Thunderbolts*
Review by Mark Woodring
If you’re a long-time fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you know of the trials and tribulations which Disney/Marvel have suffered through since the nearly perfect ending to the Infinity Saga with Avengers: Endgame.
Since then, the MCU has suffered from an inability to restart the narrative momentum of those 21 films in a meaningful way. Between their theatrical and streaming offerings, nothing has really captured the public’s interest, and has even drawn the ire of both fans and social media personalities.
While not every project has been a complete disaster (despite what “those” YouTubers would have you believe), no one can argue that the quality of projects since Endgame has been inconsistent at best.
And yes, some of those projects have been downright terrible (we’re looking at you, Quantumania).
We have tried our best to be objective and fair to the projects, not simply dismissing those projects out of hand, but rather trying to find the good and letting you know about it.
We haven’t been shy about letting our displeasure with projects be known, either.If it’s BAD, we tell you.
Therefore, when I say that I was both looking forward to Thunderbolts* while also being wary of another disappointment, you can be rest assured I’m telling you the truth.
So, now that we’ve actually seen Thunderbolts*, is it any good or not?
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss the film in more detail. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
126 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
Directed by Jake Schreier
Synopsis:
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
First of all, let’s acknowledge the moderately-sized elephant in the room: Thunderbolts* was written by Eric Pearson, the writer of Black Widow, Godzilla vs Kong, and Thor: Ragnarök, and Joanna Calo, a TV writer with credits on The Bear, Beef, Hacks, The Baby-Sitters Club, BoJack Horseman, and Girlboss (which will certainly send certain internet personalities over the edge).
Neither of those two CVs inspires a ton of confidence for a project with as much riding on it as this one.
And as much as folks would like to be able to dismiss Thunderbolts* as a one-off or side project with little impact on the greater MCU scale (a la Deadpool & Wolverine), we all know that’s not true. If Thunderbolts* flops, it cannot help but drag Fantastic Four: First Steps down… and that film is already fighting pre-release headwinds (though FF was one of “my” titles back in the day and I am desperately rooting for it).
So… no pressure.
Especially since Pearson wrote Fantastic Four, as well.
That said, if you read the synopsis above, then you know what the film is about. Valentina is our primary antagonist, and our gang of misfits must find a way to work together to save the world, literally. So the stakes are high.
Moreso than saving the world, though, is having our team save themselves. Each of them carries a weight, a darkness, that has defined them in their lives, and they are being forced to deal with it (through means best left unspoiled).
Yelena’s past is well-known, but even she has deeper secrets which have scarred her and shaped the woman she has become.
Bucky is Bucky, and while he’s dealt with his own past pretty well, you can never really wash those stains away.
Ava (Ghost) has darkness from the time she was a child.
Alexei is perhaps the most straightforward of them all: a man who wanted to be someone, but also something else. His moments with Yelena where they discuss when they were truly happy are tender, moments between father and daughter reminiscent of his more sincere (but still comedic) moments in Black Widow. Here they play more genuine, with David Harbour lending a real sense of fatherly concern for his daughter, which balances his more… manic… moments throughout the film.
You get the point. They’re damaged, and none of them can put themselves right alone.
Feeling alone and depression are the major themes of the film, and it handles them well, in terms of our characters, not letting the film completely bog down, though it is, from that aspect, one of the darker MCU films we’ve gotten.
The character interactions are great. They’re all true to previous incarnations/appearances (not like Thor vacillating wildly between stoic Thunder-God and depressed buffoon). They play well off one another in a way reminiscent of the not-quite-playful banter of the first Avengers film: funny, but with an edge to every comment.
But all of it accurate.ĺ
Make no mistake, though: this is Yelena’s movie. Florence Pugh anchors it, carries it, and moves it forward every step of the way. No matter how many characters are on-screen, Yelena is at the center of everything, a whirlpool of narrative gravity around which everything is moving.
As I watched Thunderbolts*, I kept waiting for something to pop up that would derail the film, but it simply didn’t happen for me. I absolutely enjoyed this one from beginning to end and can’t wait for actual audience members to see it an render their own opinions on it, without the incessant, 4-posts-a-day rundowns from a dozen YouTubers invested in seeing this one fail influencing them.
As for it being a one-off, side project without greater import to the MCU… yes, or the most part it is, which is an actual GOOD THING, letting the film exist as it’s own unique object.
But stay ALL THE WAY through the credits; there’s not a typical stinger, there’s a full scene which bridges the recent Captain America: Brave New World to the upcoming Fantastic Four-influenced MCU that manages to not detract from the independence of Thunderbolts* at all.
I say, without reservation, go see Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2 and stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, David Harbour, Geraldine Viswanathan, Lewis Pullman, Olga Kurylenko, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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