At long last, after two years, we’ve finally got a major Marvel superhero movie in theaters! As an unapologetic Marvel fanboy, I was thrilled to see Black Widow on the big screen and enjoy another wonderful action film. And I’m very pleased to see the big box office numbers, meaning other people were just as happy to get out and watch Black Widow.

Movie Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

I very much enjoyed Black Widow. I don’t really have any gripes or complaints or nitpicks. I know the online conversation around this movie has involved a lot of picks and nits here and there, but I am not one of those people. I enjoyed everything about this film. I don’t consider it one of Marvel’s all-time best or in the upper echelon of Marvel films. I just consider it another solid, enjoyable, well-made Marvel movie. And, honestly, I can feel a bit of that Marvel magic with this one. It’s hard to explain.

But I’m going to do my best! Join me after the jump for my thoughts and review of Black Widow. Expect FULL SPOILERS for the movie.

6. I enjoyed it

Black Widow is a fun and enjoyable action film. I don’t have much of a deep dive on this one in general. I loved pretty much everything about this film, had a wonderful time watching and am really considering going to see it in theaters a second time just for fun. The action and fight scenes were big and epic. The twists and reveals were a lot of fun, and I did not see most, if not all, of them coming. That’s always a hoot. The character drama was golden, made all the more so with some excellent casting. Natasha Romanoff worked wonderfully as the main character, and her story about closing off this dark chapter of her past worked for me completely.

It’s just as simple and straightforward as that. Black Widow was a great action film and a very good Marvel superhero film. Quality everything all around, as far as I’m concerned. Glad to have seen it.

5. The family dinner was my favorite scene

The best part of the film was the fake family drama. David Harbour, Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz were all impeccably cast and played their roles to perfection. And that family drama they created, especially that dinner table scene, was indeed perfection. The humor, the realness, the depth of their emotions; this was the standout moment of an already great film. Then the family working together in different ways to take down the bad guys was fun too! Great family build-up and pay-off.

4. The movie wasn’t about the villains

A common refrain I’ve been seeing a lot is how people are disappointed with Taskmaster. And that’s fine if they feel that way. This was definitely something different than the Taskmaster from the comics. Personally, I’m fine with the movie’s Taskmaster. They got the look, they got the power, and that’s good enough. I liked the new origin/identity of the Taskmaster; I didn’t figure it out ahead of time. I assumed going in that Rachel Weisz was going to be Taskmaster, and I’m pleased that was not the case.

But in the end, Black Widow wasn’t about our hero fighting a bunch of bad guys. This was a movie about Black Widow dealing with her past and rebuilding her family. The villains were just a means to an end for the movie, and it does not bother me in the least that they weren’t amazing, awesome villains with rich and compelling character. They served their purpose, Taskmaster looked cool and did cool stuff, and that’s good enough for me.

3. Yeah, it probably should have come out years ago

Another common refrain I see going around — and one I agree with — is that this movie should have come out after Captain America: Civil War. It would have worked so much better in the grand scheme of things if it had come out chronologically. And I bet a lot of people will watch the film that way if they ever do a big Marvel rewatch event.

Of course, we know why it didn’t happen sooner. I’ll gladly blame Ike Perlmutter for being racist and sexist. And by the time Kevin Feige got Perlmutter out of his hair, the schedule was too set in stone to squeeze in a Black Widow movie. I totally understand and am not going to hold it against Marvel.

Besides, if Black Widow had come out after Civil War, would we have gotten Harbour and Pugh? Captain America: Civil War came out in May 2016. The first season of Stranger Things came out two months later in July 2016. David Harbour was not yet a thing. Florence Pugh’s breakout year in Hollywood was 2019. Harbour and Pugh would not have been cast in their roles if Black Widow came out after Civil War…and that’s reason enough for me that Black Widow came out when it was meant to come out.

2. This felt special

I don’t know how to put this into words exactly…but Black Widow felt special. And I think it’s as simple as just that old Marvel magic. I watch a lot of movies, even during the pandemic. I’ve seen a ton of action movies in the past two years, and most of them were good to fine. In terms of action and coolness, I would say some are on par with Black Widow. But there was just something about watching Black Widow that elevated everything for me. Like, just the familiarity with the characters, the knowledge that it was happening in the MCU; whatever the case may be, this movie just felt different than all the other action movies I’ve watched over the past two years.

I feel a little dumb saying this out loud, but yeah, Black Widow felt special. It felt good to have another Marvel movie.

1. Bring forth Florence Pugh!

I’ve seen some people complain that Black Widow only exists so that Marvel can push Florence Pugh as the new Black Widow. And to that I say, sarcastically, you mean Marvel Studios, who have successfully created a beloved and amazing cinematic universe over the course of 10 years of interconnected movies, are going to continue making interconnected movies featuring new and awesome characters? It’s silly. Marvel is going to keep making awesome movies. They’re going to stay connected to one another. Characters are going to appear in multiple projects. And what better way to introduce a character than to tie them to an existing character?

I very much look forward to seeing Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova appear in more projects. She’s going to show up in the Hawkeye TV show and that sounds good to me! And I would love nothing more than for her to take up the mantle of Black Widow. That sounds great! With the Contessa having already recruited U.S. Agent, having Yelena as well sounds like the groundwork for a Dark Avengers, of sorts.

All of that sounds great to me! I would love a Florence Pugh-led Black Widow sequel, with Harbour and Weisz returning. I would love a Dark Avengers starring Florence Pugh. This Black Widow film has hopefully been a springboard for a lot of wonderful Marvel products to come!

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