Black Widow (2021) Review Thread | I can't believe this is where Mephisto shows up 84% Certified Fresh
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Yesterday was make or break for $100M. Hopefully it goes big and we get reports of a $40+ million Saturday.
I thoroughly enjoyed it! Florence's performance as Yelena is soooo enjoyable! And I really hope she's around for years to come. I feel like she had a lot of similarities to what Brie was trying to do with Capt Marvel (brash, confident, etc) but Florence just pulls it off so much better. I liked Taskmaster as a terminator style unstoppable machine and truly spooked me with the scenes of Taskmaster just being so unrelenting. Some real understated comedy had me and my husband bursting into tears from laughter. ("Is anyone hurt? I'm visibly injured")
I hated this taskmaster but I think they can salvage it
you can easily make tasky come back without the mind control and realize she doesn't really have much to do in her life so she just becomes a mercenary. basically anxious millennial taskmaster
oh god they will have them date, won't they ?
2 mercenaries with burned faces .... it even fits the "skull face type" that deadpool has =P
Well... there is female version of Taskmaster in the comics, but... she's VERY different and oh boy...
Almost his entire appeal is his personality.
And they X-Men Origins: Wolverine Deadpooled him, except that movie at least had the Wade Wilson stuff at the beginning.
Well this was bad. I was really expecting a good thriller in vain of winter soldiers but it pretty much fails on every front. Action was pretty bad and very little of what was there was filled with shaky cameras. Whole family drama fell flat. Action spectacle were also a step down. I think this is the weakest marvel film asking with Thor 2 and captain marvel
I mostly enjoyed this movie (Pugh and Harbor were wonderful), but like, hold up.
- Is it ever explained how Natasha got out of the program in the first place? For a dude with literal mind control tech, that seems...unlikely?
- How did Natasha ditch Ross at the end? Are we just meant to understand that she fought her way out? Did I miss something?
- Captain America, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, go to GREAT lengths to explain why there are exactly *this many* super soldiers, and then this Red dude shows up? Was he just a random Winter Soldier program guy gone awry? Also he's fought to a standstill by almost every non-powered fighter?
It was a decent film, generally (minus the very bad heist-like "ACTUALLY WE PLANNED THIS ALONG" nonsense) I just feel like I missed something.
- Is it ever explained how Natasha got out of the program in the first place? For a dude with literal mind control tech, that seems...unlikely?
- How did Natasha ditch Ross at the end? Are we just meant to understand that she fought her way out? Did I miss something?
- Captain America, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, go to GREAT lengths to explain why there are exactly *this many* super soldiers, and then this Red dude shows up? Was he just a random Winter Soldier program guy gone awry? Also he's fought to a standstill by almost every non-powered fighter?
It was a decent film, generally (minus the very bad heist-like "ACTUALLY WE PLANNED THIS ALONG" nonsense) I just feel like I missed something.
She was in the Spy unit of the Red Room not the Assassination unit.
Mind controlled people make great assassins not really great spies, so she was left with her free will and got out.
If I recall they mention that Natasha was just regular brainwashed and that the mind control tech they use on Yelena and the newer widows was only implemented after she left.
Eh that's not really true, she was just seen as having more potential, the hardcore brainwashing was mostly used on what the General considered rejects
I'd say muddy is a good word to describe phase 4 so far.
There's even a stickied essay length guide on the MCU subreddit explaining the multiverse lol. Good thing Feige had a meeting recently, because they really need to streamline info and make sure every writer uses standardised terminology.
As for BW, I go with Alien Bob's answer above. When we say 'brainwash' I assume we're talking the kind we see in real life, nationalism, coercion, etc. The brainwashing introduced to the Red Room after Natasha fled was the more magical gas kind.
Yep. They didn't want to break up the pacing of the resolution with another high tension scene, so the smash cut is basically meant to be funny.
By this point we're to infer (via Civil War, Falcon TV show, ec) that there's been a secret decades long arms race for super soldier serum. Not so much to discover it, but to refine it. It's a similar thing in the comics, with tons of characters running around with serum in their veins.
