THUNDERBOLTS*

Directors
Jake Schreier

Starring
Florence Pugh
Sebastian Stan
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Wyatt Russell
Hannah John-Kamen
David Harbour
Lewis Pullman

After the death of her sister, a listless, ambivalent Yelena Belova [Pugh] takes various black ops contracts from CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine [Louis-Dreyfus]. But with de Fontaine under investigation, she opts to purge all nefarious dealings – including Yelena, and a host of other shady figures, such as former Captain America, John Walker [Russell], the molecularly compromised Ava Starr/Ghost [John-Kamen], and a completely new figure who may or may not be a stray citizen: Bob [Pullman]. The assassins reluctantly work together with a united goal to get back at de Fontaine, while Bucky Barnes (now Congressman Barnes) [Stan] tries to take the director down through legal channels.

For its various flaws and foibles, Thunderbolts* does something MCU movies have been struggling with for a while; it tells a story about people. More than that, it’s an oddly heartfelt and sincere commentary on depression and anxiety, and a story of redemption and our better nature. Granted, there are a fair few MCU features that all skirt around these themes but then they’re jolted back with the inevitable pull of a big, messy, hollow CGI showdown. Yes, it still has big shiny effects and can’t help but setup a plethora of world-building elements, but it doesn’t feel egregious. We still have a contained story with character arcs, narrative progression, and a satisfying conclusion.

But, much like The Avengers back in 2012, this is an ensemble piece. It’s a meshing of disparate elements, creating something better than the vestigial sum of its parts. And a lot of that comes down to the writing (i.e. overhauling or enhancing a few characters) as well as the fantastic aggressive, almost anti-chemistry. From the jump, this ‘team’ do not get along. It’s only through adversity that each character is given the chance to shine and grow beyond their established MCU debuts and restrictions. Pugh is undeniably exceptional at carrying the heart and soul of this film. Reminding us why she’s an unbeatable talent, Yelena is clearly struggling but quietly intent on being something more than the limitations of her destiny. She wants to live up to the legacy of her sister but feels trapped by her previous actions and current trajectory.

Where Anthony Mackie was failed by his post-Falcon and the Winter Soldier big screen appearance, Russell is given the chance to stretch his legs. His worst traits are dialled up a little further and his lack of empathy goes a long way to make him an oddly charming piece of shit. Then you have Bucky, whose frustration with the ineffectiveness of the political and legal systems, feels like a decent evolution following the events of Civil War. Yes, he’s trying to set aside the vigilante/hero lifestyle and give the proper channels a chance, but they simply don’t suit his methods. We’ve also got David Harbour as Yelena’s father, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, who is desperate to belong and yet no matter how frequently his deployment as a comedic relief is leaned upon, it’s never not funny. With even small deliveries like “What impressive friends you’ve assembled, Yelena” adding a wry twist of a smile. The only real outlier is Hannah John-Kamen. That’s not a discredit to her, I believe she fits in well but she’s never given the chance to truly stand out despite being the most dynamic member of the group (i.e. the one with powers). But as they’re essentially re-crafting her character from scratch, I feel they’ve actually achieved more than you would initially appreciate.

**Spoilers throughout this paragraph**
But we have to talk about Bob. And in order to do so, we need to venture into heavy spoiler territory, so consider yourself warned. Bob isn’t just a regular guy, he’s the subject of multiple experiments that have gifted him super powers. Not just any super powers, but seemingly all of them. Unfortunately, Bob is suffering from so much trauma, that the manifestation of his literal darkest side takes hold as the Void and consumes people in visions of their most horrific, shameful memories. In the comics, the Void is a snarling mess of black and red cables, a monstrous entity. But opting for the absence of discernible detail, other than the slight glint in the eyes and a thousand self destructive words, is so much more potent and emotionally crushing. And that’s the key. Marvel seems to have (for this release at least) learned its recent finale mistakes committed in strong narrative features like Black Widow and Shang-Chi. Not content with finishing on the lead’s genuine emotional peak, they force an unnecessarily large, drawn out, multi-pronged faceless horde fight. What we get here is entirely different: a culmination of friends working through past traumas to save one of their own. Sure, there are plenty of cool visuals and stunt work on display, but the team breaking free from their constraints to stop their newfound friend from self destructing is honestly quite powerful. None of which would be in any way impactful if it weren’t for the multilayered performance from Lewis Pullman – who honestly looks more like Tom Holland than his father Bill Pullman, although that’s another point entirely.

But, despite these praiseworthy elements, the film is still foundationally weak at times. The structuring is not only straightforward but a little too simplistic. Despite Son Lux’s stand out score work on Everything Everywhere All At Once, the music here felt a little too buried. Which is a shame because when you listen to the various suites and leitmotifs in isolation they’re well composed and arranged. The score simply doesn’t utilise or draw on the established themes pulled from prior Marvel films, and the new additions are capable but not as transcendent as the various emotional gut-punches require. And while the washed-out colour grading is appropriate for the miserable state of affairs these individuals find themselves in, it comes off like a underutilisation of Andrew Droz Palermo’s skills – especially when considering the look and feel of something like his previous work, The Green Knight.

In summation, despite the dark themes, the dour outlook, and the pretty decent handling of mental health battles, Thunderbolts* is a lot of fun. Given how lopsided the MCU has felt of late, there will be those who expected and hoped for more, those who won’t see the hype, and those who will herald this movie as the second coming of the MCU with echoes of “We’re so back, baby!” But that’s admittedly too much pressure. Putting aside the franchise for a moment, this single instalment is good enough and tells a meaningful story that will likely resonate with many and hit harder than expected. Only to undercut occasionally with well-placed humour. Case in point, even the end credits rolling hits better than a post credits scene by doing a Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey with various headlines and public reactions to the events that close out the movie. Is this the injection of life the MCU needed, or simply delaying the inevitable? For me, it’s neither. If anything, Thunderbolts* is an example of how a lone feature deep in a franchise can still have a personality and say something of significance without resorting to the usual cheap tricks.

Release Date:
18 April 2025

The Scene To Look Out For:
There’s a lot of symmetry, references, callbacks and juxtapositions throughout this movie, and thankfully they’re almost entirely subtle. Granted, we’re going to see the internet flood with countless “hidden secrets you missed in Thunderbolts*” articles and videos. But from a simple media literacy point of view, there’s a lot to like about what’s understated. Case in point, the movie opening with a disillusioned Yelena stepping off a skyscraper and absentmindedly killing targets, to the later scene of her taking a step into the creeping darkness of the void in an effort to save a lost soul. It’s so simple and yet so nicely done.

Notable Characters:
**Spoilers**
You may have noticed from the above poster and the characters I’ve described that there’s one glaring omission. That’s because Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster gets Slipknotted. To clarify, in 2016’s Suicide Squad, one of the team was present in all the marketing but none of the trailer material. As such, it wasn’t hard to discern that the character of Slipknot was going to die early on to highlight the severity and finality of the situation. Here, that role falls to Taskmaster. Following her introduction in Black Widow, nobody seemed happy with breaking comic canon as to Taskmaster’s identity, so her inevitable exit from the film very early on felt like an unceremonious capitulation and quiet slap in the face for Kurylenko. Which is a shame.

Highlighted Quote:
“Righteousness without power is just an opinion.”

In A Few Words:
“Not a break from formula, but a much needed adjustment that many will likely enjoy.”

Total Score: 4/5