Black Widow (2021)

Scarlet Johannsen really is awesome. Her sister Florence Pugh's awesome too. Fake sister - in-movie sister. Actually her whole family's awesome. Fake family - in-movie family. But still. Family. I like the values. I like how they get together. I like the way their relationship builds along the way, and how Natasha goes from the lone wolf entirely to... well, to having at least a few allies on her side. Though the after-credit bit doesn't look too promising...

The special effects are great. Avalanche. Whole world falling down. All that stuff. The initial car crash was maybe a bit less great. It's not all perfect, but for the most part...

They mix desperation and comedy cleverly too, as usual. The script's good. The intrigue's there. The cast reminds me a little bit of the G.I. Joe one.

I don't know what more to say about this.

I'm glad the Marvel realm movies continue, and if you're on for action then this is really for you, but it does feel like they might've passed their peak somehow. Or did the Zack Snyder/Marvel Guy dilemma somehow skew my positive impressions of these? Sometimes I feel Marvel are a bit more fast-paced and ferocious than they need to be now, and the balance between real and cgi isn't always perfect, and the villain here doesn't always seem to speak Russian. And little things like that.

All in all though it is awesome. Visually - and action-wise - I loved every second of it. The timing's perfect. The music's perfect - especially the two bits in the intro. The sequencing is just right. The script's balanced just perfectly. Especially the beginning seemed impeccable in all areas - and not just because it's a throwback to the heavy (and awesome) eighties.

It gets over the top and crazy after that but still close and personal somehow, with classy batshit flip action choreography and plenty of tech in the mix. Moving to sci-fi quick this is, even if Natasha seemed like one of the more grounded gals in the group before.

Anyway, TLDR: It's awesome.

Family reunion. I love it. Post-credit bit brought it down a bit though, and sometimes it feels a little imbalanced and rushed.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle