Thunderbolts* review

THUNDERBOLTS*: 

FUN, CHARACTER DRIVEN SUPER ROMP WITH THE MOST UNEXPECTED TEAM OF MARVEL HEROES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

MARVEL STUDIOS

Taskmaster, Ghost, Bucky/Winter Soldier, Yelena, Red Guardian, and John Walker in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*

 

            Marvel’s most unexpected team of heroes aside from the Guardians of the Galaxy assemble in Thunderbolts*, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank, Paper Towns) and the final film of Phase Five. After the colossal impact of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the MCU entries following that have been very hit or miss with successful films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine and installments that couldn’t quite connect with audience that much like The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World. 

            I didn’t really have any expectations with Thunderbolts*, I’ve never read their comics and most of my knowledge of them came from previous MCU movies and shows. It looked to be sort of like a Guardians of the Galaxyand Suicide Squad type of superhero film revolving around a group of people that are the least likely to save the day with a lot of bickering, arguing, and fighting. 

            Well, the formula worked for Guardians of the Galaxy and eventually Suicide Squad with the 2021 film so, does it work for Marvel’s antihero team? The answer is yes. 

            I enjoyed this film quite a bit though I wouldn’t call it a game changer like what a lot of other people are saying, but the stuff it does right, it does spectacularly well specifically the character dynamics. Unlike many of the other Post-Endgame MCU outings where they felt like they were dumped out by a committee and pretty soulless, this one felt like the cast and crew really cared about what they were making and it shows in the final product and the reactions it’s been getting. 

            The film follows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh-Midsommar, Little Women (2019), Oppenheimer; reprising her role from Black Widow and Hawkeye), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan-I, Tonya, Dumb Money, The Apprentice; reprising his role from previous MCU projects), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell-Black Mirror, Overlord, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters; reprising his role from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko-Quantum of Solace, Oblivion, Extraction 2; reprising her role from Black Widow), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen-Black Mirror, The Stranger, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City; reprising her role from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour-Stranger Things,Hellboy (2019), Violent Night; reprising his role from Black Widow) finding themselves caught in a death trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Enough Said; reprising her role from previous MCU projects) and are forced to work together and embark on a dangerous mission to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. 

            The film also stars Lewis Pullman (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Bad Times at the El Royale, Top Gun: Maverick) as Robert “Bob” Reynolds/Sentry/Void, Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, Bad Education, Miracle Workers) as Mel, Chris Bauer (The Wire, True Blood, For All Mankind) as Holt, and Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Selma, Jack Ryan) as Gary. 

            Overall, Thunderbolts* is a fun, witty, and surprisingly human MCU film and a step in the right direction for their Post-Endgame run. It’s a Marvel movie that focuses on the strengths of its characters over overblown action scenes and special effects which Marvel has done many times before with successful results dating all the way back to the first Iron Man movie. 

            The characters are all very likable and much like other Marvel heroes such as Iron Man, Thor, or the Guardians of the Galaxy, they’re flawed individuals which makes their journey all the more compelling. The actors do a great job balancing comedic banter and genuinely heartfelt moments with David Harbour’s Red Guardian giving Florence Pugh’s Yelena a pep talk that’s as touching as it is hilarious without it ever feeling forced. 

            The humor feels natural and comes from the characters rather than Marvel jokes thrown into a script because Mickey demanded it. It’s Avengers 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy banter and witty exchanges between the characters and just like those movies, I actually could have gone with an entire movie just about the Thunderbolts sitting around and talking to each other for 2 hours and still leave happy because these actors and characters are so much fun to listen to. 

            The character moments are the film’s strongest points because the action is pretty standard Marvel sequences. It isn’t reliant on green screens and excessive CGI and it is great to see Marvel action actually shot on sets again, but you’ve seen a lot of this stuff before in other Marvel projects and aren’t quite as spectacular as the character development aside from a very creative sequence where the Thunderbolts fight the villain through their pasts and memories in sort of a Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness-style climax. 

            I also felt the villain was kind of weak which isn’t too surprising given other MCU villains, I dug the concept of it, but I thought the main threat should have been just as built up as the heroes. Still, it’s not done bad or anything, I just wished there was more to it. 

            Despite a few shortcomings, Thunderbolts* is easily one of the best Post-Endgame MCU entries that brings the focus back on captivating characters and deeply personal storytelling. I look forward to watching it again soon and hopefully this will help set the groundwork for future Marvel projects moving forward with The Fantastic Four: First Steps on the way in a couple months.