Dir: Jake Schreier
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
A captivating Florence Pugh leads a ragtag team of Marvel outcasts in this surprisingly dark and unconventional superhero flick, which may be the best MCU entry since the heady heights of “Endgame”
Having reached atmospheric heights following the epic finale of the sensationally executed “Infinity Saga”, the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently finds itself at the lowest point in its prosperous seventeen-year history. The current state of the once beloved MCU became particularly telling when it came as a surprise to no one when the most recent entry in the long-running saga, “Captain America: Brave New World”, massively underperformed at the box-office, currently sitting amongst the lowest grossing MCU films of all time. The first theatrical event to showcase Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America epitomised everything that has gone wrong with the MCU in recent years, as it continued to rehash year’s old storylines and thematic elements that even the most devout Marvel fans had become tired of.
The success of both “Infinity War” and “Endgame” ultimately contributed to the franchise’s downfall, as Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, and his creative team pounced on the opportunity to produce as much content as possible, both for TV and film. Being someone who has always been a casual fan of the MCU, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up to date with the ever-expanding universe, with countless television shows introducing characters and storylines I was essentially unaware of due to the lack of hours I was able to commit to keeping up to date with phases four and five of Feige’s ambitious vision. The resulting oversaturation of the market has only gone on to turn fans against the franchise, with the many narrative threads appearing to reach unfulfilling conclusions or to be dismissed altogether, leaving even the most loyal MCU fans confused as to which direction the franchise is heading.
It is desperate times for Marvel, who, following the poor critical and audience response to “Captain America” in recent months, will be hoping that both fans and critics are won over by their two remaining films of 2025, the latest attempt at successfully bringing the Fantastic Four to the big screen in “Fantastic Four: First Steps”, and the recently released “Thunderbolts*”, which I was able to catch at my local cinema on the weekend.
Despite my reservations towards the MCU, particularly in recent years, I did go into my Saturday viewing of “Thunderbolts*” with a surprising amount of optimism, largely due to the talent involved both in front and behind the camera. In one of the best marketing ploys they have ever attempted, Marvel released a teaser trailer for “Thunderbolts*” a few months ago in the style of a more prestige, A24-inspired release, which highlighted those involved with the film, including director Jake Schreier “Beef”, cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo “The Green Knight”, editor Harry Yoon “Minari”, production designer Grace Yun “Hereditary” and American experimental band/ composers Son Lux, who also composed the Academy Award nominated score for “Everything Everywhere All At Once”. This attempt by Marvel to market their latest MCU entry as “absolute cinema” was incredibly bold, a decision that shows their faith in the project, and a level of passion that has not been exhibited for several years.
“Thunderbolts*” kicks off by re-introducing us to Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), emotionally numb following the death of her sister Black Widow in “Avengers: Endgame”, and spiritually unfulfilled following years serving as a covert operative on behalf of CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). As de Fontaine faces an imminent impeachment for her work with O.X.E. Group, she dispatches Yelena, and fellow covert operatives John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr “Ghost” (Hannah John-Kamen), and “Taskmaster” (Olga Kurylenko), to an underground facility under the pretence of a mission. Having been pitted against each other to help cover O.X.E.’s historical misconducts, the group reluctantly decides to cooperate to escape and plot against Valentina. During their escape, the ragtag team of Marvel outcasts encounter a mysterious young man, Bob (Lewis Pullman), who had been kept in suspended animation in the O.X.E. vault.
Having reunited with Yelena’s father figure Alexei Shostakov “Red Guardian” (David Harbour), the group dubs themselves “Thunderbolts” after her childhood football team, and learn that Bob is an incredibly powerful being manufactured by Valentina as part of the “Sentry” superhuman project. Aware that Bob is emotionally unstable following years of domestic abuse and drug addiction, the Thunderbolts along with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) attempt to free Bob/”Sentry” from Valentina’s rule before his inner darkness takes over his powers, potentially revealing an unstoppable threat.
Having gone into “Thunderbolts*” surprisingly excited given it is a Marvel film, I found myself coming out of my screening astonished by how dark Marvel have gone here. The franchise has been heavily criticised for injecting too much levity in their films, especially given the perilous, and potentially world-ending scenarios our many heroes find themselves in on a regular basis. While there are still humorous moments in “Thunderbolts*”, largely a result of the great chemistry and comradery amongst the titular team, the film touches on some very real, and incredibly heavy subject matters such as depression, child abuse and drug addiction. The whole film is purposely dimly lit, manifesting the ongoing emotional struggles of the whole ensemble, with the peculiar presence of Bob acting as a conduit for everyone’s darkest moments and deepest regrets. It is evident from the opening moments as to how dark in tone “Thunderbolts*” is, especially compared to your standard Marvel fare, as we see the Marvel logo itself, often adorned with a blinding red, drained of all its colour, which then paves the way for Andrew Droz Palermo’s incredibly bleak cinematography for the following two hours.
This change in tone, and use of largely under-utilised characters, is a refreshing change of pace for Marvel, who have seen their films become increasingly predictable over the years. For the first time since “Infinity War” back in 2018, I found myself unsure as to how the narrative was going to play out, and with none of the MCU A-listers at risk, I was also questioning who may or may not make it out alive, or to be forever trapped in the darkness of physically manifested depression. While injecting new life into the dwindling superhero franchise, Schreier and his writing team still manage to deliver captivating action set-pieces, the real bread-and-butter of any superhero movie. To balance action and humour with dark and sensitive subject matters is no mean feat, and while it takes its time to get there following a great opening, “Thunderbolts*” may have re-drawn the blueprint of how to make a great MCU movie post “Endgame”.
What helps elevate the movie’s central thread of loneliness and depression is the performances, with the whole ensemble bringing added depth to characters that many fans had prematurely dismissed. The obvious standout, as always, is Florence Pugh as Yelena, with the 29-year-old further proving her star power and sensational acting abilities and range. Despite having to sport a Russian accent, Pugh manages to bring out a vulnerable side to her “Red Room” graduate, whilst keeping up her stoic, ass-kicking demeanour on the surface. Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour have all inherited deeply troubled characters, that are too proud to admit their shortcomings, and seeing them finally express their inner demons and come together as a team genuinely had me invested in all of them, despite knowing very little going in, having missed on numerous MCU projects since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Verdict:
Led by a magnetic Florence Pugh, “Thunderbolts*” hugely benefits by amicably teaming up some of the MCU’s most downtrodden heroes, and while the once great superhero franchise still has a long way to go to recapture its glory days, this dark and refreshingly unconventional entry is a step in the right direction and easily the best MCU instalment since Thanos’ defeat six years ago.
Thunderbolts* is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
Great review! I really enjoyed this film.
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