Cyrus Langhorne
Full disclosure - I have watched Marvel Studios' Black Widow and can't wait to see it again on the big screen. In true reflection manner, I'll do my best to avoid spoilers but give the biggest hints - ever.
First things first, Marvel Studios’ Black Widow is ‘the’ movie of the summer thus far. It’s no disrespect to films I loved like A Quiet Place II and The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife – both films I have seen twice on the big screen – but you cannot have a true summer without a blockbuster on the screen not named Fast & Furious 9.
Vin Diesel and Ludacris are a ton of fun but what makes a summer worth remembering?
Marvel Studios.
Let’s keep it 100, the COVID-19 crisis made Disney Plus the ultimate Marvel Studio quarantine snack. Whether you wanted to watch an entire collection of superhero flicks or see what shows like “WandaVision” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” were all about. But it just wasn’t right. It doesn’t matter how many delicious appetizers you stuff into your tummy, it’s never quite an entree. Now enter Black Widow.
Flexing a little bit of my credentials, it’s still not everyday you get the opportunity to see a Marvel Studios film ahead of its release. From me to Marvel, you did the right thing and turned someone who wasn’t the most hyped for Black Widow into someone who can’t stop telling peers how much they’re going to love it.
Comedy? Check. Action? Check. Scarlett Johansson? Double check. There’s too many things to dish into but in an effort to make this an easy-going reflection of what I experienced, I am going to boil it down to 3 things you can expect when you get into your seat.
- The Signature Opening Sequence
The opening sequence is what Marvel Studios has made into its bread and butter. You get a flashback to a storyline and plot which will set the tone for the rest of the movie. And most importantly, you get a clear idea of why Natasha Romanoff acts and moves the way she does.
The addition of Florence Pugh makes the movie an even bigger rollercoaster ride and seeing her close-knit bond with Natasha Romanoff as Yelena Belova as children – then fast-forwarding to adulthood later – really makes the opening sequence even more special.
There are some amazing twists and before you know it, what feels like 20 minutes has passed before you get the epic ‘Marvel Studios’ drop-in. Please believe there will be applause and positive uproars when this goes down in your theater.
2. The Supporting Cast
We’ve seen the line-up and commercials for months at this point but you’ll never quite understand how genius David Harbour and Rachel Weisz‘s characters are to the overall story. While by default you’re focused on Natasha and Yelena, you can’t help but fall in love with Harbour bringing the same comedy element as we’ve experienced from Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Rocket Raccoon or Happy Hogan in the Iron Man series. With this much action-packed fun on deck and taking place, this duo do an amazing job at providing comic relief and easing some really intense moments with both jokes and a few romantic twists.
3. A Major Statement
The one thing which could either make you yell ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ is a particular direction the film goes in telling the overall story. Once again, in an effort to avoid spoilers I’ll censor myself but in recent years there have been a few toxic trends in Hollywood which the industry has tried to clean up and make sure never goes down again. There’s a very thin line between this message being forced into the storyline and actually working – possibly both. It’s a very real discussion but feels as though Marvel Studios sacrificed the story’s integrity to get a clear message to a select group of real-life villains.
Just looking at my local AMC movie theaters, they’re practically close to selling out – without any restrictions on full capacity anymore – on opening night. Whether you find yourself going to your theater multiple times like myself to see Black Widow or it’s a one-and-done until the next Marvel flick hits theaters, you’re going to feel the momentum not only reached by continue as the line-up of superhero flicks start to fall into place starting with Scarlett Johansson’s must-see.
Buckle up and don’t forget to stay until the ‘very’ end.
