Just when you are all ready to call in sick with superhero fatigue, Thunderbolts* arrives to get the MCU back on course. This rousing popcorn muncher about a ragtag super team is the loosest, most entertaining Marvel movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home. It brings the fun back to this franchise by focusing less on interlocking storylines and destruction porn and more on zippy characters that resonate with humor and emotion.
The last six years have been a bit of a slog for Marvel fans. Since Endgame wrapped in 2019, the MCU has been trying to find its way. There was an inconsistent detour to TV land plus a slew of mediocre movies (For every Shang-Chi, there was The Eternals). Nothing has recaptured the verve of those early flicks. It felt like every new film was attempting a course correction rather than just telling a decent story. Can’t we just be entertained?
While there’s plenty of groundwork laid in this new movie for future adventures, Thunderbolts* still feels like a standalone story. It harkens back to the energy of the first Avengers movie when all these characters that had been introduced in previously united on screen for the first time. What’s different here is that this flick is heralding a team of B-list superheroes. You’ve met each one before, but they were not the stars of the show.
By letting these underdogs take center stage, Super Producer Kevin Feige and Director Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank) have crafted a Marvel movie that reminds us why we like Marvel movies. Thunderbolts* delivers on the missed promise of the recent Captain America: Brave New World. We all really wanted to like that movie, but it seemed to collapse under the weight of our expectations. It never really acheived its full potential.
The movie wanted to kick open the doors on a new chapter of the MCU, but it missed leg day. We got a battle royale between Anthony Mackie’s Captain America and Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk, but the story was ho-hum. Its ultimate mediocrity was disappointing. Thunderbolts* buzzes with the same energy as Guardians of the Galaxy or the first Iron Man. Back when it was all about discovering these characters and enjoying their adventures.
This flick doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of the last two Avengers movies, but that’s not its goal. A juicy burger doesn’t have to be filet mignon to be a tasty repast. A game cast, some decent performances, fun stunts, and an emotional storyline give us all that we need here. Unlike the newest Cap movie, this movie arrives with no baggage. Its primary job is not to jumpstart a franchise, but to deliver some Saturday matinee thrills.
From the first shot of Florence Pugh’s Yelena atop one of the largest skyscrapers in the world, this flick gets your attention. Yelena feels lost following the death of her sister (Natasha/Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame) and is going through the motions as a mercenary. After cleaning up loose ends at a secret laboratory in Malaysia, she heads back to the States to reconnect with her estranged dad, Alexei a.k.a. The Red Guardian (from Black Widow).
He is keeping a low profile as a limo driver in a debatable part of Washington, D.C. (“Baltimore starts one block over”), but dreams of getting back into the action. Alexei tells her that she needs to step out of the shadows and claim her place as a real hero. Yelena goes to her boss, Valentina (played by Julia-Louis Dreyfus like a dark hybrid of Elaine Benes and Selina Meyer), who runs a shadowy organization called OXE in addition to being the CIA director.
Yelena tells her that she wants to do something more positive than black ops. Val says she’ll give her a shinier assignment after one last covert job. Yelena is off to a secret storage facility in the desert to disappear some secrets and take out anyone who gets in her way. While there, she runs into John Walker, the USAgent (Wyatt Russell from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko from Black Widow).
They realize they’ve all been given the same assignment and mayhem ensues. During the skirmish, Taskmaster is killed and a confused dude named Bob (Lewis Pullman, who also played a character named Bob in Top Gun: Maverick) is released from suspended animation. Bob’s mysterious emergence halts the wanton fisticuffs long enough for everyone to realize they’ve been targeted by Val for extermination.
They begin an uneasy truce to escape the vault and get some answers. Like who is Bob? Why does he have no memory of how he got from a secret lab in Malaysia (remember that place?) to being locked away in the desert? The vault is soon surrounded by Val’s forces and during the escape attempt, Bob is mortally wounded. Or so they think. Suddenly, he’s up and around and flying all over the place. What is up with Bob?
He gets apprehended by Val while Yelena, Walker, and Ghost get away. While wandering in the desert, they are picked up Red Guardian in his limo. He overheard Val scheming while driving her to a party in D.C. so he trucked out to help. They are soon pursued by Val’s goons and rescued(-ish) by the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War). They all decide to team up, go after Val, and rescue Bob.
The action culminates in a showdown in NYC. Turns out that Bob is part of a major lab experiment to create a new breed of superhero. Our friends find him in the old Avengers Tower, which is now owned by Val. She unleashes Bob on them and he’s not in the best frame of mind following this makeover (visual and emotional). Seems like all that monkey business unleashed some latent badness in the poor guy and it’s up to our friends to save him and the city.
The finale has some similarities with the original Avengers movie as this team comes together to fight a common foe, but it has a very different spin. For all its big VFX moments, Thunderbolts* is a very personal film. At its core is Yelena’s journey and her connection to the character of Bob. There’s a very special message here amongst all the heroical ass kicking. Thunderbolts* is an intimate story painted on a very large canvas.
This cast’s easy chemistry is the main contributor to the film’s success. Each character complements the other. No one seems added because their presence will pay off later. Their interactions feel organic to the story. Pugh is the all-star here, investing Yelena with an appealing mix of grit, snark, and sadness. Pullman impresses after his lackluster turn in the recent Salem’s Lot remake, and Harbour’s braggadocious Red Guardian is a scene stealer.
While not as much in the spotlight, Stan, Walker, and John-Kamen contribute to the action in major ways. Every character is distinctive and satisfying. Wearing this movie’s designated black hats, Louis-Dreyfus, and newcomer Geraldine Viswanathan (Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls) are amusing antagonists. They perform their dastardly deeds, but they come off more like conniving co-workers than comic book villains.
While this movie doesn’t deviate much from the MCU’s patented formula, it still manages to strike new ground. The real big bad here is surprisingly relatable in a way that you don’t often see in this genre. The climax delivers blockbuster spectacle while also hitting you right in the feels. Thunderbolts* is a welcome entry in this franchise. There’s been a lot of chatter around the asterisk in the title, but this movie isn’t a blatant hype machine. It’s got chops.
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Author: Jeff Stanford
Nerd Dad who loves his family, coffee and movies.
