‘Thunderbolts*’ Review

This review was made possible by Popped attending an advanced screening of Thunderbolts*.

As months go by, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) nears the climactic finale of The Multiverse Saga, which is likely to lead into a new era of the MCU that we’ve yet to see. With Thunderbolts* being the 36th film in the MCU, it brings a close to Phase 5 (although there’s still Ironheart to release in a month). Thunderbolts* is very much a standalone film that anyone can go into and watch, but it feels like the first film that sets up what to expect with the next stages of the MCU, its status quo and Avengers: Doomsday, the highly awaited first part of a two-part finale for The Multiverse Saga.

The world has been without the Avengers for 4 years, and Captain America: Brave New World hinted that the government is finally beginning to realise that they need them back. They need people to protect their city from threats such as Red Hulk. While Sam (Anthony Mackie) begins to get together a team for the eventual big fight, who’s there to stop the fights from happening now? Thunderbolts* begs to ask the question of who is there to save the day when the Avengers aren’t around, a question that Captain America: Brave New World failed to answer, but Thunderbolts* gives us a clear response: perhaps an unhinged group of misfits might be able to work with each other to save the day.

The early reactions to Thunderbolts* have been claiming it to be the best film since Avengers: Endgame, which is a high regard for some, but as someone who prefers Avengers: Infinity War and is aware of some of the great hits that Marvel Studios has put out in the last few years, I can confidently say that not only is it one of the best films to release post-Infinity War, but it’s also the best film to release since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and here’s why.

Mild Spoiler Warning From This Point Onwards – If You Want To See Our Final Review, Click Here

A Quick ‘Thunderbolts*’ Catch Up Session

Thunderbolts* is the follow-up to several MCU projects such as Black Widow, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World. Like always, it’s not necessary to watch all these projects before coming into Thunderbolts*. This movie works as a standalone, and as usual, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is up to no good and is in serious deep political trouble as she finds herself in the crosshairs of being impeached.

To prevent this from happening, she has to clear every illegal party that can come back to her, such as the experiments at OxCorp, and that also means assets such as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr / Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). Without stepping into spoiler territory, Bucky (Sebastian Stan), who is now a congressman and aiming to get Val impeached, also finds himself with this team later on when they somehow manage to miraculously escape alongside Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour). To ensure that she can get rid of them, she sends them to an Oxcorp black site where she’ll not only burn all the evidence, but she’ll kill them in the process, with the hopes that they’ll kill each other before the incinerator activates. A group of people where no one would notice if they were dead, and for some of them, it would be the answer to a lot of their problems. Here is also where we meet Bob (Lewis Pullman), a mysterious man without his memories.

If you haven’t watched the films that were mentioned previously and, unfortunately, although Black Panther: Wakanda Forever features Val, her being in that film holds no relevance to where she’s at in Thunderbolts*, then this scene that lasts roughly around 20 minutes will catch you up to speed with all of these characters if you aren’t aware of who they are. This scene’s purpose isn’t to serve as a catch-up for people, although it works well in their favour, but it shows that, similar to Yelena, all of these characters are running from a past they can’t evade, one that’s holding them back and weighing them down. They’re all here in this moment because Val has offered them false promises that will seemingly provide them with what they believe is missing. Yelena is exhausted of killing in the dark and wants a public-facing role that doesn’t require her to live a life that feels so similar to her past in the Red Room. We’ve grown to love Yelena over the course of the last few projects, but we’ve never been shown this hollow and lost side of her before, which leaves a sickening feeling in your stomach.

‘Thunderbolts*’ Is A Character-Driven Story First

With the film opening up on a monologue by Florence Pugh’s Yelena, we quickly learn how vulnerable she is, still grieving the loss of her sister Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) and confused about what her purpose is in life and if it’s possible for her to have better. Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena is her best yet as the character, as she carries the pain that Yelena has with nuance. It’s arguably one of the best performances that we’ve received in the MCU. A gift that Florence Pugh has is that she instantly has outstanding chemistry with any scene partner, whether that is Bob, John, Ghost or her father, Red Guardian. Early on in a scene with Red Guardian, it further shows that she’s trying her best to figure out her purpose in life and hoping that her father will be able to provide her with the answers she needs. It’s not the first MCU film to deal with family, but it’s the first to strike it at an angle that tackles issues such as depression and overall mental health and how it can affect the people around you. It’s gritty and dark, and the dialogue paired with the performances in this film allows them to feel real.

