, a little bit to disney in others but over all very solid.

 

[Silver Surfer]

I just got back from the IMAX screening. I enjoyed it a great deal, some weaknesses but overall a very good and enjoyable movie.

Pros

Scarlett is amazing, she kills it as Widow.

Pugh's character was very well written and performed, she isn't the sex-bomb that Natasha is but she will be a worthy and different potential successor.

The chemistry the two sisters have is special, I hope they find a way for the two of them to share the screen again.

The family dynamic was better than I thought it was going to be, not a lot of campiness.

The movie has really dark elements early on, human trafficking, child exploitation etc, was not expecting that.

MCU worthy action.

Cons

Taskmaster - I went in with low expectations for Taskmaster and even those were too high.

There is no purpose to the character and his skill set might as well not exist.

Not enough humour, I find that the humour in the film worked really well as Pugh has great dead-pan comedic touch. Needed more of it.


Overall, it's a top 12ish MCU movie, very much recommended.
4/5

 

[samsnee]

Drakhov was also just one big exposition monologue scene. I didn’t ever really feel he was a threat because his presence was never really felt.

 

[Solaire]

7/10. The beginning was easily the best part of the movie for me. Everything else was just good. I saw why nobody was really praising Tasky, a shame.

 

[Steyin]

7/10

Definitely should have come before IW, but a lot of this film felt forced, or that it was trying too hard. Disappointed with Taskmaster and Red Guardian's usage, or lack of more so. Pretty average Marvel film, no desire to see it again really.

 

[Web-Head]

Alright, after my second viewing here are my thoughts

Black Widow is action packed and offers some of the best action the MCU has to offer - at least early on. The first two encounters with Taskmaster are really well done and so is the fight between Nat and Yelena.

Finally giving the spotlight to Natasha Romanoff and what a way for Scarlett to go out. She's never been better in the role.

I didn't mind what they did with Taskmaster but I can't help but think they could have done more or used someone else entirely. Dreykov was good and felt like a Bond villain but needed to be fleshed out a little more. I will say

Spoiler

the scenes between him and Natasha in the control room did not disappoint though. Probably one of my favorite scenes in the MCU so far

I would have liked to have seen a little more from Red Guardian here too. Overall I really enjoyed it, but maybe not one of the better solo films in the MCU. I really wish we could have gotten a Natasha trilogy because if this was the starting point then it could have rivaled Captain America for the best MCU trilogy.

 

[Calvin Ellis]

Wasn't a great movie but wasn't terrible either. This movie is just a few years too late I'm afraid.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

I get the feeling this is going to be one of my lesser favorite MCU solo films down the line, but as of right now I would give it like a solid 7 because I did enjoy it enough overall.

 

[Superark]

It was alright. Gave it a 5. Not my least favorite MCU film. That honor still goes to Captain Marvel, Iron Man 2, and Spiderman Far From Home, all of which were dreadful.

I will say, the opening credits was probably my favorite MCU opening. The Nirvana cover with the training montage was simply breathtaking. I got chills and it was incredibly emotional for an MCU movie.

I loved Florence as Yelena. She was the highlight of the film. All I could think of was how much of a better black widow she would have been if she was old enough for the part years ago. I felt she completely outshined Scarlet here.

David was funny too as the Red Guardian. Wish we saw more of him. Overall the family dynamics were fun.

 

[Holy Slapper]

"Mitä me tehään nyt?"

FINNS RUSH TO THE MARKETPLACE!

I quite enjoyed this. John Campea wasn't wrong when he said the family elements were the best part. A very solid 8½/10 for me. Other than seeing the character's introduction in an Avengers comic published in Finland, I have no attachment to Taskmaster so...meh. Post-credit scene more or less broke me... Campea may claim she's coming back but unless they show the whole Budapest thing, no....

 

[Primal Slayer]

Scarlett has said that she's done so....I dont see why she'd pull a Cher so soon.

 

[zephyrinthesky]

Having wanted this movie for ages, I REALLY wanted to like it more. And honestly the first two acts with Nat and Yelena exploring their grievances are great. You can understand why both characters have serious trust issues.