I guess we can assume in RG's case that a) his serum wasn't as refined as Cap's, and b) he's older than Cap too, so the effects have weakened over time?
she defected, prior to the mind control tech being a thing, with the help of SHIELD
this part made no sense to me either
Russia has their own SS program, which had one success, decades after Cap and Hydra did their thing.
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Thought the movie was ok to decent. Just felt a bit dramatic, cheesy, and goofy at times, plus I'm not sure about all the writing, music and editing choices, but overall it was still fun. Weirdly I thought Pugh's character kind of stole the show, arguably more so than Black Widow herself lol.
Yeah I thought Pugh was amazing. Better than Johansson, to be honest. In that sense, I'm glad the original Black Widow is dead and can pass the mantle to someone more interesting.
Yelena straight up says Natasha was only subject to psychological conditioning. She and the other new Widows were victims of the chemical brainwashing.
I know.
I'm saying Natasha was seen as having greater potential and Yelena was a reject
This felt like a very well directed and acted movie with a thoroughly average script. There's just not much inventiveness in its storytelling and as a result it feels forgetable on its own. As part of the larger MCU there just... Isn't much to it. I liked it more than the likes of Captain Marvel, but it's similarly flawed imo. Still, I enjoyed it. The MCU remains a real treat for me.
Just watched it tonight and loved both of these. Rachel Weiss was really, really bad. She was so wooden and I hated it.
Also, the editing choices in this movie are fucking baffling.
They really did pull a Deadpool with Taskmaster. Hopefully they get their own D+ series or a major movie role in the future so they can be someone besides a story twist for the main character.
yeah that was a weird line, considering theres an antidote spray and they were totally fine (mostly), but theres no magic spray to get rid of mental trauma :\
I feel like it went too meta at times and that Q-guy was just a weird character. They could have balanced the Red Guardian guy to be less of a gag character.
I don't know, maybe I wasnt in the right mindset and it wasnt a bad movie, it just was a thing. Tho the chemistry between Yelena and Nat was off the charts.
I don't know, maybe I wasnt in the right mindset and it wasnt a bad movie, it just was a thing. Tho the chemistry between Yelena and Nat was off the charts.
Taskmaster didn't get to say "Just like Cap!" or "Aim of Hawkeye!" 0/10. Would not recommend.
Seriously, though, I really liked it. I didn't expect to like it as much as Winter Soldier, but for me, it's at least as good, if not just a little bit better. The only issue I can think of (other than the questions that a lot of other people seem to have) is that the O.T. Fagbenle character seems to just...be there. I mean he seems charismatic enough, but he only gets about 5 minutes of screen time and he doesn't really do a whole lot with that time. I'm not a writer, but I'm sure they could have found something more for him to do than just provide Widow with stuff. Or they could have easily made most of the movie take place after Cap breaks everyone out of the Raft. That way, Hawkeye could have replaced him and maybe even fought a little.
Anyway, apart from the question of how Widow got away from Ross at the end, my other question would be how Contessa would even know that Hawkeye was with Widow when she died. They were on a faraway planet in a completely different timeline with no one other than Red Skull around for miles, so how could she possibly know? Alternatively, why would she need to lie about it if she just wanted him dead? And why try to kill him, anyway?
Edit: I fully expected certain characters to die, but I'm glad they didn't. And like most of you, I really liked Pugh and Harbour. Going in, I thought Pugh would basically be Widow 2.0, but she's her own character and she's great! I can't wait to see what else she'll do in the MCU.
Seriously, though, I really liked it. I didn't expect to like it as much as Winter Soldier, but for me, it's at least as good, if not just a little bit better. The only issue I can think of (other than the questions that a lot of other people seem to have) is that the O.T. Fagbenle character seems to just...be there. I mean he seems charismatic enough, but he only gets about 5 minutes of screen time and he doesn't really do a whole lot with that time. I'm not a writer, but I'm sure they could have found something more for him to do than just provide Widow with stuff. Or they could have easily made most of the movie take place after Cap breaks everyone out of the Raft. That way, Hawkeye could have replaced him and maybe even fought a little.
