Thunderbolts* is the newest Marvel movie in the ever growing MCU, and after the rather mixed reviews from both critics and audiences about their other recent projects, such as the Marvels in 2023 which cost $374 million to make and made only $206 million with mostly negative reception, and most recently Captain America Brave New World which left audiences mixed, Thunderbolts* was set to be another Marvel movie to fill the space between money makers like Spider-Man or Avengers Doomsday.
However, with a budget of $180 million, in the mid-range of the MCU budget scale, has grossed $325.7 million, which whilst low compared to other MCU movies, is a good sign, because this film is very enjoyable.
The chemistry between the cast members carry this film, with interactions being incredibly realistic and the humour generated from them are the funniest moments in the movie. The action sequences are thrilling and every characters personality is shown in how they fight, from Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, having techniques reminiscent of Black Widow to John Walker, played by Wyatt Russel, fighting like the disgraced Captain America military man he is. The film does an excellent job making you care about characters that have been either largely underutilised or have been restricted to 1 IP, like Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, who hasn’t been seen since Ant Man and The Wasp shining in this movie, and David Harbour’s Red Giant was as much fun in this film as he was in Black Widow. Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, is also a welcome inclusion, linking the group to one of the main protagonists, aiding to move the plot forward and overall just being a pleasant and familiar character, acting as an effective bridge between our heroes and the wider world of recent Marvel.
The film is very much something we have seen before, a ‘rag tag group of nobodies and losers teaming up to fight a bigger threat and become the good guys’ isn’t new, and some of the films humour surrounds this, but fell flat after the first mention. Some of the moments feel cheesy, but overall if you go in to have a good time, you very much will, as it has enough intrigue to keep you invested and action to keep you entertained.
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Which makes it a little funny when you get into the themes of this film, because it is very much not subtle with them. Our final act villain, The Void, is an emotionally unstable young man who suffers from episodes of depression, creating the negative all powerful emotion our heroes fight in the end, and linking to Yelena’s opening monologue about feeling ‘an emptiness, a void’ in her uncovered by the loss of her sister, the film links to anxiety and suicide as early as the second or third act, along with how to handle negative emotions, aimlessness in life and the instability of one’s mental state when under pressure and being manipulated, plus the horrific childhood of our antagonist linking to his atrocious mental health.
Overall, Thunderbolts* is a fun movie with some of the heaviest topics I have seen discussed in the MCU, and I think it is a good sign in the direction the MCU is headed, with the very fun Deadpool and Wolverine having released and the upcoming Fantastic Four First Steps looking promising, I think we are in for a good couple years at Marvel, even with our New Avengers.
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