More than just content and every other aspect movies and series present, we’re also huge fans of how that story is told and brought to life, Marvel is a great example of that. They have a clever way of knitting everything together perfectly and with their recent extended universe including miniseries involving some of the Avengers characters, the studio has been able tell extended stories that link to their movies and all play a pivotal role in each other, it’s like a continuous loop that’s never ending and we for ones are here for all of it.

Our focus today, and as briefly mentioned up top, is based on Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, who 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.

In classic Marvel manner, Black Widow doesn’t disappoint and is full of everything you would expect from a movie of its nature. It’s jam packed with all kinds of action sequences, fight scenes and a bit of humor throughout – all ingredients that have made Marvel such a success with most if not all of its movies. In what is her own solo Marvel movie without the support of other power cast members, Johannson does a fantastic job in leading the entire story line (was anyone ever in doubt really?) supported by an equally more than able cast.

Speaking of the cast, Black Widow also sees Florence Pugh feature prominently assuming the character of Yelena Belova, Natasha’s sister, with her onscreen chemistry with the lead (Johannson) being one of the highlights of the movie. Judging by how this movie ended, it’s clear that Pugh’s character is going to play a bigger role in the extended Marvel Universe… so yes do stick around for the end credits with an interesting Easter Egg and twist being revealed.

The movie is a breath of fresh air with more of a focus on family and its dynamics, we get to see Natasha’s origins in a completely different and realistic manner. It also sees a majority of a female led cast with Rachel Weisz (as Iron Maiden) also coming across in a powerful manner. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since the director (Cate Shortland) is also female and as we pointed out previously in this one, we’re huge fans of this approach and would be up to seeing more female characters portrayed in powerful roles.

Black Widow is a great watch, like all previous Marvel movies that came before it. It brings a slightly different mix to the current Marvel set up with the all female led cast and story line being a central and refreshing feature we really enjoyed. In as much as it isn’t all perfect from a story line point of view, it has enough (in action sequences and humor) to satisfy anyone looking for a great movie to watch. Well worth your time (especially if you’ve been invested in the entire Marvel trilogy from the onset). It definitely gets our stamp of approval.

Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Black Widow is intended to be the twenty-fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It’s interesting to note that development of the film began way back in April 2004 by Lionsgate, with David Hayter attached to write and direct. The project however, did not move forward and the film rights to the character reverted to Marvel Studios in June 2006.

Johansson was cast in the role for several MCU films beginning with Iron Man 2 (2010). Marvel and Johansson expressed interest in a solo film several times over the following years, before Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson were hired in 2018. Filming took place from May to October, in Norway, Budapest, Morocco, Pinewood Studios in England, and in Macon, Georgia.

Black Widow is scheduled to hit the big screen on May 1, 2020.