6 OF THE BEST
PICK OF THE MONTH
BLACK WIDOW
OUT NOW / CERT 12 / 133 MINS
With its moody, low-key opening, Black Widow could have fully committed to pushing the limits of the ‘gritty’ end of the MCU spectrum. And there would have been nothing wrong with that. But, while it has pertinent and interesting things to say about the abusive commodification of women, it’s also not afraid to embrace the sillier superspy stuff, pushing Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) into some Roger Moore-level antics (there’s even a winky Moonraker cameo). It also reminded us just how hilarious Marvel’s movies can be, from David Harbour’s action-mansplaining as the oafish Alexei, to Florence Pugh’s killshot-precise deadpans as surrogate little sis Yelena. Yes, that’s right: it’s funnier than Spy Hard.