Black Widow (2021)

Director: Cate Shortland
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour
Runtime: 133 minutes

Synopsis: A film about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity War.

Verdict: Introduced during the early stages of the MCU's inception, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow quickly grew to become a fan favorite and, for a long time, remained the only female member of The Avengers. Girls all over the world looked up to her as she stood her ground in this exclusive boys’ club, so much so that they had rightfully been campaigning for a solo movie for their heroine for years.

Their wish was finally granted 10 years after her big-screen debut in "Iron Man 2" in what unfortunately feels more like an entry in the MCU made more out of obligation than anything else. It was very clear from the get-go that “Black Widow” would be more filler than substance, and that its non-existent personality would turn it into a tedious, forgettable watch. This becomes even more evident as the narrative - which contains every cliché of a disposable early-2000s action flick – unfolds, giving the stage to weak hand-to-hand combat scenes, timid attempts at expanding on Natasha’s past, and a comedic tone that does nothing but bring down the dynamic shared between the main characters. David Harbour and Rachel Weisz’s inclusion in the film is wasted, with the first mostly serving as comic relief and the second severely lacking any form of development, while Florence Pugh’s addition was diluted by a distracting Russian accent and some questionable line deliveries.

The lack of stakes, uninteresting villains, and typical third-act shenanigans that have now become trademarks of the MCU are all there, making “Black Widow” yet another entry that entirely relies on its big names to sell tickets (or streams, depending on how you choose to watch it). The only stand out to me were the opening credits, which is not nearly enough to reignite my love for the franchise that has been fading away for years now.

FINAL GRADE: 5/10