WARNING: Contains SPOILERS to 'Black Widow'
Black Widow officially released in theaters and on Disney+ with premiere access just over a week ago, and I think we all have some thoughts.
As a single, independent movie, this was a great sendoff to the character. We got to see where her familial relationships originated and were left off. We were also introduced to several key characters that are expected to play significant roles in the MCU moving forward. It didn't feel like a typical a Marvel movie, which made for a refreshing look into her world, but it still fit seamlessly into the MCU.
Expectations
It goes without saying that Natasha Romanoff deserves a trilogy. My personal vision:
First, a movie showing the Black Widow origins, depicting a quick build up of context spanning from prior to Ohio and leading up to her very first encounter with Clint Barton. While this film would focus on Natasha, it would introduce Dreykov as a future main villain and Hawkeye as her current adversary. In a sense, this could be a shared first movie for her and Hawkeye.
Then, a second movie entirely dedicated to Budapest. This would once again feature Hawkeye, but as her ally. It would provide an opportunity to introduce Yelena as one of her adversaries in a similar way to how Bucky Barnes is reintroduced in 'Captain America: Winter Soldier.'
Finally, the installment we were blessed with last week would wrap up the trilogy. This would entirely be Natasha's story and aligned with the two prequels.
Nevertheless, Marvel is doing their very best to make up for these missed opportunities, and I appreciate the effort put into making this movie happen in the first place.
In some ways, I connected more with Yelena than Natasha. While we get plenty of context attempting to suggest otherwise, it felt as if the return to Budapest was just another mission for Natasha. The writers made a decent attempt to personalize her vendetta, but it was all bogged down by the details surrounding Yelena's unique experience.
At some point, it just stopped feeling like Natasha's story. Like we were watching her, but it wasn't about her at all. This was a movie for all of the Black Widows.
I appreciate films that show a bigger picture, but my expectation as a Black Widow fan walking into Natasha Romanoff's only solo film was that this movie would revolve entirely around her. Something that pays homage to her origins and more closely demonstrates the extent of her skillset. Instead, we got an aspect of her that we are already familiar with.
Perhaps if they narrowed their focused onto either introducing Yelena or depicting Natasha's heroism, there would be more time to highlight scenes demonstrating why Natasha wasn't just any Red Room spy or why she was worthy of becoming an Avenger. That would have made a powerful refutation to Yelena's comments about Natasha being a poser that needed the Avengers more than they needed her.
My dissatisfactions aside, it was a rather enjoyable and meaningful film, beautifully touching on topics like trafficking and manipulation. However, it often felt like just another means for Marvel to initiate Phase 4. I still wish Natasha Romanoff got the solo film she deserves, but it was a nice way for the studio to ensure that this film served a greater purpose.
Rewind: The Beginning
With my expectations and overarching impression aside, let's dive into the details.
The sweet introduction of our four main characters was... a little confusing.
From an audience perspective, the scene in Cuba evoked a mirror of Yelena's emotions: fear and confusion. It doesn't immediately click that this isn't a real family, and all we know is that Natasha and Yelena are headed somewhere they don't want to be going.
The realization that, unlike ourselves, Natasha knows what is going on distances us from her, because the rapid progression of this scene leaves us in the dust as we attempt to keep up while unpacking some crucial contextual dialogue.
Considering that this is Natasha's story, evoking a sense of clarity, urgency, and protectiveness to reflect HER perspective instead of Yelena's may have helped us better connect with our main character.
Instead, after learning that Natasha has been to the Red Room before, I faced a disappointing realization. This movie would yet again leave us with questions about Natasha's true origins unanswered.
Character Development: The Family
This might be a hot take, but I wasn't satisfied with Yelena's character introduction.
We know that Natasha and Yelena have met in between Ohio and now, but we don't know when or why. A trilogy including scenes from their past encounters would have helped to make more sense of their relationship and more realistically execute the quick transition from hostility to sisterhood between them. It would have made their amicable moments so much more meaningful.
But looking from the outside in, it was very clear that there is more to the story. I was hoping this movie would help me put Natasha to rest, but I desperately want a prequel so much more now than I wanted a solo film in the first place.
There are some aspects of Yelena's character development that I did appreciate, though.
