First Take: Black Widow- the MCU returns to the big screen at last

Spoiler free as usual. Because we’ve waited nearly 2 years to say that again.

SYNOPSIS: A film about Natasha Romanoff in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity War.

This is arguably the most anticipated review of the entire 2021 Marathon schedule. and it is hard not to understand why - after a longer than anticipated gap between the films, Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally crashed into cinemas around the world, heralding the true start of the big screen’s recovery. And as a typical Marvel film does, it entertains the masses and does its job very well.

Cate Shortland takes up the directorial post for the 24th entry into the MCU, and she does a very good job of taking the creative vision of that universe and pushing it in its new direction beyond the events of Endgame, while at the same time delivering a runtime of 2 hours 13 minutes (and some loose change in the form of a post-credits sequence too) which feels about right for a film of this nature. Handling the script is Eric Pearson, who again, is able to take pre-existing material and morph it in to a story which doesn’t explore the full origin of the character, but add to what we already know from previous MCU films in a way which feels fresh, something which is aided by Lorne Balfe on scoring duties, and Gabriel Beristain behind the camera.

With the cast, it is clear to see Scarlett Johannson’s influence as both lead star and executive producer, as she is able to take the Black Widow backstory and flesh it out into something that feels worthy of its own standalone film - joining her for the ride is David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, OT Fagbenle, and surprisingly Ray Winstone (who has a very laughable Russian accent for this film). I can also say that a star is well and truly made in Florence Pugh, who has been on the rise since Fighting With My Family and Midsommar introduced her to the mainstream around the time of the last marathon, and I can easily see more major roles coming her way as a result. This is a film which showcases the pulling power of Marvel, and in terms of the big screen’s Covid recovery, on release day alone it did just over £1.2 million at the UK box office, with the 50% capacity cap in play- so this film is gonna open BIG.

THE VERDICT

We’ve been waiting since Tenet for a proper popcorn movie to welcome the public back to the big screen, and at last, we finally have it - Black Widow may not be the strongest Marvel film (which is still a very good thing considering the standard which has come before), but it is the film cinema exhibitors have been waiting for. It’s best enjoyed big, loud, and in the best possible seats, as this is the moment we truly get to say that cinema is back.

RATING: 4/5