Black Widow2021

Verdict: 🥉 COULD SEE Myriad good ideas strung together but getting lost in the shuffle. The performances were solid, especially David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Ray Winstone, but the disjointedness of the script and frenetic editing didn’t do them justice. Better than I had expected, mostly due to the backstory giving a reason for Black Widow to exist and be part of the Avengers. I’m glad this story was told, it’s an important one, and the montage during the opening credits is effective in making you understand the suffering experienced. The rest of the film struggled to follow through on that tragedy, often sticking too close to the Marvel mold. And while sins were forgiven for the main cast, I felt like Red Guardian was used solely as a comedic punching bag without getting the redemption he also deserved. For trying to show the tragedy, it still felt like an afterthought in every scene where it was referenced. Good ideas with unrealized potential.