BLACK WIDOW
Recommended. A spin-off, occasional links to the main series are thrown in here and there but the focus is on her background and can be easily seen as a separate story. One armed with a smart script. If you're looking for action, there's no shortage. Like the other films in this series, it offers a number of obligatory fights shot at all angles. At the same time, it takes the mickey out of Black Widow's pose - to a hilarious effect. Witty lines are rare but there are some, e.g.: "You're a good friend." "That's what every guy wants to hear." But it's touching a good few times as well. The whole thing is well-constructed: The backstories are explained always at the right time. At some point, masks are pulled off which resembles a "Game of Thrones" scene - the nano mask appears in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" but in "Black Widow" it's just before a kill. Shot in Norway, Budapest, Morocco, Bahamas (pretending Cuba), it offers a range of vistas. But this blockbuster, though entertaining on the very superficial level, delves into a range of serious topics so gently it doesn't feel forced for a second. What you get is worldwide manipulation and mind control from Russia - via implants and a scattered army of special female agents at the behest of a swine-like fat chap talking of girls as of "free resources". Olga Kurylenko cameos as Dreykov's daughter - the former model acts a character so deformed I didn't recognize her. Anyway, women's stories are different. Ironic, then, that the script has been written by two men and one woman. The women topic entails extremely brutal practices, with relevance to real life but treated so lightly, you don't feel the burden, even when you absorb them on the intellectual level. Women must be obedient or they are killed. Female organs removal takes place which means men take away women's reproductive rights. Women fight each other until they understand they're mind-controlled and they won't fight back because those who control them act like or smell like family. One scene was so suggestive my nose got runny all of a sudden. The "This time of the month?" question is asked too - really, all issues women face are mentioned - skillfully, briefly yet memorably. Women gaining free will is a big issue. The movie boasts Atmos sound but that won't matter. Imax isn't necessary either. It's a superhero flick with a story and profound social undertones even if well camouflaged by action. The scene after the 'pay-roll' makes you wonder if she's dead for real and then you hear sobbing which, subsequently, turns out to have a different cause. The post-credit is a must-see.
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