The MCU has finally delivered a movie that doesn’t suck, but is that good enough?
Yes, the review embargo has lifted, and “Thunderbolts” sits at 69 on Metacritic and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. I blame critics for setting the bar way too low when it comes to this one. They expected another Marvel catastrophe, and instead got some form of competence.
I was semi-underwhelmed by “Thunderbolts,” and felt like the film tried way too hard to be hip and edgy. But, hey, at least it — painstakingly — attempts to break the mold. The problem is that even if a Marvel movie tries to deviate away from the usual formula, it always has to go back to Kevin Feige’s demands. His presence looms over every MCU instalment. There’s a clear blueprint in how a beginning, middle and end should look like in a Marvel entry. This one is no exception. There’s a lot of familiar narrative clutter.
In between the mental health subplots — you did not read that wrong — and its slick mise-en-scène, you still get reluctant or cocky heroes who undergo personal growth, villains with personal vendettas, quippy one-liners during intense battles, two post-credit scenes teasing future films, last-minute heroic saves, and a predictable formula of blending action with humor and emotional beats.
“Thunderbolts” has been billed as a sardonic Marvel entry that trades A-list heroes for a ragtag group of misfit antiheroes. There’s Yelena Belova, John Walker, Ghost, Taskmaster, and others—thrown together by bureaucrat Valentina Allegra de Fontaine for a covert mission that quickly goes off the rails.
Pugh’s daring stunt—leaping from Malaysia’s Merdeka 118 tower — is actually highly impressive to experience on IMAX, and the clear highlight of the film. Director Jake Schreier deserves major kudos for making that moment feel as authentic it is. At that moment, you forget about the cosmic claptrap of past Marvel movies, and get transported in a real-world setting with skilled actors moving through detailed, physical environments. If only the rest of film had more of that feeling.
It should be noted that Florence Pugh steals the show. Her comic timing is phenomenal, and she mixes that in with deeply felt emotion for her character. If anyone comes out a winner in this one, it’s her. Whereas, David Harbour, my gosh, what a loud, and obnoxious performance he delivers here.
So, yes, ”Thunderbolts” is probably the best MCU movie since 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” which quite significantly signaled the end of an era, but that shouldn’t come as much of a compliment, especially since for these last six years we’ve had to endure the likes of “Black Widow,” “Doctor Strange 2,” “Thor: Love & Thunder,” “The Marvels,” “Eternals,” and ‘Ant-Man 2.’