Black Widow is self-defeating, never committing to an idea. It wants to be a spy thriller centered around family drama, but that's confused by formulaic MCU tropes. Consequently, it evades real conflicts, underdevelops characters, and lacks growth. Its messages are sanitized, its plot is contrived, and everything amounts to pointless, boring filler. The acting has chemistry and there are vulnerable moments, but that's outweighed by a cliche climax and desensitizing action. Plus, there's no tension, little emotional repercussions, and plenty of telling rather than showing. Ultimately, Black Widow feigns themes, drama, and grit, but it's all a sterile illusion.
Technically, Black Widow is bland and generic. Its visuals use some lighting, movement, and focus, but it's mostly shaky, cluttered, and drab. The editing has weak momentum, a disjointed structure, and bloated action. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is forgettable, the production design is stale, and the excessive CGI is alien and ugly. Its sound has some split cuts, echoes, match cuts, and muffling, but remains mostly inconsequential. Still, the cast is recognizable and elevates the mediocre material. Overall, Black Widow clashes with itself, attempting incompatible tones, not integrating its action, and hollowing its messages. It's a big pile of nothing.
Writing: 4/10
Direction: 4/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Acting: 7/10
Editing: 5/10
Sound: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Production Design: 5/10
Casting: 9/10
Effects: 7/10
Overall Score: 5.8/10
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