Thunderbolts* Strikes Some Much Needed Lightning
Thunderbolts* is a movie I didn't expect to be good. To my surprise, it proved me wrong. Marvel reached its climax with Endgame and has been producing films and TV shows of mixed quality ever since. After so many stinkers in a row, it's nice to see a Marvel film that ditches the typical villain of the week formula. Instead, it's more of a light psychological film. The Thunderbolts have damaged pasts. Not all of them are explored in this movie, which is perfectly fine. Well, maybe not perfectly.
Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and failed Captain America, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) have backstories that have been explored in previous Marvel material. However, there are two characters in the film who are just there and contribute nothing to the story. You could cut them from the film and lose nothing. If they had an established backstory from the previous shows, I might have missed it since Marvel has become oversaturated with content since the arrival of Disney+. So, I may be wrong about them.
The film starts with a narration from Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). We see Yelena standing atop a tall building with presumably a parachute on her back. She then busts into the building, where she's on a mission to destroy evidence. We then cut to Congress, where Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is facing impeachment for her involvement in something I don't want to spoil. All I can tell you is that she's destroying all evidence that could lead back to her.
The film has its pacing issues, where it spends a large chunk of time stuck in one room. The Thunderbolts get trapped in a room in a building they're sent on a mission to. The sequence goes on for so long that I thought the movie was going to be a single-location, AKA bottle film. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The movie uses the location to develop a new character simply named Bob. Bob looks like he broke out of a hospital since he's in his pajamas. How he plays a role in the story is something that will spoil the film. Let's just say there's more to Bob than we think.
The real heart of this story isn't about chasing down another bad guy who wants to rule the world. It's about facing our past so we can protect the present. The Thunderbolts are outcasts in the superhero world. They don't have the morals or physical abilities the Avengers have, outside of Black Widow. They have no Hulk or Thor. Their powers are mostly relegated to superhuman strength. The Thunderbolts are a collection of antiheroes; they're characters who mostly fight for themselves. In order to work together, they must learn how to become heroes. Like the first Avengers film, let alone any team-up picture, the characters don't get along at first but learn to become allies further into the picture.
Unlike the Avengers, which didn't have a central protagonist, this film focuses most of its point of view on Yelena. There's some great character development between Yelena and her father, Alexei Shostakov (The Red Guardian), played by David Harbour. Florence Pugh can not only nail a Russian accent but also gives one of the best monologues in the film. The two have a checkered past, where Alexei wasn't the best father to his daughter. Now that they're together again, the two talk to each other, mending their wounds. It's a touching scene where we learn that superheroes have issues just like everyone else.
The movie isn't just about our past. It's also about how those in power can easily manipulate us. At the end of the film, it's not the usual happy ending—it's not a sad one either. Like any Marvel property, it sets something up for later movies. Unlike the never-ending conveyer belt of MCU flicks, it doesn't test your tolerance for subpar storytelling. It's not about setting up Thanos or Kang the Conqueror. The film is about what defines a hero. How do we redeem our past? It's also about being used as a tool for someone's political gain and how unchecked power rules itself over the law.
Thunderbolts* is one of the best Marvel films I've seen within two years, which sadly isn't saying a lot. It's not perfect; there are pacing issues and underdeveloped characters within the team. Still, it's nice to see a deeper MCU film that isn't just about setting up the next film. It's more of an immediate payoff loaded with plenty of high-quality stunt action as well as some welcome character development.
The surprise ending is a welcome touch that will surely spawn new films. It's similar to other Marvel movies, but changes things up a little, where the film goes in an unexpected direction. Thunderbolts* is a slightly flawed yet entertaining picture that builds upon the MCU's catalog while also keeping itself grounded with semi-street-level heroes. Stick around for the post-credits scene for a little extra surprise. If you're a Marvel fan, you'll not want to miss this one. If you're not a Marvel fan, you'll still have a good time, although if you're not caught in some of the shows and movies, you may not be as invested in the characters.
