Writing in the student newspaper at Coral Gables Senior High School in Florida, Isabel Donner and Sofia Cruz review the summer blockbuster Black Widow, the latest episode in the Avengers series that tells the backstory of Natasha Romanoff, the Russian spy and first female Avenger played by Scarlett Johansson.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the July 9 release an 80% rating with more than 450 critics weighing in, confirming the student writers’ opinion that “the special effects, costumes, computer-generated images, and camera work are worth the watch,” making the movie’s $200 million budget worthwhile. “The fight scenes are done especially well, true to Avenger fashion, and there are plenty of shootouts and explosions that action fans can enjoy throughout the movie.”
Reviewer Maya Phillips in the New York Times disagreed somewhat about the female portrayal of Romanoff’s character. She writes:
Although I also found myself disappointed with the film, I would not have given it a bad grade, as Ms Phillips did. Although I was expecting more of a spy movie, given the mad science of the Russians, what I got was a film that reflected on the value of family and made a joke out of an Avenger hero’s poses in fight scenes.
