Marvel’s first cinematic release in over two years is certainly worth the wait, as Scarlett Johansson’s much-anticipated solo film entertainingly combines the spy and superhero genres, while also incorporating all of the action, emotion, character development and humour that we’ve come to expect from the MCU.

Premise: Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is on the run from the authorities for breaching the Sokovia Accords. But she is soon forced to confront her past as an assassin, leading to reunions with the spies she lived with during her childhood deep-cover mission (Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz), and the Russian general responsible for the “Red Room” assassin-training programme (Ray Winstone).

Review:

We all know that the gap between the end of “Phase 3” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home) and the start of “Phase 4” has been far longer than anyone ever expected (even if Phase 4 did eventually kick-off on the small screen earlier this year with WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Loki on Disney+). It’s perhaps ironic then, that the first cinematic release of Phase 4 is a backwards-looking prequel, rather than an exploration of the new world created after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

There’s always a risk with prequels that there’s going to be an inherent lack of drama and tension in seeing a story which you know will have no real, tangible impact on the subsequent events seen in stories set later (but filmed earlier). And while Black Widow does suffer from some of the inherent problems effecting prequels (such as the fact that none of the characters or events in this film have – so far – ever been referenced to by anyone in any of the later films), it does find interesting ways to keep the audience engaged throughout.

“…in many ways, this is one of the darkest MCU films to date…”

Key to the film’s success is its focus on emotion and character development. We have already seen how the version of Natasha Romanoff portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the more recent MCU films is a much more rounded and emotionally-open character than she was in the earlier films, and so Black Widow can show some of the events and relationships that contributed to her character growth during this time. This focus on character over plot allows the film to show an emotionally important unseen chapter from Natasha’s life, even if (plot-wise) the events of this film have not impacted on the wider MCU at all (so far).

The film’s commitment to emotional-based storytelling is clear from the opening scenes and title sequence, which focus on the young Natasha’s (played by Ever Anderson) childhood deep-cover mission as part of a sleeper-cell of Russian agents embedded in America. That three year mission had a lasting effect on all involved, but perhaps none more so that Yelena (played as an adult by Florence Pugh), who was only 3 years old when she was assigned to play Natasha’s “younger sister”. But the film does not shy away from exploring what happened to Natasha and Yelena after their deep-cover mission ended, or what happened to all of the vulnerable, defenceless girls that were subjected to the “Red Room” programme. In many ways, Black Widow is one of the darkest MCU films to date, as for all the humour and heroics (and there are plenty of both), the film also touches (in a 12A-rated way) on human trafficking, and the mental and physical abuse and exploitation of young girls. While some of this may go over younger viewers’ heads, some of the subject matter is genuinely upsetting.

“…Florence Pugh is an absolute revelation…”

That said, this is still a 12A-rated MCU film, so if you have children who have been mature enough to see the earlier MCU films, this may not be any less suitable for them. As is often the case in the MCU films, the darker elements of the plot are counterbalanced by humour, which in this case is largely provided by David Harbour and Florence Pugh. Harbour plays Alexei, who was assigned the father-role during their deep-cover assignment in the 90s, and who since then has spent his time reliving his “glory days” as Red Guardian, the Russian rival to Captain America (not that, as someone points out during the film, Steve Rogers was actually defrosted during any of Red Guardian’s active years). David Harbour brings many layers to Alexei, so that there is real emotion and personality under the comic relief exterior.

Florence Pugh, meanwhile, is an absolute revelation in Black Widow. She’s impressed in pretty much every role she’s been in so far, but any questions over whether or not she could go toe-to-toe with more established A-list actors like Scarlett Johansson are quickly dispelled. Pugh is not only completely convincing in the action scenes (which is perhaps not surprising if you’ve seen the excellent Fighting With My Family), but she also brings a subversive sense of humour to her portrayal of Yelena, which contributes to making Yelena feel like her own, distinct character, and not just a carbon-copy of Natasha (which so easily could have been the case). Florence Pugh also captures Yelena’s emotional vulnerability, which is a stark contrast to Natasha’s carefully constructed emotional walls.

“…Scarlett Johansson brings out Natasha’s hidden vulnerabilities just as well as carries off the action sequences…”

The rest of the cast are also great, with Rachel Weisz in particular bringing a lot of unexpected notes to her role as Melina, the mother-figure of the sleeper-cell. You could (uncharitably) accuse Ray Winstone’s General Dreykov of being a rather one-note villain – but then again, when your villain is involved in human trafficking and child exploitation, I don’t really want to see any attempt made to “humanise” him or his behaviour. The comic-book villain Taskmaster also make an appearance in Black Widow, but as is often the case with the MCU films, the character is inspired by their comic-book version rather than being a direct adaptation.

As good as everyone else is, this is still undeniably Scarlett Johansson’s film, and she carries it effortlessly. As we’ve seen before, she’s able to bring out Natasha’s hidden vulnerabilities just as well as she can convincingly carry off the (noticeably more grounded) action sequences. And on that front, Black Widow delivers all the thrills and excitement you could ask for from either a larger-than-life superhero film or a globe-trotting spy thriller (and there’s even a sly nod to the Bond franchise thrown in for good measure).

“…gets Phase 4 off to a great start, with another winning combination of emotion, action & humour…”

All in all, Black Widow gets the cinematic portion of Phase 4 off to a great start, with another winning combination of emotion, action and humour, and while the future of Phase 4 may (allegedly) involve all manner of mutiverses and sci-fi shenanigans, it starts here with this grounded, character-based thriller. Florence Pugh’s introduction to the MCU makes a real impression, but if this truly marks Scarlett Johansson’s final appearance as Natasha Romanoff, she leaves the franchise on a high note, without undercutting any of the poignancy of her eventual fate in Avengers: Endgame.

And (although by now it should go without saying), make sure you stay for the end-credit scene…