I’ve been a Marvel fan for a long time, and I really got into when my husband and I started dating. I love mostly all the characters, some more than others, some not at all. But this isn’t the blog post for that. Today I’m going to be talking about my review for the Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh.
I was most excited for this movie because Natasha is a great character, she’s a total badass, even though she might not be written particularly well in the other MCU movies; I especially liked that she wasn’t flirting with anyone throughout the entire movie. The two main actresses had great chemistry, and this movie really made me see the big differences between the male and female gaze.
I’ve been doing a whole re-watch of the MCU and I’ve been rating the movies based on 7 factors: main hero, side characters, villain, action, dialogue, story, and technical aspects. And though I will watch the movie again (because it’s after Civil War and i’m not there yet) I will be rating based on my first viewing. Spoiler free!
Main Hero: Natasha Romanoff 8/10
As I’ve said before I think she is a total badass, she’d stop at nothing to get what she needed. When she smashed her face into the table to break her own nose, amazing. She was definitely better in this movie than most of the MCU movies, and I feel for her and what she’s been through. I don’t read comics so having a movie where we learn the truth about her and her life from the Red Room was a good way to understand her character.
Side Characters: Yelena, Alexei, Melina 8/10
The only reason it’s not 10/10 is because there was more then Yelena. Yelena herself, played by Florence Pugh, was amazing. I’m trying not to be completely bias, because I think everyone did amazing and deserves a 10. Yelena was funny, she’s smart, she’s brave, and cunning. I’ve never been so impressed by an actor’s work than I have with Florence Pugh.
Alexei, I didn’t care for his character, because how could someone think that sending children to the Red Room was the right thing to do? He was so proud of them for being trained killers, how strong they are and what they’re capable of, but I can’t get over how he is so positive on the torture of children.
As well as Melina, she let on that she didn’t know as much as she did, that she was almost an essential part to the Red Room operation. Again, I can’t understand how another woman could possibly want to torture young girls. Maybe I missed the whole purpose of the Red Room (it was late and I don’t do well past 9 pm).
Villain: Dreykov/Antonia(Taskmaster) 8/10
Dreykov is a villian that you love to hate, I think. There’s nothing much I can say that isn’t obvious. As for the Taskmaster, I don’t think they’re a good villain solely because they don’t have flaws. They can mimic every move, they know what their opponent is going to do next, it’s not realistic and I’m not a fan of that.
Action: 8/10
So far everything is pretty uniform in rating! The actions scenes in this movie were very well done and for the most part seemed realistic (as someone who doesn’t know a single thing about combat).
Dialogue: 10/10
Yelena’s dry humour was top notch. The way she described her hysterectomy, she quick comeback and witty remarks were enough to steal the show. I think the Russian accents add to the dry humour of these characters.
Story: 8/10
I loved learning more about Natasha and her relationship with her sister. Finally seeing Natasha as her own character and not a side piece that flirts with all the male characters in a movie. Excellent!
Technical Aspects: 9/10
I loved the costumes; the white suit was incredible. I loved Yelena’s vests and her obsession with the pockets. Camera work was great, there were some great shots!
With a final rating of 59/70 (84%) I can’t find anything negative to say about the movie. It was fun and deep. A very powerful movie for women and young girls. No movie is going to be perfect, but this does a great job at a female led superhero movie.
A Book's Nook 