A Summary of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts is the newest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which sees a group of antiheroes – Yelena Belova (sister of Black Widow), Bucky Barnes the Winter Soldier, John Walker (former Captain America, now U.S. Agent), Alexei Shostakoff (Red Guardian), Ava Starr (Ghost) and Antonia Dreykov (Taskmaster), being forced to work together to uncover the truth behind Project Sentry and its lone survivor Bob, in the hopes of achieving redemption for their previous wrongdoings.
Marvel Finds Its Footing Again with Thunderbolts
Phase 5 has easily been the most turbulent the MCU has had thus far. What was meant to have started the buildup to Kang the Conqueror with Ant-Man: and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023 now ends having been hastily reworked to lead towards the return of Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday in a year’s time, and while there have been decent entries such as The Marvels and Deadpool and Wolverine its only uncontested home run was Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 which effectively closed the book on those characters and James Gunn’s involvement with the franchise.
But Thunderbolts arrives with considerably more hype and prestige than most of Marvel’s recent output, in part because of how its recent marketing has highlighted how much of its creative team have worked on projects under the banner of renowned indie distributor A24 including The Green Knight, A Different Man, Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once and the Netflix series Beef which includes director Jake Schreier and screenwriter Joanna Calo. And delightfully, the end result proves that Marvel hasn’t quite lost their ability to make lightning strike just yet.
A Deeper Chapter in the MCU
Compared its most recent predecessor Captain America: Brave New World which largely let its characters play second fiddle to the mechanics of moving its disparate plot elements forward, Thunderbolts finds its heart in how its central cast struggle to cope with and move on from how their ledgers are all dripping with red and the trauma they’ve collectively accumulated.
Whether it be through Yelena still feeling aimless after Natasha’s death and being barely able to maintain a functional relationship with her adoptive father Alexei, John obsessing over his fall from grace to the point of neglecting his new wife and son, to even Bucky trying to forge a new path as a congressman yet haunted by his atrocities under HYDRA’s control, not only does the script deftly manage to explore particularly sensitive subject matter regarding depression and mental health, it does so without feeling the need to undercut its heaviness with humour like films such as Thor: Love and Thunder did. This is exemplified through the addition of Bob, whose demons manifest themselves as a frightening dark side which may just be the most devastating physical threat the Marvel canon has seen thus far.
Though some of its plot elements are unwieldy and do struggle to find their place, namely the prominence of Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, for the most part they manage to come together effectively for a climax that manages to be emotionally satisfying while also delivering on the spectacle.
Supporting Stars Shine
While not everyone in the ensemble is served well (with Taskmaster in particular getting rather shortchanged), the setup works wonders to help give focus and depth to characters who haven’t been seen in a while such as Ghost and the Red Guardian, while also giving the likes of Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour the chance to show off both their dramatic and comedic talents.
The inclusion of both Bucky and John Walker meanwhile serves as a welcome follow-up to the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it’s Florence Pugh who gives the best performance among the returnees as she does a tremendous job at giving a sense of just how broken and aimless Yelena has become yet still having tremendous room for compassion. Yet the one who really steals the show is Lewis Pullman as Bob who’s able to be hugely pitiable and lovable as the amnesiac test subject swept up in all the madness and deeply terrifying when his demons rise to the surface.
Thunderbolts – A Conclusion
Production-wise, it’s great to see after so many recent entries that have overused CGI an MCU that largely focuses on practical effects, and Jake Schreier showcases himself to be a capable action director. The stunt work is jaw-dropping at times (namely the sight of Yelena jumping off the Merdaka 118 skyscraper in Malaysia which Florence Pugh did herself), the long takes during the fights show off some dirty hand to hand combat, and the score by the band Son Lux is moody, bombastic and hopeful all at once. By the standards of the MCU, Thunderbolts is easily its best film since Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, but it also works on its own terms a fun character driven blockbuster with an endearing cast and poignant theming, while also having teases for the future that for the first time in a while actually feel enticing.
The Thunderbolts review was created by Joe Warne, a member of the Sedgemoor FM team since 2017. Joe specialises in providing weekly reviews of the latest film releases at 6.30pm each Monday evening as part of the Sedgemoor Life show.