Miss Flicks

Thunderbolts*: Film Review

Marvel has not delivered a banger since Guardians of the Galaxy 3 two years ago. But thankfully, after a run of lacklustre outings, they have returned to form with Thunderbolts*.

The film, directed by Jake Schreier, stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, who is forced to team up with fellow antiheroes John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) and Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) after they’re caught in a deadly trap by their boss Valentina Allegra De Fontaine (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) along with a mysterious test subject named Bob (Lewis Pullman). Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who is now a congressman and trying to impeach Valentina, also joins their cause alongside Yelena’s father figure Alexei/Red Guardian (David Harbour).

I went into this knowing as little as possible and was cynically under the impression that Thunderbolts* was going to be Marvel’s answer to Suicide Squad. It’s really not – these are broken and lonely outcasts who team up for survival rather than villains sent on a mission. Their initial decision to work together makes sense instead of feeling forced and their alliance evolves believably over the course of the film. The saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but friendship is going too far; they’re just teammates with a common goal: stopping Valentina. While they don’t make sense on paper, I really came to love this team.

Thunderbolts* is a very different Marvel movie and that is no bad thing considering its recent run of uninspired films. It has all the action setpieces and classic Marvel quips but it doesn’t shy away from darker themes. I never would have expected a superhero movie to cover topics like loneliness, grief and mental health. Thunderbolts* doesn’t just address them lightly; they’re the heart of the film. It tells an emotionally resonant story that is more human, character-driven and grounded in reality than your typical superhero movie. As a result, there is less action (which might disappoint some) but a more substantial and satisfying story.

This may be an ensemble team-up movie but Pugh is easily the star. She gravitates towards emotionally tortured characters and that is no exception here. Thunderbolts gives her plenty to sink her teeth into dramatically – Yelena is lonely, grieving her sister and starting to reckon with all the crimes she’s committed. But she’s also very funny and kicks ass in the action scenes. Pullman helps her carry the emotional weight of the film and is quite a surprise (which I won’t spoil). Harbour is laugh-out-loud hilarious, Louis-Dreyfus is the nicest-looking evil person ever, and I warmed to Russell’s John more than I expected. John-Kamen is the weakest link simply because she has less to do and the others have bigger personalities.

The most recent Marvel outings have felt like empty action spectacles that are hollow stepping stones for the next saga. While it may not be perfect, Thunderbolts* feels like a breath of fresh air simply by having more substance, believable camaraderie and emotional depth.

In cinemas from Thursday 1st May and on Disney from Wednesday 27th August