Thunderbolts* Review: Challenging Themes Lead To One Of Marvel's Best

Director Jake Schreier (Beef) takes his first entry into the superhero world with Thunderbolts*, juggling an ensemble cast of anti-heroes working against a threat that seems unbeatable.

Synopsis:

"Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes -- Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker -- embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts."

Cast:

Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, David Harbor, Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen, Geraldine Viswanathan, Olga Kurylenko

Release Date: In Theaters Now

Mental Health At The Forefront

Credit: Marvel Studios

The most impressive thing about this film is that it attempts to tackle very complex themes in a way unlike any other Marvel film I've ever seen. Sure, there's emotional moments in films like Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but Thunderbolts* takes a swing at exploring the incredibly serious theme of mental health. In a sense, this is a film about mental health awareness more than anything else. Once you recognize that, it makes sense why Marvel looked to hire creatives for this film that didn't have really any experience with franchise movies. Director Jake Schreier is known for his character work on Beef, writer Joanna Calo did work on The Bear and even the composers of the film are known for the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once. Marvel Studios wanted to create a genuine narrative for these sensitive themes and I give them a lot of credit for taking it as serious as they did.

As I was saying, this film will become a very meaningful and emotional watch for those who have dealt with problems with their mental health in any capacity. It's so incredibly interesting that you are watching a superhero film, but it feels like so much more than that. The superhero aspects are secondary and the real complex themes are first. The filmmakers really pair these two worlds together beautifully, as it can be enjoyed by both a superhero fan and a fan of more character-driven projects (and I happen to be both!).

Pugh and Pullman Anchor The Film

Credit: Marvel Studios

It was time for Florence Pugh's Yelena to get a lead role after supporting roles in Black Widow and Hawkeye Season 1. Whereas in those projects Yelena tended to be just a lovable side character, Thunderbolts* gives her some real depth and weight which Pugh plays out to absolute perfection. She's our real point of view for the film, as the film starts and finishes focusing on her own mental problems. After we left her in her last appearance, she's struggling to find purpose or any real reason to get up and do what she does every day. This leads to some real heartbreaking scenes that Pugh just excels at, going from comedic side character to true lead in a snap of a finger. Pugh well and truly is the top billing of this film, with her quickly becoming one of Marvel's best and most well written characters in this post-Endgame phase. Frankly, her performance in this film is to me one of the best we've had in a superhero film. There's a scene towards the end that she has with David Harbor's Alexei where she really shows off her acting chops, allowing the audience to really be invested in everything that happens to Yelena over the course of the entire film. Marvel pushed all their chips in with Pugh for Thunderbolts* and it really paid off.

The other real focus of this film becomes Lewis Pullman's Bob/Sentry. Although he eventually evolves into the main antagonist, we get to have some really sweet character moments with him and the ensemble cast earlier in the film. He's equal parts funny but tragic, as you can sense something is really off with the character and his past. When we do get to that heel turn later in the film, Pullman is able to switch from lovable to menacing in a way that really stands out. Some have argued it felt rushed, but to me it just shows how mentally unstable he really was and Pullman makes it clear that's the case early in the movie with his amazing performance. He particularly has some outstanding scenes with Pugh, especially towards the end. They have unbelievable chemistry from the minute their characters meet and it's really a treat seeing these two amazing actors work off each other. Some of their scenes are easily the most emotional in the film and as I said, they are absolutely the anchors of Thunderbolts*.

Ensemble Cast Shines

Credit: Marvel Studios

I sensed that one of the main concerns from the general audience going in to Thunderbolts* was: why should we care? This is a team of superheroes that is no where near the top of Marvel's catalogue and some may not have even seen the projects they appeared in previously. However, the incredible filmmakers at work make it so you slowly learn to love this team of misfits over the course of the movie. This care is built around the amazing ensemble cast, obviously starting with Pugh/Pullman but then extending to the rest of our team.

Sebastian Stan has already experienced most of his character development with Bucky in prior MCU installments, so there's not really much exploration there, but it's just always nice to see him play this character again and take somewhat of a leadership role with this group of misfits. David Harbor serves as a hilarious comedic relief character and gives out a genuinely good emotional performance due to his relationship to Yelena. Wyatt Russell is just owning the screen as John Walker, building on his previous appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to genuinely work towards a redemption arc for his character. I personally thought Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost was severely underutilized in Ant Man and The Wasp, so seeing her come back to bring some more depth to her role was a treat. I don't have much to say about Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster without getting into spoilers, but it was at least nice to see her character again. Overall, the actors talent and chemistry with each other, but also on their own, allows you to really get invested in them as a ensemble.

Action Scenes Mix Comedy and Creativity

Credit: Marvel Studios

Another fun thing about seeing this ensemble cast together is the way things are choreographed in their many action scenes, both together and against each other. There's a scene early on which pits our team against each other, showing off their fighting styles and giving us small character moments along the way. Although Ghost is really the only one with a seriously creative power set, it's still interesting to see the difference between the way the other more grounded characters fight. There's some hilarious comedy once the fight scenes die down, again pushing that awkward misfit team narrative that you find yourself really enjoying over the course of the runtime.

I also really appreciated the creativity and realism once the team actually started working together. Their first fight they are completely overmatched, but there's a scene shortly after where they all work together to save a large group of pedestrians. This is the first time we see them really working together and it was really cool to see it play out on screen; leading to me gaining even more interest to see this group back together in Avengers: Doomsday next year. The team that worked on the fight choreography deserves massive credit, as although the action scenes were not the focus of this film in any way, they still were always a lot of fun to watch when we got them. Harbor, Russell and John-Kamen are real standouts when it comes to the action.

Final Thoughts

Credit: Marvel Studios

Thunderbolts* is not only a return to what made us fall in love with the MCU, but also does things that no Marvel film has ever done before. Every creative swing they took was done carefully and in a meaningful way, allowing this to be one of Marvel's best installments ever. Go see this movie! Also, stick around for the credits!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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