Black Widow (2021)

 “Such a poser…”

It’s a little weird seeing Black Widow get her own flashback movie at a point after she’s been seen to die on screen, but in the end this is a highly enjoyable film. It won’t be quite up there with Marvel’s best, but their movies never fall below a certain standard, and this is no exception.

This is a film all about Natasha’s complex origins as the “daughter” of Russian sleeper agents in Ohio, and about a secret Russian troupe of mind controlled female assassins scattered worldwide. It is, essentially, a Bond film. There are many glamorous international locations; Ray Winstone is a suitable over-the-top villain; there are cool car chases and other action set pieces. Even better, there’s a denouement that is at once devilishly clever and easy to follow, a sign of good writing and direction.

Yet this is also a film about families, by blood or not. Natasha’s “parents” Rachel Weisz and the superb David Harbour as the hilarious Red Guardian (love the customs…) have nuanced and interesting roles with a lot of heart, but Florence Pugh really steals the show as Natasha’s “sister”, Yelena. The CGI may have been a little rubbish at times, but I really enjoyed this film- and the post-credit sequence was at once heartbreaking and intriguing in how it ties into TV rather than film.

Constantine (2005)

"God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He’s not planning anything.”

I know very little about John Constantine  eyond Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. I’ve never read a single issue of Hellraiser. I’m therefore not much attached to the original material, prepared to judge this film on its own merits, and willing to overlook the fact that Constantine should be a blond Englishman.

Except... they cast Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves. On what planet is that appropriate casting? Reeves is, by all accounts, a nice bloke but it is a fact universally acknowledged that he can’t act. I’m afraid he just can’t carry a film, no matter how much spectacle or CGI we get.

And there’s another issue- sometimes a music video director turns out to be brilliant when let loose on a cinematic canvas. Here we have a music video director who has given us a two hour music video. It gets annoying after a bit.

Still, the script is quite good, and presumably very much the D.C. version of Christian mythology. It’s an arresting idea- suicide is cruelly punished in Hell, and Constantine is desperately trying to atone for a youthful suicide attempt- although certainly not one that makes God seem a nice bloke. I’m not sure which of the concepts are from the film and which not, but I like the idea of Hell having an extended version of the Bible. I love Midnite and the neutral bar, too. It’s all very Manichean.

It’s a pity, really; with a better star the film would have been pretty decent, and perhaps even spawned a sequel. But Keanu Reeves...?