Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
Marvel Studios switches up the formula with “Thunderbolts*”, following a team of misfits who have struggled with their past. When this group of antiheroes find themselves in a game of deception, they realize the person offering them freedom is behind it. To survive their mission, they must put their egos aside and work together to survive. But a mysterious member of their group has a dark secret that puts them all in jeopardy. The team must look deep within themselves and confront their pasts to truly overcome this obstacle. Can they be the heroes the world needs?
Positives:
When “Thunderbolts*” was announced I didn’t think much of it. But the more I saw from the marketing, I started to believe it would be a sleeper hit. I’m happy to report that “Thunderbolts*” is a refreshing jolt of energy to the MCU! The film has a great balance of fast paced energy between its characters combined with surprisingly thoughtful commentary on mental health and depression. The story mainly follows Yelena, the supporting character in “Black Widow”, along with a supporting role from her father, The Red Guardian. The rest of the cast combines characters from previous MCU films that never got the spotlight. John Walker, Ghost, Bucky, Bob and Taskmaster are all included to a degree, so seeing them get a movie to themselves is a nice change from our favorite heroes.
I enjoyed Yelena, Bob and John Walker’s presentation the best, each getting some awesome character moments to showcase their contributions to the MCU. Red Guardian is the heart of the team, providing lots of good comic relief and mentoring to Yelena. The performances help bring these characters to life. This is Florence Pugh’s film. She owns Yelena, adding some great depth to the character. Wyatt Russell and David Harbour are probably the best of the supporting cast. Lewis Pullman gives a surprisingly thoughtful performance as Bob too. Credit to director Jake Schreier for giving these characters the care they deserve and providing them a strong enough story to help audiences get on board with them.
The first two acts of the story aren’t anything groundbreaking story wise, but it does a fantastic job at introducing each character in a meaningful way (minus Taskmaster). We get to understand the pain each has dealt with and how they view the world. This is something Marval has lacked in recent years, focusing on spectacle and multiverse angles rather than giving the characters the care they need. I love that the film feels like a standalone, where none of the multiverse material is contingent on audience enjoyment. I’d say audiences will understand the background of each character better after seeing previous Marvel content but don’t need to see it to enjoy the film. The story catches audiences up with their backstory very well. The film’s third act goes in an unexpected direction with the introduction of Sentry. It choreographs Bob’s troubled past, balancing it with inhuman abilities. Instead of an action packed finale, the team must overcome their differences and help Bob subdue these feelings. It essentially acts as an intimate presentation of confronting depression, helping audiences understand what goes through Bob’s head. Very creative and unexpectedly thoughtful analysis of dealing with trauma. It is certainly heavier than most MCU material but I applaud Marvel for attempting something unique.
Negatives:
“Thunderbolts*” gets a lot right, more than most were probably expecting. But a few pieces of the story hold it back from being truly great. The main area that stood out to me is the pacing. With the unusual story structure and shifting tones, the pace of the plot feels inconsistent. The film includes lots of humor but also goes in some very dark directions. Since the film isn’t reliant on action to break this up, the story goes through ebbs and flows for audience engagement. While I actually enjoyed a lot of the humor in the film, there are still sequences of bland and forced MCU humor that is expected at this point. The mental health topics are also introduced at jarring times too. I really enjoyed that they explored these themes but sometimes the topics would be brought up at times that felt different to the events happening on screen. It seemed like they had to regularly remind audiences that the film was about mental health rather than including it at the organic time. The writing could have been stronger to include these scenes in a way that felt more fluid within the story.
Conclusion:
I had a feeling Thunderbolts* would be a sleeper hit for the MCU. I’m happy that the film exceeded expectations, making it one of the best MCU entries in quite some time. The character development for these B-listers is strong, giving audiences a reason to get invested in their stories. The thoughtful analysis of trauma and depression was unexpected, adding deeper layers to each of these characters. This strengthened the story as they are forced to work together to overcome the mission and their pasts. While there is some inconsistent pacing and forced MCU humor, the story sustains itself well. I highly recommend giving “Thunderbolts*” a watch as it switches up the multiverse angle for an independent, character driven film. Keep these ones coming, Marvel!
