Thunderbolts movie review: A bunch of misfits nearly take you back to Marvel's glory days, but stop short of greatness

Thunderbolts movie review
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko
Director: Jake Schreier
Star rating: ★★★

There are times while watching Marvel's newest offering, Thunderbolts, that you are transported back to the good ol' days - about 8-9 years ago when Marvel Cinematic Universe was churning out hits year after year, when their films balanced action and humour perfectly, and when storytelling had humanity apart from the VFX extravaganza. Thunderbolts has all that. It even has a beating heart, and touches some sensitive issues. Yet, it is far from the bar that Captain America: Civil War had set for superhero team-up films. It engages, entertains, and even touches, but almost always barely on a surface level. (Also read: Thunderbolts first reactions call film 'one of the best Marvel movies in years', leak praises 'amazing' action scenes)

About Thunderbolts

In Marvel Comics, the Thunderbolts are a team of anti-heroes and villains united by General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross. In the film, they are brought together by Valentine Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the new CIA Director and MCU's new Nick Fury. But they quickly realise that Val may have set them up to fail. And deep in a secret vault, as they encounter the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman), our super anti-heroes realise they are in the deep end of the pool with no lifeguards around. Now, Yelena (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Alexei (David Harbour) must learn to work together, and also hope that Bucky (now Congressman Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan) hasn't lost his mojo and can help them).

Thunderbolts follows a Suicide Squad-meets-The Winter Soldier template, but does it in a rather simple and straightforward manner. The tropes are there: the misfits and outcasts who must work together, the anti-heroes who do not have faith in themselves, and a 'villain' who is just trapped in a bad place. But none of these tropes feel jaded or done-to-death. There is a freshness about Thunderbolts that Marvel has been missing of late. In that regard, Thunderbolts does look very different from anything the MCU has dished out post-Endgame.

How Thunderbolts reminds you of the best of Marvel

What works is the setting, the feel, and the immaculate balance of humour and action that was the hallmark of Marvel for years. The wisecracking one-liners land, the situational humour is good, and you don't mind the great Red Guardian being reduced to comic relief, simply because David Harbour does it with all his heart and makes him an endearing character. Once again, the action and VFX are top-notch. Sentry and his all-conquering powers are introduced with an impressive sequence that feels real. The recent complaint of Marvel rushing things with their CGI is not present here.

But Thunderbolts feels like Marvel of old because of the human touch here. Director Jake Schreier touches upon our heroes' insecurities and inner demons, sometimes using more than just metaphor to bring them out. Just like Iron Man 3 had dealt with PTSD and Endgame focused on survivor's guilt, Thunderbolts dwells upon the impostor syndrome and feeling of inadequacy. The screenplay beautifully highlights how giving power to an unstable person can create a monster, an extension of what we have seen with Abomination and Red Hulk. Except here, the villain is as much the victim as his real victims. Perhaps, the film takes a jibe at the military industrial complex with this line, but whether that was intentional or not is unclear.

The performances are good, too, which is another thing Marvel had been missing for a few years (since Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch act). Florence Pugh shows off her acting chops in a role that demands more of her than just being an action hero. She is vulnerable, hurt, and traumatised, and brings it all. The other winner is Lewis Pullman, who brings Bob's confusion and helplessness to the fore just as easily as he brings Sentry's confidence. David Harbour and Julia Louis Dreyfuss continue Marvel's tradition of making 'funny' characters human with some sharp performances. Sebastian Stan sleepwalks through another Bucky film effortlessly, and Wyatt Russell shines too.

Where Thunderbolts falls short

International reviews have called Thunderbolts the 'greatest Marvel film in years'. And while that is true, partially, it is largely because the bar has fallen so low that one can walk over it today without even having to tiptoe. Being the best among trash is not a compliment I'd want to give this film. And Thunderbolts falters too. It tries to give the viewers a sense of nostalgia by taking familiar Marvel set-pieces and tropes and luring them into that sense of familiarity. However, it does it rather inelegantly. Scenes that are callbacks to previous films are quite in-your-face.

But Thunderbolts' biggest failing is that it just is not good enough to be the great saviour that Marvel has been waiting for. The franchise has been in a downward spiral for four years now. Spider-Man: No Way Home was the last truly great Marvel film. Since then, the lack of good watches on the big screens has created a sense of fatigue and exhaustion among the audiences. Ten years ago, keeping up with Marvel was essential for any pop culture enthusiast. Today, it is an ignorable task. Thunderbolts just does not have enough in its arsenal to bring viewers out of that fatigue. It is a victim of MCU's ambitions, where one now mandatorily needs to watch three films and five series to get one line of joke in the next film. As a standalone film, Thunderbolts is just good, but it cannot breathe life back into the MCU. I fear we may be past that point by now.