IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (13th visit in 2021)
The MCU kicks off its Phase Four not only with a leap into the recent past, but also with a long-overdue solo appearance for one of its most loyal companions. Natasha Romanoff - better known as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) - was already added to the cinematic universe in 2010 in "Iron Man 2" and was thus a permanent fixture for almost the entire distance until the big showdown in "Avengers: Endgame". For the most part, however, she was left with the somewhat thankless task of playing second to what felt like sixth fiddle, as the (male) top dogs took up a lot of space and time for themselves, especially in the pack formations of the Marvel all-stars. It almost seems as if this film is too late, because the plot is set between "Civil War" and "Infinity War" for a reason. In retrospect, however, this is one of the many small details that together make "Black Widow" a refreshing story of emancipation - also and especially from its own, almost dogmatic machinery.
While (almost) all previous solo films of the Marvel heroes have consistently worked towards the next, exorbitant Avengers spectacle, "Black Widow" is not subject to this pressure. In general, it seems refreshingly detached from the usual convoluted behaviour of the rest of the universe, which by no means excludes it completely. Due to its in-between status, the previous events take place as a matter of course, like slight hints of what follows, but are relatively irrelevant to the core of the film. Of course, it doesn't hurt at all to be familiar with the subject matter, its setting and the positioning of this particular title; in fact, it's not absolutely necessary. "Black Widow" does what is necessary and makes sense in this respect, but never elevates it above its own, soon to be autonomous content. In short: if you don't want every detail and all implied background to be compulsorily explained, the film would work even for absolute newcomers or even deniers of the MCU.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" already pleasantly stood out from the Marvel miscellany in 2014 and is also my personal favourite from the MCU, as it breathed the spirit of a classic, paranoid Cold War conspiracy thriller in the style of the 70s in between the bombast spectacle that is of course still in the foreground. "Black Widow" even often seems more agent movie than superhero movie, albeit this time one of the more modern way. With slight adjustments, the plot would be exploitable outside the MCU, something that can't be said about virtually any other entry. This is not a weakness, but its great asset. "Black Window" is different, although and precisely because it does not reinvent the wheel. It rides alongside rather than becoming a part of the heaving mass. This does it good and already makes it an individual with more body and soul in its own microcosm.
Instead of laying dozens of skyscrapers to rubble, explosions galore or once again sending the earth - heck, the whole universe and anyway, that's still far too little - into ultimate battle, there are tangible (quite excellent) action scenes here with car chases and hand-to-hand fights for which you don't necessarily need superpowers or Tony Stark's toy closet. "Black Widow" is almost grounded by Marvel standards. It scales back the usual ego and the already self-infatuated tendency towards gigantism without seriously upsetting its fans. But it can probably win back or cautiously attract those who were already tired of it. Sure, this is still a Marvel movie with humour, gritty showdowns and everything kind of following a pattern, but everything a touch more understated in all the right places. In an almost humble reflection of a time when the world didn't have to end in every film and you could bake smaller rolls to the point golden brown and crisp. Not pompous, down-to-earth and in its "simplicity" nevertheless quite powerful. Moreover, it is what "Captain Marvel" only pretended to be: The real, modern superheroine film - which doesn't need a (really) strong man or magical-mystical frippery as justification, even marginally.
Who would have thought it: "Black Widow" is the film the MCU desperately needed. The prelude to Phase Four could be the step in the right direction. After all the epic excesses of the past, perhaps the new beginning lies in a new modesty. It may remain a one-off, and maybe after the next three or four films in a similar style, you'll be tired of it, but for now it feels spot on. Higher, faster and further simply has its limits at some point. And there can be films that simply stand on their own. Unbelievable, but true.
Before I forget: Florence Pugh MVP😎💪 and Stephen Dorff...shut up, you bitter man!