Thunderbolts*
review by Bobby Blakey
After the end of Avengers: End Game most felt that all the Marvel entries have been hit and miss. During this time there have been numerous characters introduced from various entries in the theatrical films and Disney+ TV series as villains or new heroes. The latest film in the franchise brings a different kind of team together with Thunderbolts*. Will this new team of misfits manage to get the MCU back on the track fans want or will they fail to be able to avenge the franchise?
Thunderbolts* follows a group of supervillains who are recruited to go on missions for the government. The film features the return of Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Task Master, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
When they announced the Thunderbolts film, I was excited to see a new team, but then even more so as a vehicle for all these random heroes and villains that have been introduced through the films and TV shows. Bringing these misfits together does a great job of continuing their stories while giving the MCU an infusion with new blood even though its blood we already know. The trailers promoted a lot of comedy making it seem like it was going to be a more lighthearted action entry and while this is here it’s way deeper than you might expect.
This group that feels like they have no business being brought together delivers. The reasoning behind getting them all in the same room in the first place makes total sense and allows them to build on their dysfunctional relationship from adversaries to a team of sorts. It’s these moments
together that give them more depth as they all mostly get to unpack their own issues and trauma to find a better place for themselves. All of them carry baggage and the use of the villain’s abilities allows them to not only show the audience but lets them deal with it in a creative way.
I know most already know who the mysterious Bob is, but I am going to leave out the reveal here for those that don’t. As someone who is not a big fan of that character, I was surprised to how much I liked him and how they handled the story. He is also a multilayered character that has his own dysfunction that is not only the perfect match for this film but to go up against the team with many of the same issues. It really all plays out as a story about trauma, loss, acceptance and forgiveness wrapped in an action-packed super-hero movie that will clearly have legs into the next chapter of the MCU.
The cast are all great but it’s Florence Pugh that steals the show with Harbour close behind. They have some of the best banter and emotional scenes together and are the heart and fun of the film. Except for one character everyone got their time to shine and truly built up the team as something to watch while giving a true intro to these characters we have briefly met already.
If I have any issues here it is first the film is a bit slow starting while trying to find its groove to where it is heading. Once it gets the anti-heroes together then it hits the ground running with all the action, laughs and tears you could want. The other is the use of that one character that just felt like a waste of bringing them in, but I guess they needed something to set the tone of the sequence overall.
I had a great time with Thunderbolts and it looks like it could be the film that gets the MCU back on track in fans’ eyes. I love all the films in some fashion, but this one does do most of these characters justice and allows a new era to begin that I hope they lean into. Per usual there are two after credit scenes, one mid and one at the end. The end is setting up more to come and lean into my theory of how other aspects of the MCU are going to be handled, but that is a discussion for another time.
Check out Thunderbolts* in theaters now from Marvel Studios.