But the third act falls apart because Marvel couldn’t help itself but need a giant CGI battle in the sky where everyone leaves happily ever after.

6.5 or 7.0 out of 10.

 

[Asharad]

But the third act falls apart because Marvel couldn’t help itself but need a giant CGI battle in the sky .

I enjoyed watching gravity pull things at different speeds. Most of the steel fell slower than Black Widow.

 

[Batmannerism]

7/10, but the only thing holding it together was a strong performance from Scarjo as Nat. I feel like the creative team copied a lot of beats from the Winter Soldier and had some good ideas but couldn't execute them at more than a passable level- which really highlights just how good the Russo brothers were, had they worked with this material....I have no doubt it would have been an unmitigated triumph.

I've read lots of reviews stating that Pugh was the MVP and I respectfully disagree.

The first 45 minutes was pretty solid and tonally consistent. There are a couple of bits where Nat walks away from impacts that would have killed any human, but hey it's a superhero film. That opening sequence nicely establishes the characters.

The dynamic between Scarjo and Pugh felt a little awkward at times, but when things really start to struggle is about an hour in, with the Red Guardian Rescue - because the tone shifts to the ridiculous. Up until this point the film's been pretty serious with a little bit of humour to keep the tone from getting too heavy.

In any action thriller you need moments of levity but good writers and directors are restrained with these so they don't undermine the overall tension of the film.

The "family reunion" was such a glaring tonal shift, only Scarjo's acting kept that scene from becoming a total farce - and undermines the solid introduction the film had so ably set up.

Pugh lost me here, coming across as an angry teenager - rather than a highly trained professional assassin and spy, someone who should be able to put feelings aside for the sake of a mission.
The suggestion that no one told her that life in Ohio was fake is just ridiculous, I mean haven't they already discussed that, or that she couldn't figure it out ( given the manner of their departure) or she was stubbornly holding on to the belief it was real...all of those suggest she's stupid as well as immature.

The pacing also slows to a crawl here, and while it was necessary to slow down a bit before the 3rd act I felt all the momentum slip away - and I was grateful when the fighting started so that the awkward family conversations could stop.

These are all things a better writing team and director could have avoided. This also plays out in the action; there are some slick moves but overall the fights don't have much of a narrative, they're just punching and kicking until someone has had enough.

When Nat fights the controlled widows, 3 of them attack while the rest watch- one of the worst tropes from old king fu movies. And of course Nat displays a healing factor to rival Wolverine, as the intense beating she took from the Widows doesn't slow her down at all, nor impact her mobility at all in the final fight with Taskmistress.

Something else worth thinking about is Melina's role in the overall story. She was complicit in procuring and enslaving young women for Dreykov, she masterminded the mind control tech ( and she tortured pigs, and I'm not okay with that).
In many ways, she's nearly as much the villain as Dreykov yet the story gives her a pass - because she turns on him and helps Nat.

Dreykov was a typically detestable villain, in the hands of a capable actor, but barely in the film.
The pheromone lock ? Really, Nat is able to sever a nerve by head butting a table ? I've had my nose broken by a punch and could still smell ( although at the time that was the least of my problems).
Surely there was a smarter way to do all this.

The big CGI fest at the end was typical MCU, but not one of their better ones.

The Taskmistress gender swap didn't really bother me, although the original character is interesting enough not to require it, I can see why it was done to fit the character into the story. Waste of an actress of Kurylenko's talent though.


So in summary, a decent action thriller with a good lead, but not the best of the MCU by any measure.
Where it falls apart are the writing and pacing- probably because Disney gave a 200 mil$ project to folks with very little pedigree.

All in all it felt like a film whose main purpose was to set up Pugh as Scarjo's replacement , which it achieved. I feel like with a smarter writing team and director could have done better.

There are a few very similar beats to the Winter Soldier , but unfortunately they aren't done as effectively and as a result none of the key moments are anywhere near as satisfying.

 

[zephyrinthesky]

I enjoyed watching gravity pull things at different speeds. Most of the steel fell slower than Black Widow.

It felt like Marvel just wanted to blow stupid amounts of money for a VFX action sequence, even though the setting adds nothing to the movie. An underground bunker in the middle of Russia (AKA literally hell for the Widows) would have made a lot more sense and could’ve looked great.

