Black Widow directed by Cate Shortland; starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Ray Winstone; written by Ned Benson, Eric Pearson and Jac Schaeffer

Natasha Romanov must come out of hiding to help her long-lost sister take down the master spy who turned them both into assassins.

As with many stand-alone Marvel movies, this one has a bit of a hard time fitting into the timeline and recapturing the grand scale of the its tentpole big brothers.
But the film blends the usual Marvel elements with skill: a well constructed plot, engaging characters, breathtaking action set pieces and just the right dose of humor to keep things lightly entertaining.
Scarlett Johansson once again plays the part to perfection and newcomers Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz make worthy additions to the roster. But it's David Harbour who steals the show as the burly, larger than life and comically Russian Red Guardian.
The production is of course flawless though the film's Achille's heel is Cate Shortland's direction, thoughtful in the more dramatic moments but often too blurry and confusing during the action sequences, making them a bit hard to decipher and therefore a little less suspenseful than you'd hope for.

Rating: B

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