Film Review: Thunderbolts*

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading towards a new Avengers level threat in the upcoming year or so with Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday. So far since the release of Avengers: Endgame the interconnected series of films and Disney+ series have lacked any coherent direction. Once focused on Kang and his plot to destroy the Multiverse, the franchise appears to be course correcting by bringing a new multi-versal threat. Captain America: Brave New World brought the series back to the grounded tone familiar with films such as Iron Man and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Marvel’s latest film Thunderbolts* is keeping with that tone with a film that finally navigates its course to a big Avengers level event.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* (the Asterix is an important part of the title as you find out later in the film) brings together an assortment of anti-heroes from previous Marvel series and films. Florence Pugh leads the film as Yelena alongside David Harbour’s Red Guardian, both returning from Black Widow, then you have Ava Starr, John Walker, Taskmaster and Bucky Barnes joining them to form the titular group, the Thunderbolts. The reason why they’re brought together is because of Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, the replacement mastermind of bringing together superheroes since Nick Fury left the planet. Valentina wants to create a new group of Avengers, but these misfits are collateral damage and she attempts to make them disappear. The group find a mysterious man called Bob during their incursion and they later attempt to discover why Valentina wants them gone.

I will not be divulging any other plot details due to the many twists and turns in the story, but the themes and character arcs in the film are quite possibly the most human and relatable themes we have had yet in the MCU. The film does not shy away from talking about mental health, self-worth and the notion of what makes a hero who they are. The story has spectacle but is less reliant on visual effects and pushes for a more character-focused narrative which works well in the film’s favour. The result is a film that acts standalone but also ties together multiple storylines as well as pushing them forward for future ones as well.

Lewis Pullman plays Bob and he easily steals the film. The mystery and background of his character is a big plot point and Pullman works really effectively against Florence Pugh’s character Yelena. The friendship and chemistry they share is a highlight in a film with many other highlights. Bob has a big role to play in the final act of the film and this is where the film really feels like a Marvel film. It would be harsh to compare this film with DC’s Suicide Squad but the concept is relatively similar. The idea of making anti-heroes the face of this film brings out a different story we have yet to see from the MCU. It is completely refreshing and entertaining to see these characters again and it gets you excited for future projects set in withthis universe.

★★★★☆

4/5

Final Verdict:

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is an exciting and entertaining character study on a group of villains and anti-heroes that the franchise would normally bin off by now. By rewarding fans with more fleshed out character arcs for Ghost, Yelena, Red Guardian, John Walker and others you start to see why the MCU is as successful as it is. Even though the serialised nature of the franchise is getting complicated, it is great to have films such as film that tackle its own themes and concepts in a unique way for superhero films. Let’s just hope Marvel continues this streak in the future.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions