Thunderbolts*

“The past doesn’t go away. So you can either live with it forever… or do something about it.”

Redemptive, rag-tag and refreshing, Thunderbolts* surprises with its emotional depth and misfit matches in a team-up film that’s stylish, entertaining and allows side characters to enter the spotlight with a great ensemble, gritty action and a mental health focus sure to resonate with many. 

Discussion Points:

I absolutely loved this. It’s been far too long since the last MCU team-up movie, and what makes Thunderbolts* so unique is that we aren’t watching main franchise characters unite but instead rough around the edges side characters in a rag-tag team up that’s equally comedic as it is cathartic as they trauma bond and banter. With a stacked ensemble it’s Florence Pugh’s Yelena who takes centre stage and her mental health struggle is the films through line as she moves from depressed and lonely to finding purpose and community. In parallel, Lewis Pullman’s Bob is a fantastic new addition and allows the story to explore some darker material around addiction, bipolar and abuse. Seeing a group of antiheroes join together is nothing new, but these characters work well as each are at different stages in their redemptive journeys. Bucky has come full circle whereas Yelena is full mercenary and John Walker is somewhere in between. I loved the action and it’s beyond refreshing to have an MCU film that doesn’t feel like it’s been obviously reshot and re-edited over and over again and where the VFX don’t look rushed or unfinished. As someone who has struggled with my own inner void, past mistakes that overshadow, and moments of isolation, I was really impacted by the earnest emotional honesty that the film demonstrates. My only gripe with the film is that the third act lacks some resolution for characters who don’t get to wrestle with their mistakes like Yelena and Bob do and I would’ve liked to have seen Ghost, Red Guardian and Bucky’s Void flashbacks. However, this is easily still one of the MCU’s best since Endgame - great storytelling, interesting characters, entertaining action, emotionally intelligent and frequently funny - Thunderbolts* isn’t quite lightning in a bottle, but it comes very close.