Reviews are rolling in for Marvel's return to the big screen as critics give their thoughts on Black Widow. When the Scarlett Johansson led film finally hits theaters on July 9, it will have been roughly two years since the MCU had a movie in theaters, the longest gap since the franchise's start in 2008. Black Widow will also herald the return of Johansson's Natasha Romanoff after her death in Avengers: Endgame. The film takes place in between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War with Natasha on her own after the Avengers have been disbanded.

The events of Captain America: Civil War lead Natasha back to figures from her past, including Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov, and Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff, a makeshift family of sorts from Natasha's time in the Red Room. Early reactions to Black Widow praised the MCU's return to the big screen, with some dubbing the film the best Marvel solo effort in quite some time. Social media reactions also leveled praise at Pugh's performance as Yelena, saying that her character contributes to what is a surprisingly emotional story.

Related: Why Black Widow Fits Phase 4 Better After The MCU Release Delays

Now, critics' full thoughts can finally give viewers an idea of what's in store when Black Widow releases next week. For the most part, reviewers seem to praise the action scenes at the center of the film, citing Cate Shortland's direction as one of the highlights of Black Widow. Still, there are some detractors who say that the film still doesn't give enough time to Natasha Romanoff, choosing to instead focus on fleshing out the character of Yelena Belova. Check out some of their thoughts below:

Mae Abdulbaki, SR

Black Widow had a lot of boxes to check off. Its unique situation meant that it had to offer closure with regards to Natasha’s story, especially considering the film marks her final appearance in the MCU. It delivers by exploring Natasha’s history and introducing memorable new characters whose journeys are equally interesting. The biggest disappointment is perhaps that it doesn’t do enough to focus on Natasha, opting to set up Yelena as her successor. There is just enough Black Widow, however, to make this a distinct film.

Laura Sirikul, Nerds of Color

Director Cate Shortland balances the drama with perfect action-packed sequences. With Gabriel Beristain’s cinematography, Black Widow captures the beauty of the locations, even as the landscape around them is falling apart — whether it be an avalanche in Serbia or during a fight scene in which pieces of machinery fal down from the sky. Although the consequences in the film are low stakes, as opposed to the other films where the entire world is at risk, Shortland and Beristain kept the intensity high at all times, except for the quiet moments, which are not wasted.

Gabriella Geisinger, Digital Spy

Whether or not this is the end for Scarlett Johansson in the MCU remains to be seen (never say never when it comes to Disney). If so, it will at least have given Natasha Romanoff a more complete (if too thin) story and finally puts her in the solo spotlight she always richly deserved.

Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine

The plot itself is really quite silly, revolving around some glowy red vials and an army of brainwashed women, headed up by Ray Winstone (whose Russian accent occasionally defects between East and West mid-sentence) like a toxic spin on Charlie’s Angels. And things do degenerate somewhat into a familiar Marvel climax — huge object crashes to Earth while superheroes do superhero things in mid-air, with a few Moonraker nods sprinkled in for good measure (someone on this film really likes Roger Moore). But it does maintain the fun and there’s plenty of creative action along the way.

Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

Black Widow reminds us of the pleasure that can be offered by an MCU movie that isn’t having to do the legwork of setting up the next five chapters. (Not that you shouldn’t sit through the credits for one final button, of course.) Comics fans will revel in the introduction of recognizable gizmos and character names, as always, but even non-dabblers can enjoy the film for Johansson’s tough-as-nails star quality and the scene-stealing by her overqualified supporting players.

Hoai Tran-Bui, SlashFilm

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.

Kirsten Acuna, Insider

The film is very much a vehicle for the passing of the baton to a younger lead as we head into what Marvel calls Phase 4 of its cinematic universe. This film serves more as an origin story for Pugh's Yelena instead of a singular deep dive into Nat's history.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Black Widow, which kicks off Phase Four of the MCU, doesn’t feel like the first stand-alone Black Widow film. It feels more like the second, lost-in-the-wilderness Black Widow film. But I’m here to say that’s a good thing. Most of us have seen enough superpowers to last a lifetime. Black Widow spins on the powers that come from within.

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Somehow, the most teasingly potent relationship revealed here is that electra complex, the bond between Black Widow and her preposterous old dad, who is very large, very given to fits of temper and likes smashing things. Does this, perhaps, give us a Freudian clue to Black Widow’s tendresse for Dr Bruce Banner, the alter ego of Hulk? This glimpse into her troubled psyche is worth the price of admission on its own.

David Rooney, THR

If the Avengers movies are broadly about a ragtag family of superheroes finding comradeship while forging an allegiance against evil, Black Widow is about another kind of alternate family, messed up by deceptions and bitter betrayals before rediscovering trust in an onslaught of explosive situations. Directed by Cate Shortland with propulsive excitement, humor and pleasingly understated emotional interludes, this standalone proves a stellar vehicle for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, given first-rate support by Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour.

Natasha Romanoff cries and looks down in Black Widow Movie

Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

In its final moments, Black Widow gives its heroine the humanity she never quite gained in her appearances in prior Marvel films, and it’s a shame that this slight but crucial wrinkle to the familiar morality of so many superhero stories ultimately feels more like a twist than a springboard for a new, more morally enlightened era of the MCU.

Mara Reinstein, US Weekly

The problem in the Black Widow context? The stakes are nonexistent. No matter how many times a bad guy (or girl) aims a gun at Natasha, we know she has a specific, er, end game and will live to see the closing credits. This conceit was always going to be a risk with a prequel.

Eric Kohn, IndieWire

Eventually, Black Widow sags into the same kind of run-fight-repeat routine we’ve seen countless times before, and even the obligatory post-credits cliffhanger feels like little more than the shrug of promise that that every story in this IP juggernaut is really just a feature-length teaser for the next. At its best, however, Black Widow is a welcome break from the overwrought transmedia machine that dictates Disney’s biggest franchise bets, and almost invites you to forget what’s at stake.

A.A. Dowd, AV Club

In fashioning a side adventure that’s really a formal goodbye to one of the franchise’s original principles, Black Widow ties a neat bow on that motivation, offering redemption that feels half-earned at best. But what more could you expect of a film that makes deprogramming look as easy as aroma therapy, solved with a MacGuffin that’s basically change of heart in perfume form? Will we ever see the real Black Widow?

Johnny Oleksinski, NY Post

The movie’s vibe isn’t like your average MCU entry at all, really. What it reminded me of are the many James Bond films where 007 goes rogue and cavorts around world cities seeking his revenge du jour. Johansson, who actually watches Moonraker in one scene, has Bond’s same confidence and swagger — if not his retro libido — which is so often missing from these wisecracking Marvel actors who look like they got lost on the way to a Judd Apatow set.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha in Black Widow Movie

For the most part, it sounds like Black Widow is a success, albeit with some major caveats. While the film avoids an origin story for Natasha Romanoff, it seems for some that Black Widow is so focused on setting up the future of Yelena Belova that it forgets about Johansson's long-running MCU mainstay. Luckily, both Pugh and Johansson carry what they are given well - both are Academy Award nominees and both turn in what sound like fantastic performances.

Still, Marvel can't help but avoid falling into the trappings of its formula sometimes. With Black Widow, it sounds like a return to the classic action format that made the franchise so popular, for better and worse. While the action in and of itself is praised across the board, that does not make up for a thin plot. Fortunately, it sounds like Black Widow will ultimately please longtime fans of the MCU, even if it leaves something to be desired as fans eagerly await the Multiverse breaking future of the franchise.

More: What Scarlett Johansson & Florence Pugh Revealed On The Black Widow Set

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