Firstly, I was very excited about being able to see this movie. I’m a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it was awesome to see a movie entirely dedicated to Black Widow.
I’ve always liked Natasha as a character and I really liked seeing more of her background. I really didn’t like Alexei as a character, if I’m honest. From the beginning, he really didn’t feel as invested in the family as Melina was. Of course, the movie is likely vastly different from the comic books, so the characters might be vastly different in the comics. I did feel like Alexei was there more for comic relief than any real character depth.
On the other hand, the initial scene of the movie did a really good job of establishing both Natasha and Yelena’s history together. I liked seeing the interactions between them and there were some really good elements of foreshadowing throughout.
I did feel that there were areas where the movie was slow moving. While it did allow for some character interaction and development, there were some scenes that were just straight up boring to watch. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the movie as a whole, but in some areas, it did drag.
While there were some good elements of humour in this movie, I felt it was more focused on the plot and character development, which was good. I felt like I was really able to get to know the characters, especially Natasha and Yelena. And I did like seeing the two of them working together, though I would have liked a bit more detail regarding Yelena’s first appearance and exactly how the brainwashing had affected the before and after of the Widows. It seemed like the brainwashing was more of a recent thing.
I liked the acknowledgement that Natasha’s family was also the Avengers, though it made me sad that she had to be separated from them. I would have liked to see a bit more about the others; especially Clint, because…surely he wouldn’t have just ignored Natasha and would have tried to contact her, at the very least?
All in all, I did enjoy this movie. It allowed for more depth to Natasha’s character and it was good to see more of her history and past explored. And it tied in very neatly with the rest of the Avengers movies.
If you do watch this movie, there is an end credits scene.
Ink of Blood 