Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff finds herself alone and forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Romanoff must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Long time fans of the MCU have been waiting with bated breath for the arrival of Marvel Studios Black Widow and they will be very happy with what director Cate Shortland brings to the screen. If you think you know what you’re getting with Black Widow, think again, as Shortland delivers a film that is a high-octane, gunmetal espionage thriller, and trust me when I say that you’ve never seen a Marvel film like this before. With her directorial vision, Shortland gives Black Widow a dark and grungy tone, and really takes audiences inside the shadowy Black Ops world that exists outside of the Avengers scope. This is a world of shadow battles that are fought with automatic weapons, sharped edged blades and sheer grit, and right from the get-go Shortland seriously raises the stakes.

Placing great emphasis on an early Cold War setting, and the ongoing threat of a post-Soviet spy world, where the tensions are high between the West and the Russian block, leads to a considerable amount of danger, and Black Widow has a serious edge to its storytelling. Going back in time, Shortland takes us inside the mind of Natasha Romanoff and her existence within the feared Red Room, and there’s plenty of moments that will make you jump as Natasha has to contend with her past. Balancing character with action, Shortland keeps her audience guessing the whole way through, and there’s some juicy storytelling to keep audiences engaged. Black Widow is an all-together different kind of MCU cinematic experience for Marvel fans and Shortland crafts one hell of an engaging movie.

Front and centre in Black Widow is of course long time MCU star Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and for the first time, audiences will truly experience her complete story. While MCU fans will of course be aware of Natasha’s eventual fate, the experience of watching Black Widow leads to a completely full circle journey for Johansson’s portrayal of this character as she lets audiences into what actually makes this super-spy turned Avenger tick. Along with allowing us into Natasha’s headspace, Johansson also answers questions related to Natasha’s past, such as the details of the Budapest affair, along with her actions as a Widow, which provides plenty of interesting character depth.

Joining Johansson in Black Widow is MCU newcomer Florence Pugh as Natasha’s adoptive sister Yelena Belova and Pugh is an absolute firecracker in the role. Best described as Natasha’s dark shadow, Yelena is a far darker character compared to her sister and she’s definitely a wild child at heart. Pugh’s Yelena makes for a very interesting mirror in which to analyze Natasha and her actions and with Yelena’s devil-may-care attitude and far more lethal and serious leanings makes their interactions together that much more interesting to watch on screen. I was very impressed with what Pugh brought to the role, and how she changed up the narrative and audiences will love this new Widow that they get to meet.

Bringing a formidable force to the narrative of Black Widow is David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, the Soviet Union’s only ever super-soldier, and who is now a deep shadow of his former self. A now bloated, washed-up state prisoner, who bears a deep resentment to his former life as a ‘hero’, Alexei is a tragic and complicated character and has a lot to give to the story of Black Widow. Best described as an absentee father, Alexei finds a second chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his ‘children’ and the results are very enjoyable to watch. It’s clear that Harbour had a blast in the role, and he gives his performance a great mix of comedy that keeps things engaging, while also cramming into his uniform to throw down one more time.

Finally, Rachel Weisz brings a very interesting and complicated presence to Black Widow in the form of Melina Vostokoff, a mother figure to Natasha and Yelena and Alexei’s former lover. And her presence in the film is sure to keep audiences on their toes. As the brains behind the Red Room, Melina has a seriously dark history and Weisz excels at giving this character a two-faced quality that keeps the audience on edge. With Melina, you never know what she’s going to do next and Weisz’s resulting performance is sure to keep you amped the whole way through, and she makes for a very interesting addition to this complicated family unit.

The action of Black Widow is simply outstanding! Marvel fans who have been wanting a serious adrenaline rush will not be disappointed, and this is one film that will get your heart pumping. From a helicopter smash escape from a Siberian prison to a full-on assault through the streets of Budapest, the action of Black Widow doesn’t let up for a moment and Marvel fans will love what Shortland and her team bring to the screen. The film’s Spec Ops setting makes the action that much more adrenaline-charged and when Natasha has to face down the unstoppable might of the lethal Taskmasker, things truly get dialled all the way up. We’ve been waiting a long time for this level of epic action and the results are awesome to witness on screen.

But in addition to its epic action, Black Widow also focuses in on some very heavy themes, and this is the most moved I’ve been by a Marvel movie since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. Shortland’s focus on ideas of family, and the trials and tribulations they go through is sure to affect all who watch this movie. The resulting exploration of childhood trauma and psychological scarification gives this film a dark shadow to investigate, and the concept of free will is inspected with keen interest by Shortland on screen. Black Widow examines what it means to stand up and be a hero and to right the wrongs of your past and audiences will get a real kick out of this thematic study.

