That's why it's such a relief that the latest installment in the series, Black Widow, isn't really interested in any of it. Sure, there are Avengers connections, and Black Widow's reappearance makes more sense if you remember that this is a precursor to Captain America: Civil War. And, sure, we will undoubtedly see at least some of these individuals again. But it's easy to forget Black Widow is a Marvel film for lengthy spans of time, which is a wonderful thing. After the strong cross-pollination of the Phase Three films and Disney+ programs, the franchise needed a palate cleanser: a self-contained, back-to-basics adventure that works just as well for newcomers and casual viewers as it does for lifelong fans. With Black Widow, we finally get a better understanding of a fan favorite character who has only appeared in supporting roles over the past decade. A solid action thriller about a strange little family of Russian agents is also included. You can choose which half of that description you find more appealing. The fact that Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) is one of many women who have been through the ruthless Black Widow program, which is designed to turn young girls into elite spies and assassins, was established in previous films. Black Widow begins by going even further back in time, to when she was just a regular American youngster growing up in suburban Ohio. Or, at the very least, what appeared to be a typical American kid. In reality, her "father," Alexei (David Harbour), was the Russian equivalent of Captain America; her "mother," Melina (Rachel Weisz), was a Russian scientist; and her "sister," Yelena, was set up as unwitting fodder for the Black Widow program; and they were all only pretending to be a family as part of a years-long ruse. The family's idyllic life is shattered when they are forced to escape Ohio for Cuba, where they are divided up and incorporated back into the nefarious espionage operation that brought them together in the first place. They're reunited decades later, in 2016, when Yelena — now a grown-up Black Widow defector played with compelling punch by Florence Pugh — hooks Natasha and the others into an attempt to end the program for good. Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland and written by Eric Pearson, combines powerful action with charming tenderness. Due to the lack of superpowers or even super-gadgets, the action sequences resemble those of a Mission: Impossible or James Bond film, rather than the more blatantly fanciful displays of a Thor or Spider-Man film. It's a good thing. Since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the (comparatively) realistic choreography has led to some of Marvel's most spectacular confrontations. Actually, an early aircraft sequence could be better than everything else in the film. But, while the action propels Black Widow forward, the film's heart keeps it grounded. Though the film never fully explores the tragedy of Natasha and Yelena's situations — you know, the whole thing where they were conscripted as children into a horribly abusive program that stripped them of all agency and autonomy — Natasha's cool self-assurance takes on a more poignant hue when she's surrounded by the family that was never truly her family. When Yelena's wonderfully frank kid-sister energy rubs up against Natasha's big-sister authority, Johansson and Pugh shine best. (We may think Natasha is great fighting alongside the Avengers, but Yelena isn't beyond teasing Natasha about how ridiculous her characteristic landing position seems.) Since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the comparably realistic choreography has resulted in some of Marvel's most spectacular confrontations. As Alexei, who acts as both the muscle and the comic relief of the film, Harbour channels the intense dad energy he brought to Stranger Things in a broader, goofier direction, and Weisz softens her character's harsher edges with a hint of maternal tenderness. If you squint hard enough, you can just make out the outline of a family, which is the aspect that hurts the most and makes you care profoundly about what happens to all of these individuals and their connections in the end. But, no matter how entertaining it is to hear Natasha reprimanded for her posture or see Alexei analyze a pet pig, Black Widow was never going to let these individuals have it out over supper. After a relatively lean 90 minutes or so, Black Widow goes full Marvel in the third act, climaxing with an enormously expensive but disappointingly generic set piece that flattens any nuance or complexity into a simple good-versus-bad framework, as does just about every Marvel movie or Disney+ series. (This is, without a doubt, the franchise's most constant and aggravating behavior.) It's a letdown at the conclusion of a film that had been doing just fine on its own in its own tiny part of the world. Still, credit where credit is due: I thought the picture had earned one by the time it reached its obligatory end credits scene advertising the inevitable sequel. Not by leaving a number of narrative gaps that will be filled in by a future spinoff, or by promising to fit into some great scheme for an even bigger epic, but simply by having fun with people I'd want to see again. Black Widow is, in a sense, a return to Marvel's history. However, it makes a strong argument for continuing the series in the future by presenting a tale that is satisfying on its own terms. On July 9, Black Widow will be released in cinemas and on Disney+ (with Premier Access).