The Black Widow review embargo is set to lift today, meaning that reviews will soon go live for the highly-anticipated upcoming Marvel movie. Given Black Widow’s demise during Avengers: Endgame, this is the first MCU film where the star of the show has already died before the events of the movie, so Marvel fans are eager to see how director Cate Shortland has handled getting the audience to emotionally invest in a story when they already know its conclusion. While full reviews have yet to be posted, early social media reactions have already made their way online.
When is the Black Widow review embargo?
The Black Widow review embargo will lift at 12 PM EDT/9 AM PDT/11 AM CDT/5 PM BST. This means that critics who attended the film’s premiere or received access to pre-release press copies of the film will be able to publish their reviews.
In the meantime, critics have been sharing their early impressions of the film on Twitter over the past couple of weeks, and overall the general consensus has been a positive one:
I got to see #BlackWidow last night, and as someone who has been waiting since 2010 to see Natasha Romanoff get her own movie, it was well worth the wait.
The actions rips, the emotion hits and the new characters joining the MCU are standouts. MORE BLACK WIDOW MOVIES PLEASE! pic.twitter.com/R0JUHThSiF
— Hector Navarro (@Hectorisfunny) June 17, 2021
BLACK WIDOW is Marvel's answer to the Bond series, and it's a damn good answer. Exciting action spectacle built around unusual character dynamics, and a great ensemble cast.
If only Marvel had made this a decade ago. We could've had more awesome sequels by now, but nooOOooo… pic.twitter.com/XYvS0lj9LN
— William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani) June 29, 2021
https://twitter.com/brettwhite/status/1405555848152240130
#BlackWidow is excellent. An exhilarating shot of adrenaline. Scarlett Johansson & Florence Pugh nail the banter & ballet-like stunts. David Harbour is absolutely terrific. Big action set pieces are thrilling, propulsive & capably constructed. Multi-layered thematic resonance. pic.twitter.com/ew9r1NXvfL
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) June 17, 2021
Black Widow tells the story of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson), the MCU’s first female Avenger and former KGB assassin. The film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, with her being forced to confront mistakes from her past and rejoining those she had left behind, such as Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Darvis Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov, a.k.a. Red Guardian.
Black Widow is set to release in theaters on July 9, 2021, while it will also be available to rent on the same day via Disney Plus and its Premier Access.
In other news, Rick and Morty’s latest episode left fans wondering which of its characters were left alive following its chaotic conclusion. Batwoman’s finale also teased a major villain for its third season.