I love a good underdog story. Everything about ‘Thunderbolts*’ is geared towards entering the psyche of those who feel lost and empty and left behind. It’s a superhero movie, for sure, in the very superhero world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but each character, many whom we have seen before, are experiencing burn out or aimlessness. Each of the protagonists of the film have done horrible things and they cannot escape their past. It is said many times in the trailer that “they are not heroes” but as the trailer also suggests, they are the only ones left to stop the MCU’s next impeding danger.
In post-Avengers world, Yelena (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) find themselves out hunting each other as a trap laid out by their former employer Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). It is supposed to be Yelena’s last job as she’s lost her heart for it, for everything. But the ensuing standoff finds the mercenaries joining together to get out alive all the while trying to discover the mystery behind Bob (Lewis Pullman), who happened to be at the vault that Valentina was trying to destroy along with the mercenaries.
On the trail is Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) as he is trying to navigate politics as an elected congressman but seems better suited to the life of a hero. Joining them is the Red Guardian (David Harbour) and the new ragtag team must find it within themselves to be the heroes America is lacking to fend off the super powerful new entity known as The Void.
It’s quite clever how director Jake Schreier and screenwriters Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo manage to execute a character study while filling all the time with funny moments and intense action sequences. While this is without a doubt Yelena’s movie, almost each other character finds a moment to realize that there’s something missing in their lives. Walker is still trying to live with the shame of being a failed Captain America. Bucky is not suited for politics and is trying too hard to still do good in the only way he knows how. The Red Guardian is still pining for the glory days when his name and his identity meant something and this all ties up so well with The Void, an ominous super-powered being who threatens to engulf the world in darkness.
As funny as the movie is, it’s quite refreshing to see a superhero film deal with burn out and existential questions, especially coming from characters who have a history of violence and murder. Through their interactions with each other and, the eventual joining of forces to become a team, ‘Thunderbolts’ ends up becoming a hopeful belief in second chances and of finding redemption by leaning on others, even when you don’t believe in yourself.
It’s the magic of Florence Pugh, who manages to make Yelena’s existential crisis fit so perfectly into a superhero movie. We’ve seen her in films like ‘Midsommar’ and ‘Little Women’ so we know her range and talent and she manage to show it off again by playing it authentically in this film but not laying it on too heavy that it moves away from the tone of the film. She makes it real but keeps it comic-book appropriate. Wyatt Russell does the same with the scenes he gets to play with but the other real star here is Lewis Pullman, who manages to make the mysterious Bob so fascinating to watch as we discover the full history of his character.
There’s a lot of action and superhero fight sequences to keep the film fun, fast, and exciting but it’s how it handles its ending that feels very revolutionary. I don’t want to spoil anything but the way the film finds its solution – for a team that only “punch and shoots” – is sort of powerful that I almost cried. It’s so refreshing that the solution isn’t what we think it’s going to be and it’s so right for the themes that are at play in the film.‘Thunderbolts’ is a return to form. A big superhero movie that isn’t afraid to be revolutionary and say some really big things about mental health and redemption. It has a wonderful score by Son Lux and a great cast. I hope this is a bigger hit than it is set up to be because I want more superhero movies like this.
My Rating:
Experience the 5-star brilliance of Thunderbolts*, a superhero epic that redefines redemption! Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.
