WHAT’S IT ABOUT
A group of supervillains are recruited to go on missions for the government.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Man, after sitting through Marvel’s kinda boring Phase Five stuff, I finally have something to be excited about. “Thunderbolts*” is bringing the MCU a vibe that’s been gone since “Endgame” wrapped up the whole Infinity Saga thing. Real talk, Marvel’s been serving some pretty stale leftovers lately. “Quantumania” had me questioning my life choices, and “Brave New World,” regardless of the positive message it tried to bring over from the series, just annoyed me. So, I was completely surprised when this team of not-so-famous anti-heroes actually delivered. It’s happening to Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). With no sister Natasha in her life, she’s floating around as a mercenary for CIA director Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). When Valentina gets called to testify at a congressional hearing, she sends Yelena and other agents—Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell)—on an assignment meant to get them killed. So, these misfits discover they’ve been completely set up and run into Bob (Lewis Pullman), an enigmatic guy with some wild powers trapped in a container. With Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Red Guardian (David Harbour), they form this unlikely team to attempt to destroy Valentina’s scheme while also dealing with Bob’s wild alter-ego known as Void. Florence Pugh completely owns this film, as if she’s been doing this for years. Her portrayal of Yelena’s depression is realistic without being too on the nose. The chemistry Pugh shares with her co-stars, especially with Pullman’s Bob and Harbour’s Alexei, gives the film its emotional core. Lewis Pullman as Bob/Sentry deserves some serious accolades. He perfectly toes the line between vulnerable, scary, and charming simultaneously. Bob becomes the heart of the film, and Pullman is perfection in every moment. Director Jake Schreier, the mind behind “Beef,” is bringing some actual filmmaking energy to Marvel. Rather than just endless green screen action, we get real places, practical effects, and fight scenes that actually land. Every action sequence feels really original, with great surprises that keep it all thrilling. And the good news? “Thunderbolts*” even discusses mental health and loneliness meaningfully. The movie contrasts Yelena and Bob’s struggles with depression in a manner that comes across as realistic, not gratuitous. For once, Marvel is treating these issues as actual subject matter instead of using them as the butt of a joke (I’m still not over what they did to Thor’s depression in “Endgame”). Despite all that the film has going for it, there are some fairly bad missteps. The second act is dragging at times, and certain characters get shortchanged in the development department. Hannah John-Kamen and Wyatt Russell are both great on screen but have next to nothing to do besides spout one-liners. Sebastian Stan seems checked out, giving off major “please let me out of this contract” vibes. His congressional subplot is tacked on, and Geraldine Viswanathan’s talent is completely wasted as Valentina’s assistant. Julia Louis-Dreyfus just isn’t getting enough to really make Valentina come off as a cool villain. She’s got sass, but she doesn’t have that scary vibe or cleverness to really freak you out. Plus, the movie kinda struggles because it’s trying to juggle too much in those two hours. It wants to stand on its own, but also set up “Avengers: Doomsday,” which means some character stories get rushed or just dropped completely. “Thunderbolts*” is Marvel trying to get back to what their older films were so great at—real characters with real issues kicking butt against the bad guys. The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the ending, which eschews the usual mandatory CGI monster fight for something far stranger and more emotional. It does not quite hit the same level as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but it is easily the best Marvel film we’ve had in years. So, Director Schreier and writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo (who worked on “The Bear” and “BoJack Horseman”) completely bring a feel to the franchise that we desperately needed. Despite its highs and lows, “Thunderbolts*” reminds us of when Marvel movies used to bring people together. In this world where everyone feels so isolated, that’s kind of important—even if they didn’t get everything right. Currently, I just worry about what will become of these characters when they appear in “Doomsday” and become one of those interchangeable quip-bots. But for the time being, I’ll bask in this victory and hope Marvel learns the correct lessons from it.
OUR RATING – A LIGHT FINDING 8