Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
The opening sequence and credits made me think that “Black Widow” would go in an interesting new direction, but then it became another same old mid-tier Marvel film. Which means I was never really bored but also never really amazed by what I was seeing.
The movie wants to be a grounded spy thriller similar to “The Winter Soldier”, but the Russo Brothers are clearly the better action directors. You can see the influences of James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Mission: Impossible, and “Black Widow” might keep up with the mediocre entries of these franchises but not with the very best. I mean, the action is at least solid enough and there are cool set pieces (the Russian prison being my favorite), but nothing blows your mind, and the climax is a ridiculous CGI overload that has nothing to do with “grounded” anymore. It also doesn´t help that the villain is boring as hell (especially compared to the Winter Soldier).
Actually, it were the quiet character moments I liked the most. Scarlett Johansson´s portrayal of Natasha Romanoff has become so familiar that she feels like an old friend, and she gets several moments to shine and to flesh out her character more than before. Yet the standout star of the film is Florence Pugh. Her radiating charisma makes her a breath of fresh air for the MCU and I look forward to seeing her role develop in future entries. The interactions between Johansson and Pugh are the highlights of the movie, since they are full of heart and humor. I also like the general theme of family and identity and our central group of misfits including Rachel Weisz and David Harbour. I just have to say that most of the comic relief associated with Harbour I found jarring and cringey rather than funny. And I also could have done without the fake Russian accents.
It was nice to see Natasha one last time and the first time in the leading role, but in the context of the MCU as a whole, “Black Widow” feels like a filler production. It´s mostly entertaining but doesn´t have any impact.
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