The 23 film ‘Infinity Saga’ is over, Avengers: Endgame is the highest grossing film of all time, and Natasha Romanoff is dead. It therefore seems slightly odd that a Black Widow film starring Scarlett Johansson would be the launch pad for the MCU’s phase 4. However, Scar Jo has earned the chance to get her own film after 10 years and this film looks really interesting to me.
It is a prequel to the events of Avengers: Endgame (obviously), with the rumour being that it will mainly be set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, with scenes from the trailer seeming to imply we will also learn about Natasha pre her first MCU appearance in Iron Man 2.
The film looks like a departure for the MCU as it seems very derivative of the spy genre and Jason Bourne in particular, a genre the MCU has leant into once before (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) with great success. Hopefully it is packed full of genre thrills that differentiate it from the rest of the competition.
The cast is one of its biggest selling points. Despite her multiple terrible PR moments, there is no denying Scar Jo is a good actor and is very good in the role of Black Widow. The cast also features Stranger Things star David Harbour as Red Guardian and Oscar Winner Rachel Weisz. However, the main stand out is current ‘it girl’ Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. Pugh is a young actress who has shown incredible range in such a short career, is soon to likely become an Oscar nominee herself, and is very possibly going to be a stand out here (and could potentially carry the mantle of Black Widow after this film).
I still need to see more, but as it stands, this looks like an interesting and unique launching pad for the new era of the MCU.
Howe's World of Film and TV 