Bob is the latest addition to the MCU, and he finds himself without his memories, but we soon find out that he was a struggling meth addict with a dead-end job trying to make ends meet and eventually resorted to a medical experiment helmed by Val that was thought to have left him dead but instead left him with abilities unlike any other being in the MCU. It’s through Bob that we’re able to see the dark truths behind each character and the past that chains each of them. He’s the most complex character that Marvel Studios have had the pleasure of adding to one of their films, and he’s dealt with maturity, as writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo don’t shy away from his drug abuse and connect it to the film’s overall themes of self-reflectiveness and finding a purpose in this world. Bob is later turned into the hero Sentry, a hero to be controlled by Val, but quickly loses control to his darker half, The Void. The Void is a metaphor for the literal void that all of our characters feel lost in and serves as the connecting tissue for the film’s themes, which are mental health, depression, loneliness, PTSD and suicide. Thunderbolts* doesn’t waste any time in providing Bob/Sentry/The Void with an origin story that takes up the whole runtime; he smoothly falls in line with the film’s themes and fits in with the characters.

It’s a refreshing take on the superhero genre and approaches real-life issues without losing itself in a third act that is just bad CGI and huge battles. The Void is the scariest and one of the most powerful villains in all of the MCU, but he’s also a villain that’s as complex as Bob and derives from his vulnerabilities.

‘Thunderbolts*’ Feels Like An A24-Produced Comic Book Movie

Thunderbolts* doesn’t fall into the usual tropes that previous MCU projects find themselves in. With a third act that feels like real closure to a film while still providing us with total destruction, badass action and the heroic moments we love. It all ties together and works effortlessly thanks to Jake Schrieier’s direction, which elevates Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo’s script to a whole different level that the MCU has not seen the likes of before. Schreier allows for the film to fully nurture its maturity and gives every small, emotional and heartfelt moment time to breathe. He’s not trying to replicate an Avengers movie; he’s not attempting to recreate what Gunn did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Thunderbolts* is its own unique story in a wider universe filled with too many stories that feel all too similar to one another.

The action sequences aren’t flashy, but the choreography gives space for them to feel fluid and allows for realism with the combat. It’s a movie that must be watched in IMAX, as there’s a scene that takes place in Val’s Watchtower (formerly, Avengers Tower) that showcases a host of powers that make use of the visuals and the sound design. It’s one of the best scenes in the film and leads into a moment of a complete sense of loss, which further connects to the team’s and specifically Yelena’s deep and personal story.

Marvel Studios joked with their marketing after Florence Pugh compared Thunderbolts* to an A24 movie and decided to flex all the creatives who worked on this film, who have also come from an A24 background. The comparison between the two is accurate, and this feels like a standalone comic book movie produced by A24 that has one of the best creative teams behind it. The outstanding direction from Jake Schrieir, the edgy score by Son Lux, a deeply intimate and well-written script by Joanna Calo and Eric Pearson, and stunning visuals from Andrew Droz Palermo. It’s a team that has a background in indie films who have come together to deliver one of the best visually looking and sounding films in the MCU.

‘Thunderbolts*’ – Final Thoughts

Thunderbolts* is more of what the MCU needs: movies that feel standalone and tell a real down-to-earth story about their characters, allowing them to go through real struggles and fights that we can all relate to while also giving a sense of direction for where the future of the MCU is heading. This movie tells an intimate and heartbreaking story about people wanting to belong and have a purpose in life while fighting with the void within them that attempts to swallow them whole into suppression.

It’s a touching film with one of the best scripts yet for an MCU film that allows for emotional depth and visuals that are among the best within the universe. Florence Pugh is the lead of Thunderbolts*, and her pairing with Lewis Pullman is one that ranks high and pulls at the heartstrings. Thunderbolts* is without a doubt a film that must be experienced on the biggest and loudest screen possible and is one of the best MCU films to release since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, making it a top-three movie within The Multiverse Saga.

Thunderbolts* releases in theatres on May 1. Check out the trailer below: