Starring:
Scarlett Johansson
Florence Pugh
David Harbour
Rachel Weisz
Ray Winstone
Director: Cate Shortland
Watch Order: I give up. It goes after Civil War
Rankings
Likes:
- I love ScarJo, and I’ve had a major crush on Florence Pugh ever since I saw her in Midsommar. I don’t care what the movie is about, just show me these awesome ladies!
- This is the first time we get a close look at Natasha’s life—and I’m not just talking about her family. So much of her story in the MCU is shrouded in secrecy: that she’s good friends with Hawkeye but they never do anything more than allude to their experiences together. That she has “red on [her] ledger.” That her friendship with Captain America largely revolved around finding him girls to date. She was never the focus of the plot until now (and it only took a decade!).
Dislikes:
- After hearing Marvel was giving Black Widow’s solo movie the same treatment as her action figures, I was hardly about to run to the newly opened theaters to see it. Marvel doesn’t give two hoots about its female leads, so why should I?
- SPOILER ALERT….Natasha is dead now. What we want is to see her alive in more movies, not a film about a fun little adventure she had a few years ago. We want origin stories, preferably ones that take place before the character has kicked the bucket. This is just a feeble money grab after Wonder Woman proved that female-led (and directed) movies can actually make a profit.
- Same formulaic plot…explosions, evil secret organizations, and a mid-air climax. I thought Marvel had gone too far with turning a whole dang city into a flying meteor, but they keep finding new ways to have the final showdown be in the clouds.
- Pheromones? Pheromones that stop you from hurting a person? Reaaaalllyyyy.
I could’ve pulled a GIF from any MCU skyfall scene and y’all would’ve never known the difference