Natasha Romanoff goes solo in the new Marvel film directed by Cate Shortland
Following Avengers: Endgame (2019) there was a lot of talking about the new chapter dedicated to the Marvel superheroes, especially after the finale of the film by Joe and Anthony Russo, that we won’t repeat, not to reduce the fans to tears once again.
The Avengers return with Black Widow, the first Natasha Romanoff solo movie, directed by Cate Shortland and distributed by Disney, arriving in Italian theaters on July 7 and both in U.S. theaters and streaming on Disney+ from July 9, 2021.
Taking a step back in time, Black Widow returns to the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016): when the Avengers split, due to the conflict between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, Natasha, a.k.a. the Widow, finds herself on the run, forced to face her past to foil a conspiracy.
The film opens with her childhood memories: Natasha and her sister Yelena are two little girls with an apparently normal family living in the United States. A sudden raid by the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will blow their cover, revealing the truth: Natasha and Yelena’s adoptive parents, Melina and Alexei, are a Black Widow and the Russian counterpart of Captain America respectively. The two won’t hesitate to give the girls to the Red Room, an organization that brutally trains young women to become ruthless Widows/killers. Back in the present time, we find the sisters as adults, living in two different countries: Natasha is convinced that the Red Room no longer exists, while Yelena, saved from the organization by a defector, will send a message to her sister: Natasha will know that other girls, around the world, are still being turned into Widows against their will and forced to obey a powerful and cruel man.
Black Widow is an all-female adventure, directed by a woman and populated by women: Scarlett Johansson is leading the group which includes Rachel Weisz, who plays Melina, and Florence Pugh having fun playing Yelena, a character that will get most of the attention from the audience. All the heroines in this film are both strong and fragile but her Yelena, in particular, shows a comic verve that gives a special flavor to the film.
Like in all films dedicated to the Avengers, this new chapter is full of visual effects and action scenes and, if we really have to find a flaw, it is in the script: there’s too much dialogue in some dramatic scenes, which put in danger the light spirit of the film. Scarlett Johansson, good as usual, remains faithful to her strong, sexy and tormented character, while the funny lines are given to Pugh and David Harbor who, in the role of the Red Guardian, is the perfect caricature of the Russian super-soldier.
Overall, Black Widow is not boring despite the 133 minutes of film and we suggest you to wait for the post-credit scene, that will give you an idea of the future of the Avengers series.