 

[psylockolussus]

Wasn't a great movie but wasn't terrible either. This movie is just a few years too late I'm afraid.

It should have been out after Civil War or Avengers 1.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I want to like this film.

There's a lot to like.

But by the end...

It was mostly in one ear and out the other.

It's not terrible but the past is prologue... Like 50% of the MCU this was a rather mediocre time waster and not much else... Besides being part of the usual machined to a Nth of it's life marketing approach to Easter eggs and what not.

 

[Mysteryman]

5 out of 10. Average to meh.

Most of the actors were wasted. Wait for it on free streaming.

How much higher would your rating be if Taskmaster was represented, without changes?

 

[Spider-Fan]

I will write a proper review another day, but this film had some amazing character work. I was very moved several times while watching them talk about family dynamics and not keeping in contact and such. Hit me in the feels. Far outweighs the actual plot driven stuff

 

[moviefan757]

8/10

I really enjoyed the movie. Plays better when you view it as a continuation to Civil War. Great send for Natasha and fantastic intro for Yelana.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

I liked Black Widow, give it a 8/10

The film had some Winter Soldier vibes which I really liked and I loved the family dynamic of Natasha, Yelena, Alexei & Melina. Hope to see more of Alexei down the line. The opening and scenes that took place in Budapest and when breaking out Alexei were the biggest standouts

The climax went a little over the top for me with the mid air battles and Taskmasker was a gigantic middle finger to fans of the character. Such a waste. Almost Mandarin level bad

 

[Dugath]

Between work and kids I need to watch this in bits. About a 3rd of the way in and I am so uninterested. Maybe it will get a bit better for me shrug. Might be because I do not really care for BW as a character also this just does not feel like a Marvel file so far, more like just some generic action film.

And I still hate the look they gave Taskmaster, only reason I am interested is I am curious where they go with him, tried to avoid any spoilers but begining to think it would not matter much.

Edit: Well.. MCU has done some great things. Comics have been a big thing of my young life (I am old now lol) MCU has managed to bring a lot of joy into my heart the last fews years. Not to say they have not messed up here or there.. and I just googled Taskmaster in thie movie and well.. major F-up. They should have just made a new character rather than bending over a clasic like TM

 

[Drizzle]

I liked it a lot, and I'd rank it as a middle-of-the-road MCU solo movie like Doctor Strange or Captain Marvel. Scarlett was on point here, even though I still think her best performance as the character was in Endgame, and David Harbour and Rachel Weisz were great as well but the real star for me was Florence Pugh as Yelena. I definitely can't wait to see more from her in the future of the MCU.

 

[WeaponXCII]

I thoroughly enjoyed almost everything about Black Widow from beginning to end. Those opening credits were by far the best I've seen in the MCU, and maybe even anything. Smells Like Teen Spirit was a fitting choice, and I loved the arrangement- both the music and score were great. I've watched and listened to the credits, and song several times today. The direction was done well, as well as the screenwriting (tight and polished), editing, and cinematography- Marvel seems to really be doing better with color grading. And it really is a unique movie. When I wasn't saying "God, it's been so long!", I was saying "God, this feels nothing like what we've seen in the MCU!" It really does play like a Bond movie. With such serious subject matter (I felt like this was the most mature MCU film so far), Marvel definitely avoided their frequent pitfall of humor undercutting dramatic moments. The performances were great; in addition to the chemistry of the "family", I thought that Kurylenko was great with what little she did have. That was some great non-verbal acting with her expression- or, rather, lack of one. I absolutely bought that she was her character. The pacing was great, and the movie concluded in what felt like a very short time. The movie itself is very standalone- I initially thought too much, but I think I'm changing my mind. Overall, there was just so much to enjoy.

The flaws, I thought, were few and far between. The villains felt a little shallow, or "Phase One", but that could have been that they just needed to be given more to do. The accents, maybe could have been better at points. While Marvel might have been aiming for a misdirect, to me, the villain reveal was a bit telegraphed. There wasn't a lot to find fault in it, though.

Right now, I'd say I would give it about an 8 out of 10.