A Deserving Memorial For a Fallen Avenger (Black Widow) (Spoiler Free Review)

Black Widow was one of the most anticipated releases of 2020 before the pandemic hit and suffered through several delays before finally being able to be experienced in the cinema as well as the comfort of our homes. The day has come, Marvel-lites but was it worth the wait? In case you were wondering how Natasha has her own movie after her untimely death in Avengers Endgame, well, that's because it takes place between the events of Civil War and Infinity War. 

On the run from General Ross, Natasha gets brought into a predicament that involves the Red Room, the Russian program that creates female assassins they call the Black Widows, and with the help of  Yelena, Natasha's sister, they attempt to take down the menacing organization once and for all. 

'Widow gives Natasha Romanoff, one of the more underrated Avengers, an entire movie to not be sidelined from much bigger characters, considering since Natasha is already a big character herself being one of the original members of the Avengers but like all Marvel properties these days, it's not always about the titular character. Introducing the likes of Red Guardian, Melina, Yelena, and Taskmaster is a daunting task but director Cate Shortland and writers Jac Shaefer, Ned Benson, and Eric Pearson manage to make these characters pop much more than any writer and director did to feature Black Widow in any of the other Marvel movies. However, the real star of this movie is Florence Pugh and her sister-like chemistry with Scarlett Johansson that surpasses such heartfelt dynamics that even Anna and Elsa could never compete with.  

Storyline-wise, it's hard to say it is the best Marvel movie ever made but it should be considered as one of the more favorable ones but audiences can clearly identify that Black Widow is much different compared to other MCU stories, featuring the darker themes we've been waiting to see especially within a story as painful and traumatizing as Natasha's. With tiny similarities to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Widow - on her own - has the capability to stick the landing without the help of her fellow team members in the sense of keeping Marvel fans for 2 hours and 13 minutes. 

Speaking of runtime, I was worried that Marvel had lost touch to make 2 hour-long stories due to their recent focus on 6 hour episodical storytelling which has turned out to be better than expected, especially with WandaVision and the currently airing Loki. But Black Widow will prove to audiences that Marvel is indeed back to surprise and deliver for the big screen while also doing the same on TV as well. 

With, questions answered (even if it took 9 years to get some) and expectations fulfilled, there were signs of inconsistencies instead of flaws within the epicness that is Black Widow especially with one of the big reveals of Natasha's checkered past. I won't say when or what but if you watched the first Avengers movie and watched Black Widow already, you would understand what I am talking about. 

Be that as it may, I am happy that I finally got to watch this and I am grateful for what the people in Marvel came up with to say goodbye to a beloved Avenger. Unlike most fans, there have been people or most commonly known critics who have said that the movie felt soulless due to the knowledge of Widow's death in Endgame but that was definitely not the case for me or all of us, Widow stans.