I don’t think anybody believed for a second that Black Widow would arrive in May, as Disney has been saying. The anticipated Marvel film has been punted around for a year ever since the COVID-19 breakout, and for casual viewers paying attention it made no sense that they didn’t just shift to a Disney+ rollout the way Disney had done for Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon. Well, True Believers, you turned out to be right in the end.
Disney has moved Black Widow to July 9th, but it won’t just be in theaters. It will instead be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ through Premier Access, meaning you’ll likely pay $29.99 to see it from home.
So what else does this mean? Well, the Black Widow box office likely just took a massive hit. However, we should note there’s no metric for a Marvel film on Disney+ so it could kick some serious ass. We just don’t know. This being the first Marvel feature since 2019 you can bet people will do whatever they can to see it, whether in theaters or the comfort on their homes.
Scarlett Johansson stars in Black Widow, in a story that explores her Russian past and that of her family, played by Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour. Cate Shortland is behind the camera.
The question now is what this means for the future of Marvel Studios features. Is this what we can expect from the rest of Phase 4?
The visit has its ups and downs. The distance between Miriam and Caleb seems to be unwavering. When they are in the company of others they can laugh and enjoy themselves. It’s those moments alone where the chasm between them can’t be ignored. Miriam spends most of her time alone with either Greta or Dylan. There is a layer of resentment between the sisters that pokes out at times. Everyone seems to know that is it there, but it’s the elephant in the room. One evening Miriam and Dylan are the only ones left at the fire. Miriam opens up and is vulnerable with Dylan, who ends up taking advantage of the situation and her vulnerability. Miriam feels angry and betrayed by Dylan and Greta. She feels her only recourse is revenge – regardless of what it may do to her.
Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer both wrote and directed the film together. Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer were incredibly successful at making the audience feel uncomfortable for much of Violation. Angst can tear someone up inside, completely spiraling them out of control. Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer convey these feelings within Miriam through their use of camera angles and affects as well as music. This sense of disorientation and turmoil is apparent in shots throughout the film. Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer implement inverse shots, blurriness, zooming, and distortion multiple times during the runtime. At some points it may be a bit of an overkill – but the imagery is powerful, and the music perfectly compliments the intensity of the scenes. From eerie and ominous noises to intense classical and gothic scores, we are able to feel the emotions from the music.
The main issue for Violation is the lack of character development and backstory to truly connect with Miriam. We are shocked and horrified about her predicament, but there is not that deeper connection. Interactions and mentions of the past occur throughout the film, but these do not serve to build enough of a foundation for us to truly connect with the characters. Violation has a limited cast, with a vast majority of the film only touching upon the four characters mentioned. These interactions also only occur in a few settings for the film. The audience is given the chance to truly focus on the dialogue and characters that are present. However, Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer do not capitalize on this and bonds with the audience and characters are not fully formed.
Mancinelli and Sims-Fewer weave flashbacks into the narrative to try and paint the entire picture of what Miriam is going through. Unfortunately, this leads to the narrative being choppy at times. It can be confusing exactly where and when things are happening, and the film doesn’t flow smoothly. This becomes clearer as the film progresses but is an issue for a good portion of the runtime. Violation is far from a perfect film, but it is a powerful one. There are certain scenes that will be burned in my memory for quite some time. There are numerous scenes of a very adult nature that many may find disturbing. Violation’s imagery and story make it worth a watch and overshadow any deficiencies that are present. Just mentally prepare yourself for some unpleasantness, Violation is certainly not a happy-go-lucky cinematic experience.