You can love people and recognize that they have wronged you all the same. I like that Yelena didn't form an immediate attachment with the reunited family but still acknowledged how real that family was to her. After those several years of mind control and a past prior that she probably can no longer remember, these might be the only memories of her childhood that she has.
Some of her childish, innocent behaviors make it seem as if Yelena's trauma is holding her at the age she first experienced it. I feel for her in the sense that these women had to grow up very fast. Their autonomy is taken and their destiny is determined for them. Hence, the free Yelena seems to be unconsciously reclaiming her childhood.
It takes much empathy to really understand these characters beyond face value. They seem rough around the edges and down to business, but perhaps that is just the way of spies. It is certainly a characteristic exhibited by Natasha Romanoff in past films.
However, this made it difficult to process the choices some of them make several years later within this two hour story line.
Take Alexei and Melina. Many fans noted their rather underdeveloped redemption arcs. However, recognizing that both spent a long time in the system can shift our perspective towards a perhaps more optimistic view of these characters and their intent.
Survival was likely their first instinct, and it is something that often drives good people to fearfully do terrible things.
Melina was the scientific mastermind behind Dreykov's mind control mechanisms. After observing her torture the pig and talk about the Widows as if they are lab rats, she appears to be just as villainous as Dreykov.
But considering that she has been either alone or in the presence of the crime lord for all of these years, it is feasible to assume that she has simply gotten used to blending in.
When we peer back to Ohio, her compassion with the girls and the pity with which she looks upon them makes evident that she understands what they are being forced into. In a final moment before her and Natasha are separated, Melina tells her daughter to "never let them take your heart."
That's not something you say to someone you don't care about. Melina knew that this was their goodbye and sent them off with a note of wisdom that helped keep Natasha's head a little farther above the surface while growing up in the Red Room.
I also would like to believe that naming her pig after Alexei was a symbolic punch at the man who failed to save the girls when he had the chance.
Melina's face was covered in guilt as Yelena stormed away from the table, and I want to believe that the mother from Ohio had a reawakening. After all of this treachery, she had the support of a vengeful Alexei and two daughters who had already escaped Dreykov's clutch. Perhaps she just needed a dose of their courage to accept that she is capable of doing what she never could before.
And with that, Melina switches places with Natasha, and their masterplan ensues.
Looking back, this wasn't the worst redemption arc, but it was rather hasty and lacked sufficient context. Many viewers didn't take well to how quickly she switched sides, but I see a woman who was scared. She just needed some faith and a push.
I can't tell, or perhaps I can't recall, whether Alexei had a delusional over-confidence in his friendship with Dreykov or if he knew his place in Dreykov's game all along.
With the former characterization, had Alexei cared for the girls or carried the courage to stand up for them, he might have attempted to save them from this cycle of abuse. As he didn't, Alexei could very well have been leveraging Natasha's fear, reducing her hope, and coercing her into compliance.
With the latter characterization, he likely recognized that they had no choice and used what little trust Natasha has left in him to disarm her.
Once they are pulled away from him, you can see a small twinge of guilt in his face. They would be baggage on his journey back to the glory days, so he "can't" save them. I think it is clear that, even if he does somewhat care for them, he is still arrogant trash.
I'll cut him some slack for thinking they could take care of one another and not entirely knowing what they were getting into. He isn't their real father, and given his clear boredom with undercover work, three years of pretending isn't enough give him that kind of attachment.
He also is likely desensitized to their situation, and considering his pride in the skilled assassins they grew up to be, it is clear that he thinks this is normal.
Thus, whether that final hug and those words of reassurance were simply acting or an actual moment of fatherly love is entirely up in the air, but I'm not convinced.
I don't mind that he was treated as comic relief later in the movie. I think jail loosened more than a few screws, and his sudden fatherlike behavior was solely attributable to maintaining an allyship with the girls who just saved him from a lifetime in jail.
Hence, his and Melina's treatment of Natasha and Yelena as their real children, especially with dialogue such as "don't slouch Natasha" and "listen to your mother," felt like a stretch.
One moment did make sense, though. Alexei gave Yelena some semblance of her childhood back. He remembered their song, a way of showing that she was more than just an accomplice to his boring mission.
