Thunderbolts*
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
To say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in a bit of turmoil since Avengers: Endgame might be an understatement. There have been more lows than highs in this world of superheroes, and Kevin Feige’s team has been trying to get themselves back on track. Deadpool has done his best to restart things for the House of Mouse, but the Merc with the Mouth can’t be the one who gets families back into cinemas. While Captain America: Brave New World failed to do more than cause a sigh of mediocrity from most fans. This leaves the franchise in the hands of a band of misfits called the Thunderbolts* who are all sidekicks, anti-heroes or pseudo-villains to save the day and hope to grace a Wheaties box.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) has been wandering the planet cleaning up the mess left behind by CIA director Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Yet, the Black Widow operative has been struggling mentally to stay focussed and is yearning for purpose in her life. She reaches out to her father, Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour), who is trying to regain his former glory. Yelena determines that she will do one final assignment for the less-than-trustworthy head of the CIA. As she enters a secret desert facility, the assassin finds herself battling U.S Agent/John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) to achieve her goal. The fight leads them to realise they all have been double-crossed when they discover a man amongst the rubbish in the facility named Bob (Lewis Pullman). This odd situation leads this group of unlikely allies to work together with the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) to bring Ms de Fontaine to justice until they realise they may have bigger problems to handle.
For those who have been on the Marvel journey over the years, seen the more obscure elements of the television shows, and paid attention to every character, you will be familiar with each character and their role. For those new to this cinematic universe or are merely on-again/ off-again fans, this will have the feel of an origin story for these characters. Either way, the whole project feels like a hard reset of the franchise as it dabbles in finding fresh faces to reintroduce the world to this vast array of superheroes or at least the wannabes. With whispers to DC’s Suicide Squad and even the shadows of the Guardians of the Galaxy, this unlikely team may be needed to bring audiences back to the cinema again.
Without giving too much away within this twisted storyline, director Jake Schreier (Paper Towns) has managed to find the balance needed to regain the trust of the MCU faithful while enticing new fans to show up for this film. There is a strong theme that addresses the issues of mental health and depression, which makes this screenplay meatier than most Marvel films. Yet, there are no hidden agendas amongst the characters as they do their best to do what this franchise has done throughout the years to entertain. Florence Pugh proves to be the unlikely leader, Sebastian Stan is uber-cool, Wayne Russell makes the case for being the better Captain America and David Harbour is the scene stealer and brings all the humour we need to laugh amongst the action. While Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman’s characters add enough nuance to cause everyone to second guess the intentions of this bizarre team.
Thunderbolts* earns their asterisk and has laid the groundwork for a new phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some argue they are there to open the door to The Fantastic Four better than Captain America. In reality, this oddball outfit is just what fans have been yearning to see. As they come out of the shadows, audiences will want to know more about them all, and these unlikely heroes may be what is needed to save the franchise and cinemas.
Have you ever thought of starting a movie discussion group?
REEL DIALOGUE: Can mental health be a superpower?
One unexpected element within this screenplay was the inclusion of a discussion on the importance of addressing mental health issues. Yelena Belova and most of the characters are broken people who are dealing with one or more conditions. Yet, a storyline like this one does more than reboot a struggling franchise; it manages to smash open the door to this topic that is at the forefront of a generation.
Despite modern advancements and education, people still have a hard time knowing how to respond to the topic of mental illness. It is not new to society; throughout the Bible, there are references to individuals who struggle with these internal challenges. The realities portrayed in the Bible help to show that the answers can be found in the words of Jesus. God can help through the journey, and know that seeking help is better than struggling alone.
