Before Covid, the long awaited standalone Black Widow movie was set to kick off Phase 4 of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe but, with cinema’s closed and the subsequent reshuffling of movie releases, Black Widow made way for MCU’s first canonical forays into television. No matter how much buzz WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki may be getting, in all honesty, it’s the return of Marvel to cinemas that’s making the most noise, pulling in a hefty $215 million in it’s opening weekend. Not bad considering most of the world are still opening significant pandemic control measures.

Considering Black Widow’s story comes to an end in Avengers: Endgame, the timing of her solo venture seems a little odd but it kind of works by acting as a bridge between Marvel’s phase 3 and 4. Bringing in the new whilst saying thankyou and goodbye to the old. The film starts with a opening sequence introducing us to a young Natasha Romanoff and her Russian sleeper cell family; father Alexei, mother Melina and little sister Yelena. When their mission in America is complete, the ‘family’ return to Mother Russia and the two children are sent to the Red Room.

The main events of the film take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, with Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow a fugitive of the American government for failing to comply with the Sokovia Accords. A mysterious parcel and an impromptu visit from the mysterious Taskmaster drives Nastasha out of hiding and to a safe house in Budapest where she reunites with her estranged sister.

It is here we get little hints of the infamous Budapest event that we have been hearing so much about over the years and we learn about Natasha’s defection to SHIELD, which included taking down the Red Room. After a tense and combative family reunion with Yelena, Natasha discovers that the Red Room is still operational and churning out Widows stationed across the globe. Together, they must confront their pasts and troubled relationships to bring down the programme once and for all.

If there is one thing that Marvel Studios tend to do well, it is balancing strong action sequences with solid storytelling. I’ve seen some complaints about the ‘lack’ of action in this film, but I honestly think that those people may have been watching the wrong movie. Whilst there are a fair few over-the-top explosive sequences, director Cate Shortland gives Black Widow a more grounded feel with a focus on well choreographed hand-to-hand fights and combat sequences.

It feels as though Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto has a monopoly on the word ‘family’ this summer but ultimately that is what is at the heart of the film and Shortland allows plenty of time in and amongst the action to explore the dynamic. The family and home that Natasha built for herself with the Avengers is the foundation with which her character is built upon and allows her to build bridges and cultivate relationships with her Russian ‘family’, fully rounding out the character we fell in love with way back in Iron Man 2.

Despite taking place in the middle of events that we are already familiar with, the majority of the characters are either brand new to the MCU or were only previously mentioned in seemingly throwaway comments in conversations. Johansson’s Black Widow is the rock that holds the film together and allows others to flourish, and some do so better than others.

Rachel Weisz is a great actress but I’m not sure that the superhero genre is really her forte, her somewhat stilted performance – whilst not completely terrible – was the weakest of the central four. David Harbour was surprisingly delightful as the out of shape patriarch, Alexei, who prefers to be known by his superhero moniker The Red Admiral a former Russian super-soldier. Although he provided the comedic relief, I would have loved to see him flex his muscles a little bit more – pun intended.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Florence Pugh’s Yelena steals the show, quickly becoming a fan favourite for her constant teasing of Natasha’s tendency to overuse the iconic Black Widow pose. But Pugh delivers more than a few laughs, in fact, she holds her own in the fight sequences and carries a huge chunk of the film’s emotional weight, and Marvel’s trademark after credits scene indicates that we will be seeing a lot more of Pugh as Marvel’s plan for Phase 4 unravels.

Packed full of fun, heart and action Black Widow delivers a long overdue, bittersweet solo outing that both respects Natasha’s journey and the integral part she plays, whilst setting a ripple in motion for the future of the Widow mantle and marking a triumphant return to the hallowed halls of the movie theatre.