Black Widow performed by Scarlett Johansson should have received her solo film five to seven years ago. At first, this was hampered by the policy of the ex-head Marvel Ike Perlmutter (you can read about his adventures here), and after the “coup” Kevin Feige made a bet on “Captain Marvel” from Brie Larson…
Development permission “Black widow“(Black widow) was given not because of the numerous demands of the fans, but because of the changing priorities in Hollywood and Disney… At the same time, the pandemic has confused the company’s plans. The film was supposed to launch the fourth phase cinematic universe, but in the end he comes only fourth on the list, losing to three TV shows at once.
The advertising campaign also causes bewilderment, because Mickey Mouse house decided to follow in the footsteps “Charlie’s Angels “, “Terminator: Dark Fate“,”Captain Marvel“and”Ghost hunters“. As a result, we heard the classic statements about” the film is not for men “,” the fight against sexism “,” inclusiveness, diversity, brotherhood “and so on.
Scarlett Johansson herself was also connected to this booth, who was intimidated by bullying because of her role in “Ghost in the shell“and trying to play a transgender person”Massage parlor“. In the end, the actress gave interviews, talking about the horrors of Hollywood and how women are not paid extra. It also turned out that Black Widow herself was not smart and dangerous Femme Fatale, but a” sexist stereotype. “
What about the movie “Black Widow”? Let’s just say – it would be better “Avengers Endgame“remained the end of the MCU. But first things first.
Events start after the movie “Captain America: Civil War“. Decision Natasha Romanoff take sides Captain America the American authorities did not appreciate, so the ex-avenger goes on the run, pursued by the US Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross… The question of why a diplomat is in charge of a special forces unit at all remains open.
However, suddenly the girl receives a “hello from the past” in the form of a package that agents are hunting for. “Of the red room“This is a Soviet program for the training of female spies (Black Widows), which Natasha herself went through.
To stop the threat, Romanoff decides to find members of his former “family” – Elena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov (David harbor) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). It can prevent them Taskmaster – the best agent of the “Red Room” who is able to copy the fighting style of any enemy.
At first it seems like Marvel has decided to make a dark spy thriller. And somewhere in the first third of the film, viewers tune in the right way. We are shown a scene from the youth of the main heroine, when the “family” acted as embedded agents in the United States, stylish captions about the horrors of training in the “Red Room”, Natasha’s escape from the American authorities, the field work of Black Widows, and so on. But gradually the focus shifts to a completely different direction, which destroys the atmosphere.
In pursuit of modern trends, Marvel has managed to shoot itself in the foot in the style of “Charlie’s Angels” and “Ghostbusters”. There is nothing wrong with the idea of making a film that focuses on women. But the concept falls apart if everyone else present degrades to the level of idiots. And that’s exactly what happened in Black Widow.
The male characters in the tape are divided into two categories: evil villains and objects for jokes. Shostakov (Red Guardian) – the narcissistic Soviet counterpart of Captain America, who is humiliated and insulted by all the women in the squad. The absurdity is that at the very beginning, Harbor’s character is presented as a competent spy, who also has superpowers.
The rest of the film is constantly mowed down by the Red Guardian, and it is exclusively women who save him. At the same time, the super soldier whines due to the fact that he never fought with Steve Rogers…
With “humor” the creators of the tape generally went too far, which is why in the second half of “Black Widow” is no longer perceived as a spy thriller. Again, brothers Russo in his “Captain America: The Other War“were able to maintain a balance, so the jokes there did not harm the gloomy tone.
By the end, “Black Widow” rolls into an ordinary chewing gum about superheroes. It’s hard to find fault with the quality – the Marvel conveyor continues to work stably, but the film cannot surprise at all.
Separately, it is worth noting the complete failure of the writers. The central theme of the tape is the value of the family, but this is done very badly. Romanoff has already found a family in the form of “Avengers“- and for years she tried to forget about her” Soviet relatives “.
There is no intrigue in the film either, because everyone knows that Natasha Romanoff dies in the “Final”. Separately, I want to kick Marvel for a failed twist with Taskmaster, because the secret of his personality becomes clear very quickly. One of the main questions of the franchise “What happened in Budapest?” also drained into the toilet.
Scarlett Johansson herself does not improve the situation, she walks almost the entire film with an expression of universal fatigue on her face. Therefore, the focus is constantly shifting to the rest of the caste, who plays better than the main star, and the focus is on the actress Lawrence Pugh, who is to appear as the new Black Widow in other Marvel films and TV series.
We should also walk along the “cranberries”. We have here in 2023, in the United States, “fighters for social justice” are poisoning white people for wearing dreadlocks. But at the same time, the Russians in “Black Widow” are a stereotype on a stereotype. They are played by the British, Americans and two conditionally Ukrainian actresses, one of whom is a daughter Milla Jovovich (by the way, she is very similar to her mother).
The main characters drink vodka, eating Olivier salad, and cannot decide in any way which Russian they speak: pure, broken, or in general in Polish / Magyar. The credits built into the original version of the film also cannot understand the linguistic subtleties, so the Red Guard can suddenly turn into a Red Army soldier.
Local Gulag is in the snow next to the mountain and looks like an American prison in which the staff FSIN for some reason they were allowed to carry oxygen cylinders to prisoners. In addition, the team of super spies flies in a helicopter for half the film. “SOLOVIEV AIR“(as it is written in Cyrillic).
Separate circus – opening credits “under James Bond“according to which the Marvel Cinematic Universe included Vladimir Putin and Euromaidan. So many uncomfortable questions arise at once for the Avengers and their activities.
Despite its potential, Black Widow has proven to be a passing project suffering from an identity crisis. Instead of a tense spy thriller, we got another chewing gum based on comics with a wooden protagonist and cardboard villains, which cannot surprise.
And this is not the first project to signal big problems in the fourth phase of the MCU. But even more controversial things await us further. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings“and”Eternal“But as long as comic-book films are making money, the conveyor will not stop.
The film “Black Widow” from the Marvel studio is available for viewing in cinemas in Russia and on the streaming service Disney +.
Read also: Black Lives Marvel: Review of the series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
