One of the more story-driven Marvel efforts, with plenty of focus on character as well, as we see the origin of how Black Widow came to be, and the dark forces that drove her to such depths.  The acting is stellar — with Scarlett Johansson doing great work as always, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz providing detailed depictions of superhero parents fallen from grace, and Florence Pugh absolutely stealing the show as Black Widow’s sister — her emotional range is on full display and there are some personal moments that contribute some of the best acting in any Marvel movie ever.  
          I really just loved the overall tone of this — a nice departure from the joke-driven spectacles we’ve come to expect from Marvel (Don’t get me wrong — those Avengers movies are awesome to behold, and very well put together).  There are a handful of great set pieces, and the direction just felt very assured and focused.  The screenplay deserves a lot of credit as well, making the events feel grounded in realism, which added dimension to the action.