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Thunderbolts* review: Marvel misfits bring new energy to the MCU
As the latest phase of the MCU comes to a close and Marvel cranks up the Avengers machine for another reality-shattering crossover, Thunderbolts* is an … The post Thunderbolts* review: Marvel misfits bring new energy to the MCU appeared first on BGR.
As the latest phase of the MCU comes to a close and Marvel cranks up the Avengers machine for another reality-shattering crossover, Thunderbolts* is an interesting fork in the road.
Thunderbolts* features some of the highest highs of what has been an inconsistent Multiverse Saga, but also embodies so many of its problems. It has a strong emotional core, but it doesn't always know where to invest its time. The stakes are predictably enormous, but the world of the movie is incongruously small. And yet, in the same way that the washed-up Marvel villains have to work together to save the world, the first-rate cast is able to elevate and energize what could have been another rote stepping stone on the path to Secret Wars.
Like Captain America: Brave New World before it, Thunderbolts* has the difficult job of tying up as many loose ends as possible while also trying to tell its own standalone story. The difference is that this team-up movie handles that balancing act far more deftly, expeditiously reintroducing a bunch of second-tier MCU villains and giving them a reason to team up.
Central to the plot is Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, former Black Widow and current assassin-for-hire for menacing CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). As we are reacquainted with Yelena for the first time since her appearance in Hawkeye, we learn that she's struggling to come to terms with her new life and wants a change.
After reuniting with her father, Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), for the first time in a year, she works up the courage to tell Valentina as much. Valentina then promises a change of pace after one last job, which involves stopping an unknown assailant from stealing secret documents. Of course, that's exactly when the fun begins.
It's on this job that Yelena, Captain America reject John Walker (Wyatt Russell), brainwashed Black Widow villain Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) all end up in the same warehouse and realize none of them are meant to make it out alive. It's also where they meet Bob (Lewis Pullman), a mysterious man who somehow wound up in the same room as a group of contract killers with no memory of how he got there.
The group dynamic that comes from their inevitable team-up has a similar energy to that of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but their interpersonal conflicts are far more mundane (and relatable). And much like he did in Black Widow, David Harbour's Red Guardian steals the show when he is on the screen—whether he's pulling some outrageous stunt, shouting loud enough to shake the theater, or having a quiet, emotional moment with his daughter.
Thunderbolts* stands above Marvel's latest cinematic misfires by nailing many of the elements that used to be an afterthought in the MCU. Fight scenes and set pieces are genuinely exciting, with clever fight choreography and direction that never loses focus.
Also, Son Lux delivers the most memorable and hair-raising score of a Marvel project in recent memory, possibly dating back to Avengers: Endgame.
As has become distressingly common, my hang-ups have more to do with the connective tissue of the MCU than anything the movie did or didn't do. Thunderbolts* spends an inordinate amount of time on Valentina. While Julia Louis-Dreyfus is giving it her all, Valentina is not a character that needs this much screentime in the second-to-last movie before Avengers: Doomsday. But she's relevant to the bigger picture, so she takes center stage.
I also found the finale to be a bit underwhelming, which is a trend in MCU movies and Disney+ shows alike. Overall, I appreciated the pacing of Thunderbolts*, but the ending feels rushed and doesn't give the villain or our anti-heroes the space they need for a satisfying conclusion. It's a testament to the actors that the emotional beats still ring true, especially for Yelena, as Florence Pugh delivers a grounded, meaningful performance from start to finish.
In the end, Thunderbolts* does plenty to take its place as one of the best Marvel projects of the post-Endgame era. These aren't the Avengers we followed into battle in Infinity War in 2018, but I'm anxiously awaiting their next opportunity to team up.
The post Thunderbolts* review: Marvel misfits bring new energy to the MCU appeared first on BGR.
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Thunderbolts* review: Marvel misfits bring new energy to the MCU originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 29 Apr 2025 at 12:01:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
