Black Widow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Black Widow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 16, 2021

It's difficult to say how Black Widow will ultimately be remembered one, five, ten, or twenty years from now -- probably as an entertaining if not somewhat superfluous footnote within the much larger Marvel Cinematic Universe of films -- but for now, in September 2021, the film's place in today's cinema discussions include its thrice delayed release due to the COVID-19 pandemic (it was originally slated to release in May 2020) and the subsequent simultaneous debut in theaters and digitally on Disney+ which led star Scarlett Johansson to file suit against Disney, essentially claiming that her payout would be reduced without a dedicated theatrical release window. Regardless of the noise around the release, Black Widow proves to be a capably entertaining diversion suited to escapism, even as it's not a particularly robust or original film, never mind one that is fully versed in and attached at the hip to the larger stylings and proclivities of the average Marvel Superhero film.

Years after Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) were torn apart from their life in Ohio under the care of Russian agent guardians Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and trained in the secretive "Red Room" to become "Black Widows," they reunite on the run with a shared purpose of locating their guardians and escaping from their past, a past that will pursue them to the ends of the earth and pit them against increasingly deadly killers.

Black Widow focuses on a beloved MCU character and features all of the action and excitement of a Marvel film but it's a more grounded outing, less big and bold and more concerned with characterization. Much of that is due to the fact that Romanoff is not a "typical" superhero imbued with extraordinary powers or powered by highly advanced technology -- she's not Captain America or Iron Man -- but rather a fully human individual with specialized training. She is a finely tuned physical specimen with a sharp mind. The film is necessarily lacking the overtly "superhero" shenanigans that permeate the MCU because that is not who this hero is.

The film, then, is more akin to a Bourne or a Bond picture with MCU undertones (and the occasional overtone). It's slick and fast as the action develops with all of the kinetic energy of the best Action-Thrillers. It's dripping with expertly engineered fight choreography -- whether fisticuffs, gunplay, or vehicle-based excitement -- but the key word is "engineered." There's no real sense of heart and soul and originality. The action serves a purpose, and the movie is not so dependent upon it that the story feels wrenched in around it, but all the same it's the same thing that's been in so many other movies before it. It's a bit tiresome and the movie is much better when it's building its characters rather than recycling admittedly well made yet still forgettable action.

The offsetting story beats essentially, and rightly, carry the film a bit more firmly than the high energy if not broadly familiar action scenes. The film's attention to and larger focus on character depth and backstory is not just commendable but also welcome. It's nice to see a favorite character so well fleshed out as Romanoff is here, beginning with a look at a defining moment from her youth and building on her relationship with Belova, a fellow Black Widow. The two play well one against another; there are enough similarities in character essentials and considering the shared cast to make the pairing work, but there are also enough differences in personality and approach to keep the dramatic dynamic going. Both actresses are excellent, as expected, in their respective roles, each nailing the character drama interplay and the action stunt work equally well.

Black Widow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Black Widow's 1080p Blu-ray presentation is perhaps best described as "remarkably unremarkable." The picture quality is perfectly great within the expectations of a contemporarily crafted, digitally photographed, big budget film. It's crisp and clear as day, revealing with great accuracy fine facial details, exquisite clothing lines and seams, superbly detailed environments, and precision texturing on even the smallest foreground details. Viewers will certainly never be left wanting more (even as the companion UHD does ramp up textural fidelity). Color output is as good as any Blu-ray viewer could want. Tones are bold and expressive without feeling oversaturated, hot, cool, or in any way tuned away from a true, lifelike flavoring. Primaries leap off the screen with impressive boldness and faithfulness. Whites are crisp and bright and blacks are stable and deep. The image reveals minimal noise and next to no serious compression artifacts. This is a perfectly good visual delight from Disney.

Black Widow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately, Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is another of the studio's languishing, lacking, and not particularly loud-at-reference-volume soundtracks. The opening action scene that sees the family escape from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents lacks any real sense of depth or command. While there is sound aplenty with impressively distributed surround content, there's no depth, no sense of energy or intensity on hand. Sadly, this holds true for the duration. Action scenes are devoid of depth. It's a shame because the film is rife with opportunity for high power audio bliss, but Disney has chosen to render the best parts of it null and void. Music is immersive but again lacking real authority and low end heft. Atmospheric effects are well defined and well spaced, suitably immersive in every scene. The track holds dialogue steady in the front-center channel.

Black Widow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Black Widow contains a disappointingly scant collection of extras, including a couple of featurettes, a gag reel, and deleted scenes. There is also an optional director introduction, accessible from the "Play" menu tab. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Introduction by Director Cate Shortland (1080p, 0:57): The director shares her vision for the film: the visceral edge and the character's humanity. It also explores the theme of loving and accepting one another.
• Sisters Gonna Work It Out (1080p, 5:24): This supplement explores the characters in modest detail. It looks at how the film is "grounded" in a way other Marvel films are not, character specifics, actor qualities and camaraderie, physical work, and more.
• Go Big If You're Going Home (1080p, 8:50): This catch-all supplement explores the story's depth, its character explorations, Cate Shortland's direction, shooting locations, production design, practical and digital visuals and effects, fight choreography, and more.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:54): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 14:11 total runtime): Included are Grocery Shopping, Bike Chase, Gulag Fight, Smile, Come After Me, Walk and Talk, Widows in Training, Kiss, and Ohio.

Black Widow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black Widow explores a key fan favorite MCU character with appropriate depth and detail, but the larger film around her isn't necessarily the most robustly original ever assembled. The action is particularly rote, albeit very well done, but the focal story beats are well versed in the art of increasing the audience's appreciation for the title character. The film plays well enough as standalone entertainment but it will best serve hardcore MCU fans who know the story ins-and-outs and character actions and proclivities from the heart. Disney's Blu-ray is serviceable. The picture quality is great, which is where many will focus their attention, anyway, but the audio is held back in typical Disney fashion and the supplements are nothing of greater value, either. Recommended for serious Marvel fans.