Another wave of reviews for 'Black Widow' is out, here's what the critics are saying
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Jamie Jirak of the website Comicbook.com says, "Black Widow can be seen on Disney+, but if you have the chance to see it in theaters, it's best to go see it in theaters."
"The film is an ideal return trip to the cinema for any fan, even for the road warriors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
"It's hard not to think about the fact that Black Widow was due a decade ago, but this new film is still a great addition to the Marvel franchise and a perfect farewell for Scarlett Johansson and Natasha Romanoff."
Variety, on the other hand, writes, "Viewers of 'Black Widow' may be wondering what exactly they'll get to see the lead go on to do."
"So far, when Scarlett Johansson has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (starting with Iron Man 2), she's been a leather-clad, agile warrior."
"I was thinking, or rather dreading, that 'Black Widow' would also spend two hours telling a story like that. But it doesn't, it's a much more interesting and engaging story."
The IGN review reads, "All in all, the film is ambitious. It's a superhero movie and a spy action thriller, a drama about a flawed family, a send-off, a film about healing from abuse."
"To a large extent, the film doesn't feel like a comic book movie, as it uses a darker tone to tell the story of a Russian project that kidnaps young girls and trains them to become killers."
"There's no exciting event that gives Natasha superpowers - no radioactive spider bites or gamma blasts."
"And with Natasha having defected to S.H.I.E.L.D., audiences will learn why she joined the organisation in the first place. The film focuses on why she wants to continue the hero's path, not just escape the shackles of her past life."
"While the film is full of promise, it also leaves a strong tragic aftertaste for one of Marvel's first Avengers."
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said, "The film, directed by Kate Sauerland, is full of propulsive excitement, humour and delightfully understated emotional interludes."
"This indie film proves to be an excellent performance by Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, with first-rate assistance from Florence Pew, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour for this."
"A departure from the superhero template into exciting spy thriller territory, this female-driven Marvel film is far more satisfying than the bland and flashy Captain Marvel."
Collider's Matt Goldberg, on the other hand, said, "While the family story is interesting and the missions are standard Marvel fare, Black Widow feels like it tells a story that doesn't fit, but given its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, they had no choice."
"If this movie had been released in the 2011s, they could still have gone the prequel route, but then it would have told the story of her meeting with Hawkeye in Budapest."
"We knew that this was a major turning point in her life and it would have been cool to see how it happened and how it shifted Natasha's direction from hired assassin to S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"Instead, we get this story that's more like a backdoor pilot episode for a Yelena Belova episode. I just hope Marvel does a better job with Yelena than Natasha."
"It's a shame that Natasha didn't get a movie like this in the first place."
Critics have been mixed on the film, but it's safe to assume that Black Widow does tell a female-centric story that blazes a trail for future Marvel movie diversity.
