Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel Fans have waited over two years to return to the MCU. Now that Black Widow is officially in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access for $29.99, they are taking to the internet to share their opinions.
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Black Widow is only the second Marvel movie over the course of nearly two dozen in the last decade to focus solely on a female superhero. The other being 2019’s Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel. Many fans are delighted by Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in her first solo Marvel movie, and there is a lot of praise.
Michael Patterson says:
Natasha Romanoff is one of my favorite MCU characters and Black Widow highlights why. Scarlett Johansson is better than ever and this just makes me yearn for even more of her, but it also makes you truly appreciate the hero that Black Widow was.
Natasha Romanoff is one of my favorite MCU characters and Black Widow highlights why.
Scarlett Johansson is better than ever and this just makes me yearn for even more of her, but it also makes you truly appreciate the hero that Black Widow was. #BlackWidow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/3rCciNMdk3
— Michael Patterson (@michaelp93) July 9, 2021
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The consensus seems to be that Yelena Belova AKA Black Widow (Florence Pugh) stole the show. And fans are more hyped than ever to see her later this year when she shows up on the Disney+ original series Hawkeye. Yelena was expected to replace Natasha as Black Widow in the MCU after her death in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Some fans hoped that with the new Marvel Multiverse they could have the best of both worlds. However, following the controversy surrounding the day-and-date release of Black Widow, which may have cost Scarlett Johansson upwards of $50 million it seems clear that Marvel’s first leading lady is gone for good.
It’s probably a good thing that so many fans have fallen in love with Yelena so quickly. Wanda Olsen said:
Yelena is an amazing addition to the MCU and she’s definitely going to have a bright future ahead.
Yelena is an amazing addition to the MCU and she’s definitely going to have a bright future ahead #BlackWidow pic.twitter.com/HEglpD7t2s
— Ren (@wandasolsen) July 9, 2021
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It’s been setting records at the box office. However, these positive reactions are not unanimous.
There are many on Twitter complaining that Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland and written by Eric Pearson, is ultimately very predictable. Prudent_Profits had this to say:
Somewhat cliché action scenes and predictable plot-line. Understandably, Marvel will have a tough time matching the Avengers saga going forward.
#BlackWidow wasn't as good as I hoped – 5/10
Somewhat cliché action scenes and predictable plot-line.
Understandably, Marvel will have a tough time matching the Avengers saga going forward.
Loved the end-credit scene and @Florence_Pugh was great
What would you rate it?
— Taylor (@prudent_profits) July 9, 2021
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Do not expect a whole new take on the character of Natasha Romanoff as she journeys back to Russia and deals with her history with the Red Room. She teams up with Melina Vostokoff aka Black Widow (Rachel Weiss) and Alexei Shastakov AKA Red Guardian (David Harbour) to take down Dreykov (Ray Winston) and his mercenary Taskmaster.
It’s a good movie, but it seems it’s not great. The fact that everyone already knows that Natasha is going to die in Avengers: Endgame (2019) makes the albeit amazingly choreographed fight scenes feel low-stakes. This prequel film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), when Natasha is on the run from Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) for not signing the Sokovia Accords.
Bravishi says:
not a bad movie, not worth premier access. Lacks substance and hence felt a little unnecessary tbh
#BlackWidow – not a bad movie, not worth premier access. Lacks substance and hence felt a little unnecessary tbh.
— Bravishi (@Devshreshth) July 9, 2021
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Marvel‘s Black Widow movie is definitely a solid entry in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. The predictability of the plot does not seem to take away the enjoyment of the first movie in Marvel’s Phase 4.
Craig Fox said:
Black Widow feels like a Phase Two MCU movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It moves fast, it’s fun, full of great action and likeable characters. As long as you’re okay with the expectation of a fairly generic action movie plot, there’s a good time to be had here.
#BlackWidow feels like a Phase Two MCU movie, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It moves fast, it's fun, full of great action and likeable characters. As long as you're okay with the expectation of a fairly generic action movie plot, there's a good time to be had here.
— Craig Fox (@FoxToTheFuture) July 7, 2021
Related: Scarlett Johansson Slams Portrayal of Black Widow in ‘Iron Man 2’
The official description from Marvel for Black Widow:
In Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow,” Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.
Let us know what you thought of Black Widow in the comments.