Black Widow is without a doubt the film we all need right now and this is one movie-going experience you’ll want to witness up on the big screen as it was meant to be seen. So go out now and embrace the epic popcorn blockbuster fun that is Black Widow…because this is Marvel the way it was meant to be experienced.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Hellboy (David Harbour) prepares to stop an ancient medieval sorceress who seeks to destroy all of mankind.

You’ve seen Hellboy before…but you’ve never seen this! Within a millisecond of the film starting you’re introduced to some serious carnage and it’s clear that director Neil Marshall is intent on doing something completely different with his take on the Hellboy legend. Marshall heavily invests in Mike Mignola’s comic book aesthetic and pumps the film full of raw horror cinema moments and midnight movie gore, and the result is something that really stands apart from Guillermo Del Toro’s own Hellboy adaptation. This Hellboy is gritty and in-your-face with it’s storytelling and it’s tone and style suggest a definite punk rock, smashbox attitude. Marshall draws on a massive canvas to tell his story and adds in a great kinetic energy that propels the action forward. There’s so much cool stuff to witness here and you definitely get amped!

Donning the horns and wielding the right hand of doom this time is David Harbour and the actor really makes the character his own. Absolutely stacked and possessed of a hulking intimidation factor, Harbour plays Hellboy as a conflicted character who has some serious issues and who is slightly fed up with his position in life. A severe relationship with his adoptive father Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (Ian McShane), also doesn’t make things any easier and then there’s his whole apocalyptic destiny thrown in there. Can’t a guy just catch a break. With Harbour you get this great working-man, blue collar vibe of a guy who’s got an incredibly tough job, but who just gets on with it anyway. Harbour really goes for it his performance here and I loved the badass swagger that he brought to the comic medium’s biggest bruiser.

Joining Harbour is the legendary Ian McShane as Hellboy’s teacher, instructor and father figure Professor Trevor Bruttenholm and this is indeed a bold new portrayal. While we were first introduced to Bruttenholm as a wizened and learned old scholar in 2004’s Hellboy, here he’s a far more rough and tumble character whose taken the tough love approach to raising his son and McShane’s old school hardass character is very much present here. Anytime Ian McShane steps up to work you’ve gotta have your eyes open and he’s a great addition to the film and really fits the tone that Marshall is going for.

Addinf support to Hellboy this time is gruff and ready to rumble Spec Ops soldier Major Ben Daimio, played by Daniel Dae Kim, and this is a great step up for Kim. Always a consumate professional, Kim is a great foil for Hellboy as Daimio and his by the books approach and steadfast discipline, along with his instant dislike for this ‘monster’ makes for interesting and engaging viewing. Kim really threw himself into the Hellboy world and is proficient on the trigger and absolutely ripped which helps him to portray this scarred up professional soldier. But like all things in Hellboy, Daimio isn’t exactly what he first appears to be and this soldier is hiding his own secrets, that once unleashed, make for some very interesting viewing. I was extremely pleased by what we got to see here with Kim and he makes for a terrific new addition to the BPRD.

Finally Milla Jovovich makes a frightening appearance as Nimue, the Blood Queen, a vindictive and dark sorceress who has plans to unleash the apocalypse and craft her own Eden on what remains of the Earth. Jovovich is an actress who always makes you sit up and take notice and as Nimue she channels a scary charisma that she unleashes to great effect. Her role and position in the story have a great political context to them and her mantra and ideas also start to work on Hellboy, even if she’s also content to give him a good slap in the process as well.

If you want action, well you’ll get it here because Hellboy absolutely goes for it. From vampire wrestling to a giant smackdown to the apocalypse itself, Hellboy brings plenty of pulp action to the big screen and with it is a true serving of horror gore. Marshall’s grounding for this film is very much the world of Mignola’s comics and as a long-time Hellboy fan I can’t express how amazed I was to see the author’s world transported fully to the screen. Here you really are seeing panels ripped from the pages and brought to life on screen and it’s an incredible visceral experience. Then there’s the film’s reliance on practical effects and this really helps to add up to something extremely special. Both the action and the horror are really in your face and you’ll definitely get pumped here.

Hellboy is just straight out punk rock cinema at it’s finest and if you’re wanting a good dose of pulp action then this film will really get your blood going and your heart racing.

Image: Roadshow Pictures

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