I would like to believe that when the girls gave him insight into the horrors of the Red Room, Alexei found more than just his vengeance as a motivation to tear the place down.
However, despite his heartfelt apology to Melina - who he thought was Natasha - in the Red Room cell, I don't think he is redeemed just yet. This is an interesting introduction to his character that I'm curious to see play out in future films.
Taskmaster & General Dreykov
Another detail that some fans weren't happy with was Taskmaster's true identity. However, I am THRILLED to have Antonia Dreykov in the MCU.
Having a "stronger" and more intimidating man act as the secret weapon of a crime lord feels overdone. Not to mention, this movie highlights the trafficking of women for the purpose of creating some of the most dangerous assassins in the world. Putting a man above them just wouldn't make much sense and is a patriarchal element in films that should be put to rest.
Perhaps if Taskmaster was a man abused into compliance, this complementary narrative would pay respect to male victims of abuse. But that isn't Tony Masters' story, and fans of the comics would likely throw even more of a tantrum than they already are.
Antonia being weaponized by her own father deepens the message about household abuse, a narrative that is all too common and makes for a meaningful addition to the story. Not to mention, "Toni Masters" will put an interesting spin on the comic book character, especially if freedom from the mind control doesn't take away her skillset or excellent mimicry.
On the other hand, her father was rather underwhelming. A prequel would have allowed the writers more space to fully encapsulate Dreykov's villainy.
Imagine if we had a buildup of General Dreykov being depicted as a horrifying crime lord. This final movie would give us a moment of truth that would diminish any fear we previously had of him, giving us a more liberating sense of the empowerment the Widows are met with after emerging from beneath the weight of his abuse.
But instead, he just seemed pitiful. He just didn't seem like a big crime lord responsible for trafficking millions of girls. More like a manager really. He had the opportunity to be the Johann Schmidt of Black Widow's story and instead ended up flailing around the room in an attempt to reassert power over a woman who got out of his grasp. Maybe that was entirely intentional, in which case, well done to the writers, but I hoped for something a little more daunting.
Anyways, the acting was phenomenal and I still hate him for all the right reasons. Good riddance to that man, I hope that big fiery explosion courtesy of Yelena Belova was his first dose of burning in hell.
I Love Yelena Belova 💗💗💗
Now that we've gotten past the complete disappointment that is Dreykov, let's talk about HOW MUCH I LOVE YELENA BELOVA.
She is hilarious, and I'm OBSESSED with her. She is officially my favorite person in the entire MCU, not to mention:
"I bet the god from space doesn't have to take an Ibuprofen after a fight," definitely tops my endless list of favorite lines by MCU characters. It's unfortunate that our sarcastic king Tony Stark never got to meet his match.
Although it seems she is being set up to join the Dark Avengers by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, I really want her to meet what is left of Natasha's second family.
It was so meaningful to see the parallels between Yelena and Bucky Barnes, and I hope that they interact amicably in future MCU movies. That post credit scene HURT, but it was cool to see a sneak peak of what is in store for her character in Phase 4. Her and Kate Bishop would make a kickass team.
I also want to witness her own story unfold - apart from the greater MCU - with Alexei, Melina, and the liberated Widows, especially given the 'Loki' finale and the implications it will have on every MCU character moving forward.
A Tiny Honorary Section for Rick Mason
Much like Yelena, I wish we saw more development of Mason's character and his relationship with Natasha. A trilogy would have definitely made his few scenes a little awkward and out of place. However, I'm excited to see how our favorite side character connects with other characters and emerges into a larger role in the future.
All things considered, it took me a week to process everything that happened and really think critically about these characters. Maybe this blog is doing the film more justice than it deserves or perhaps not enough, but it is nice to reflect on the story as I write. All in all, I loved this movie and will miss Natasha SO MUCH. But we all have to say good bye at some point in our lives, and this was a sweet way of bidding her farewell.
Thanks for reading this far! Look forward to a full review of 'Loki' coming your way very soon. Until then, here a piece that I enjoyed about the lessons we can learn from Black Widow (the character, not the movie): https://nerdist.com/article/lessons-we-can-learn-from-black-widow/
Oh, and always remember...
Never let the world change your heart. Be well ♥️
Commentaires