Anyway, apart from the question of how Widow got away from Ross at the end, my other question would be how Contessa would even know that Hawkeye was with Widow when she died. They were on a faraway planet in a completely different timeline with no one other than Red Skull around for miles, so how could she possibly know? Alternatively, why would she need to lie about it if she just wanted him dead? And why try to kill him, anyway?
Edit: I fully expected certain characters to die, but I'm glad they didn't. And like most of you, I really liked Pugh and Harbour. Going in, I thought Pugh would basically be Widow 2.0, but she's her own character and she's great! I can't wait to see what else she'll do in the MCU.
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I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. The tone in the first 2/3rds was exactly what I was looking for.
Weak villains - but I loved the whole family dynamic - just pitch perfect. Hopefully we can revisit Red Guardian - maybe in the Shang Chi fight tournament?
Weak villains - but I loved the whole family dynamic - just pitch perfect. Hopefully we can revisit Red Guardian - maybe in the Shang Chi fight tournament?
The fact that this movie is certified fresh is such a joke. Rotten is a mere curiosity information these days.
WandaVision and Loki>>>>>Falcon and Widow
Jelena and Red Guardian were the best, Natasha merely a poser in her own movie.
Phase 4 so far has been balancing between insanely innovative and daring and total boredom and sillyness.
Hopefully, more great things are coming with two of my favorites: Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye (I'm pretending it's full on Fraction adaptation until proven otherwise) and, of course, Spidey, followed by Raimi's Strange.
WandaVision and Loki>>>>>Falcon and Widow
Jelena and Red Guardian were the best, Natasha merely a poser in her own movie.
Phase 4 so far has been balancing between insanely innovative and daring and total boredom and sillyness.
Hopefully, more great things are coming with two of my favorites: Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye (I'm pretending it's full on Fraction adaptation until proven otherwise) and, of course, Spidey, followed by Raimi's Strange.
It's not. I'm assuming what you mean is that you didn't like the movie.
They could give the character actual lines? Taskmaster in this movie is a blank slate basically, so I seriously doubt that Kevin Feige is married to this iteration at all. I doubt it'll be hard at all to salvage the character in future projects.
Hue-hue-hue.
It's a factual aggregate on a movie critic site, the number is very correct and real, but, no need to reach for the obvious comment when I clearly meant it feels like a joke.
Widow is a tonal clash of Will E. Coyote cartoons and Jason Bourne and they are merely plastered together with a duct tape with some words on it but none of it matters or works, except on a good occassion when the characters actually feel like they're emotionally connecting. I was surprised to see Scarlett as an executive producer. She had all the control in the world and none of the ability to pull it off, to do something more with this movie.
For another meaningless info, I rated it 2.5/5 on letterboxd.
I would have liked this movie so much better if it was much smaller scale.
Having a flying castle and an army of widows was just too much, cut all of that, and Taskmaster, movie would be have been a lot better.
Just be about Natashas past, her going through a crisis because of the Avengers falling apart, finding her old family, and then coming together to stop glasses man, who was just in like a building or something and not a fucking flying castle.
Also focus more on the human trafficking aspect, and show how fucked it was, and why Natasha wants to prevent it from happening to more little girls.
Movie we got was fine, but it just felt like it suffered a lot from being a big budget marvel movie this late in the game. If it would have happened in like phase 1 or 2, it would have been way less needlessly dumb.
Also, I think I might be in love with Florence Pugh.
Having a flying castle and an army of widows was just too much, cut all of that, and Taskmaster, movie would be have been a lot better.
Just be about Natashas past, her going through a crisis because of the Avengers falling apart, finding her old family, and then coming together to stop glasses man, who was just in like a building or something and not a fucking flying castle.
Also focus more on the human trafficking aspect, and show how fucked it was, and why Natasha wants to prevent it from happening to more little girls.
Movie we got was fine, but it just felt like it suffered a lot from being a big budget marvel movie this late in the game. If it would have happened in like phase 1 or 2, it would have been way less needlessly dumb.
Also, I think I might be in love with Florence Pugh.