The latest addition to the MCU takes you on an emotional roller coaster and it might be one of the best movies in the franchise in years.
Thunderbolts* reminded me why I fell in love with the MCU in the first place, I had goosebumps from the opening scene. I love the Marvel stories. I love the Marvel characters. I’m not trying to oversell this film, I just really think it’s that great. Is Marvel officially back? Well, it feels like they never left.
Let’s start with the story. Thunderbolts* has the most compelling MCU-set story since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It carries a heavy emotional weight that kept pulling on my heartstrings. I cannot confirm nor deny that tears were spilled at least twice during the screening.
Tonally the film feels closer to Captain America: Winter Soldier and Black Widow, but with more emotion driven themes. The film also pulls from the Guardians in bringing together a team of misfits and outcasts. Each of Thunderbolts have a checkered past and that’s where this films emotional weight comes in.
This film isn’t a clean cut superhero film, most of the Thunderbolts aren’t even heroes – that’s what makes the movie so good. It’s a bunch of nobodies, antiheroes and former villains just trying to do the right thing and maybe become heroes along the way. The amount of character development in this film blows my mind.
It is a character driven movie with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova as the central driving force. Pugh delivers a fantastic performance and she’s the heart of the Thunderbolts team. This is very much a Yelena story, while also giving all the other characters an important role in the MCU.
David Harbour is once-again hilarious as the Red Guardian. Wyatt Russell continues to be an a-hole as John Walker, but you get to see a different side of him. Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster is wonderful.Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr also finally gets the redemption she deserves.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine plays an important role as the one who is pulling the strings. And finally Lewis Pullman as Bob/The Sentry/the Void is mind-blowing. He perfectly switches between the different sides of the character.
The movie talks a lot about being alone and unresolved trauma, themes that many of us can relate to. I see so much of myself in both Yelena and Bob’s stories. This is what makes me love this movie even more. It feels personal and not like just another action flick. Marvel Studios really did it right this time.
Let me not get emotional, the movie is also funny – but you can’t expect less from an MCU movie. Some jokes hit, while others miss. The movie does perfectly balance it’s humorous moments with its emotional moments. At times the film feels like it’s dragging a bit, but then again I feel like this gives us more time with these characters.
Thunderbolts* is also visually stunning. The use of practical effects and stunt work is evident in the final product. Director Jake Schreier did an amazing job in bringing everything to life. The crew deserves all praise. This isn’t another CGI-filled superhero story. The CGI that is used looks awesome – just like the Marvel we used to watch.
Another great thing is, this movie feels independent from the rest of the MCU while still feeling interconnected. It answers a few questions that we’ve been asking for so long: like who bought the Avengers tower? What is Valentina’s actual role? And many others.
Is the movie perfect? Well I’m almost compelled to say yes. What I do know is that people will like it, but I certainly adore it. I can easily see it in the top 10 of my MCU rankings. That also explains why I gave it 4 and a half stars.
