Black Widow review round-up: Scarlett Johansson MCU film is at its 'best when it's a wacky family drama'

Scarlett Johansson-starrer Black Widow is all set to hit the US theatres and streaming platform Disney+ on 9 July. The much-awaited MCU film is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War which released in 2016. The latest movie sees Natasha Romanoff on the run after helping Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers and is forced to confront her past. This is going to be the first Marvel film hitting the big screens after coronavirus breakdown. Along with Johansson, the film also features Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz in pivotal roles. Ahead of the release, the early reviews of Black Widow are out and the movie is receiving a majorly positive response from critics. Also, Johansson is being praised for her portrayal once again. Here are some of the reviews of Black Widow Variety: [It’s] Scarlett Johansson who holds the film together and gives it its touch of soul. Natasha’s desire for vengeance is pulsating, but so are her inner wounds, and Johansson, unusual for the comic-book genre, makes the most vulnerable emotions part of the humanity of her strength. The Guardian: For fans of Black Widow and everyone else, this episode is great fun and Harbour could well ascend to spinoff greatness of his own. The Hollywood Reporter: The production represents a huge leap in scale for director Cate Shortland, who made her name with the intimately observed Somersault before segueing to the Holocaust drama Lore and the psychological abduction thriller Berlin Syndrome. Those features all explored the lives of young women with sensitivity and genuine curiosity, something the Australian director continues to do here, adding unexpectedly rich dimensions to a genre that often shows too little interest in character. The Verge: As an action movie, it’s solid, with lots of fun set pieces to gawk at and a particularly menacing villain. While there are a handful of references to other movies, and fans will likely enjoy delving deeper into Romanoff’s backstory, you can mostly ignore all that if you want, and you’re still left with an entertaining spy thriller. Slash Film: Black Widow is at its best when it’s a wacky family drama between Natasha, Yelena, Alexei, and Melina, with dashes of a spy thriller. But Marvel films can’t content themselves with staying small, and Black Widow falls victim to the big bombast characteristic of the studio. The result is a disappointing solo movie that ends up burying Natasha Romanoff once again. The Independent: For all of Black Widow’s flaws, the things that it does right build a more hopeful future for the women of the MCU – one with stories that not only invoke real and relatable experiences, but are actually being told by women behind the camera. It’s just a shame that Natasha never had this from the very start.