Cate Shortland’s Black Widow is an action-packed, emotional tale detailing the traumatic past of the MCU’s first female hero: Natasha Romanoff. The 2021 Disney Marvel flick dares to be bold and daring with its innovative themes of trafficking and emotional abuse but ultimately ends up succumbing to the pitfalls of Marvel genericness.

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Cate Shortland’s Black Widow is an action-packed, emotional tale detailing the traumatic past of the MCU’s first female hero: Natasha Romanoff. The 2021 Disney Marvel flick dares to be bold and daring with its innovative themes of trafficking and emotional abuse but ultimately ends up succumbing to the pitfalls of Marvel genericness. Sloppy CGI and a slightly bloated second act keep Natasha Romanoff’s swan song from being a truly top-tier Marvel adventure.

It is no secret that Scarlet Johansson was desperate to lay all of her super spy’s secrets out on the table and with her final outing, the years of hints and teases were answered. However, knowing the tragic fate of the MCU veteran left all these reveals and answers feeling antiquated and frankly five years too late. Coming hot on the tails of the boundary-pushing Wandavision, Black Widow was simply not ambitious enough for this new era of Marvel.

However, Cate Shortland’s raw, unfiltered direction style brings brutality and viciousness to this new corner of the MCU. Gone are the days of hyper-sexualized, balletic fight scenes from Iron Man 2 in favor of fight choreography that will surely have audiences wincing in the theatre. This new brutality in the action scenes and an emotional story detailing trauma making women stronger, I would consider it one of Marvel’s more painful and harrowing tales.

The key highlight of this film, however, were the performances. In her final outing, Scarlett Johansson built the role of Natasha in the way she had always wanted and her comfortableness in the role exudes in this movie. She is never asked to step outside her comfort zone, but she carries the movie with the grace and poise of someone who knows Natasha Romanoff inside out. The real star of the movie however comes in the form of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova who brings a viciousness but also a child-like naivety to the new Black Widow. Her action scenes, comedic scenes, and dramatic scenes are all handled with the skill and precision of a seasoned MCU star, which is impressive considering it is Pugh’s first outing in the role. There is no doubt that Belova is sure to be the next big Marvel hero. David Harbour and Rachel Weisz are, as always, charming, and effervescent on-screen with supporting roles that beg to be further explored.

The central theme of abuse in the movie was handled well by Shortland for a movie intended to appeal to an all-ages audience and that is no better exemplified than by the opening credit sequence which was truly revelatory for the MCU. Pugh delivers a heart-wrenching monologue in the second act that makes the threat of trafficking feel just as terrifying as any CGI monster or alien in this fictionalized world.

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However, for all of its well-developed themes, Black Widow is severely lacking in a strong central villain. Taskmaster’s introductory scene on the bridge was an excellent first scene for what was sure to be a top-tier Marvel baddie, but unfortunately, the precision and choreography from the bridge battle was never topped again in the two-hour run time. Making Taskmaster another victim of the Red Room was a smart concept and thematically made the movie richer as Natasha found herself battling the very demon she had run from for so long. However, a lack of screen time and lack of internal motivation to develop this revisionist Taskmaster left me feeling more than underwhelmed by Black Widow’s antagonist.

All in all, as a long time Natasha Romanoff fan nothing made me more excited than getting to see the nuts and bolts of what makes our favourite Russian spy tick. But sloppy CGI and a release date that was frankly five years too late, left me feeling underwhelmed by Natasha Romanoff’s final outing. However, brutal action choreography, a haunting score, and a stellar performance by Florence Pugh makes Black Widow a sweet experience for MCU fans. Although, the revelation that Johansson’s pleads for a solo movie ended up being a set-up for Pugh’s Belova going forward did leave a salty aftertaste.