Disclaimer: I haven't seen a single Marvel movie since Iron Man 1 in 2008. I would love to see an 'M Mature' rated Black Widow video game done with Splinter Cell style stealth and combat tactics, minus Marvel having anything to do with it(I know, that's asking for way too much).
I went to see Black Widow tonight and I enjoyed it very much for what it was as Natasha Romanoff is one of the only comic characters that have a realistic and interesting backstory. Overall, it was about what I expected which was both a good thing and also a missed potential, but with a PG-13 rating and the word Marvel on the poster I knew what to expect, but I must admit within the limitations of quality that the studio and rating allow, it was the best comic book movie I've seen. Great for a corn syrup comic book movie, somewhat disappointing for a serious movie that has so much more potential if the rating were changed to 'R' and Marvel was removed entirely from the creation it would have been amazing as a straight-up film. The raw talent and tension between the two best actors in the flick(Johansson and Ray Winstone)near the end were intensely good only to be followed by anti-climactic feelings due to it being family-friendly, but they delivered considering that's what it was going for. I could have done without the Red Guardian wearing the traditional male superhero costume and the scenes at the end where they're flying through the air, but again, I knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed, just wished it could have been so much more without restricting the delivery of such a dark and important story. The only reason I saw this is because it looked the complete polar opposite of the Avengers and other MCU stuff and the top-notch cast all around. Scarlett Johansson is one of the best actors in the last 20 years and any film she puts out is usually worth seeing. I remember when she showed up in the Avengers franchise I felt like it was waaaaaaaaay beneath her acting abilities, even to the point of embarrassment and asking why the hell she would accept such a role (I get it, money is nice and there's nothing wrong with that). I tend to ask myself that about a lot of the Avengers actors, but not as much as with her. If I had to choose I'd say Marvel isn't as ridiculous as DC overall seeing that Marvel feels stuck in a watered-down version of the 1990s and DC is still in the 1930s with its presentation outside of Bale's Batman. The only comic book movies I ever really liked were the Christian Bale Batman movies and to a far lesser degree Iron Man 1 was ok, but nothing special. Black Widow has bumped the Bale Batman trilogy to the side. If you enjoy Marvel or DC I'm not sure if you'll enjoy Black Widow cause its nowhere near as over the top, lacking reality or tailored for kids as all of the other comic book characters are, but if you like decent PG-13 action films with a solid story and some emotion and you're ok with it being a bit of wasted potential, you'll enjoy Black Widow. Seeing it in the cinema was worthwhile, and cheaper than Disney Plus.
Comic Book Movie Rating: 9/10
Overall Movie Rating: 7.5/10