The “Thunderbolts*” have arrived, and all eyes are on Marvel.
Following the divisive “Captain America: Brave New World,” Marvel has been hard-pressed to rectify its post-Endgame mess and set the stage for the Robert Downey Jr.-led “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“Thunderbolts*,” being the final film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Phase 5, is given the monumental task of building up excitement for the MCU’s upcoming titles. Unfortunately, though it successfully secures a connection with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”—as a team-up movie, it is glaringly lackluster. Though it nails the casting, the acting, all bundled up in an intriguing premise, it ultimately could not save a lacking script.
READ: New ‘Captain America’ film suffers from pent-up MCU frustration
No Avengers to save the day
Starring Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen, “Thunderbolts*” sees previous one off adversaries/anti-heroes team up and save the day in a world without a proper Avengers team.
Unlike previous movies that have done similarly, from the first “Avengers” to DC’s “The Suicide Squad,” the MCU’s latest doesn’t bring together our band of misfits through a dossier or recruitment. Instead, by placing them in a situation where they have no choice but to cooperate and band together, our lone wolves learn to play nice.
Though, don’t mistake them for typical, altruistic good guys. As Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) says, “There are bad guys, and there are worse guys.”
The clue is in the term: team-up
As a group, “Thunderbolts*” does well to highlight the dynamic between each of its members. Yelena Belova the heart of the team, Bucky Barnes the leader, John Walker the asshole, Ghost the loose cannon, and Red Guardian the doting father—the film clearly outlines each character’s personalities and niches, but without boxing them into comic caricatures. Each of their interactions is also refreshing and highlights not only the casting but their acting chops as well.
Unfortunately, beneath the light-hearted banter and fleeting conversations, “Thunderbolts*” falls short as a team-up movie. The secret to any of its kind, like in every “Avengers” movie, is to give your cast opportunities to collaborate in key moments, and to allow their characters an emotional arc, no matter how grand or brief it is.
“Thunderbolts*” which not only lacks in proper combat, particularly towards the end of the film, only allots room for character development in Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Even Bucky Barnes, an MCU veteran fans were excited to see lead his own team, almost seemed out of place and did not have a real stake in the story.
Even compared to the typically overlooked “Avengers: Age of Ultron”—from creative team fights without their gears or suits to the Hulk, Hawkeye, and Iron Man each having significant character moments—none of that was present in “Thunderbolts*.” The film would like us to believe that we’ve found a new team when it never felt that way in its two-hour runtime.
That’s it?
The film’s lack of character coordination and collaboration would continue to hurt the movie, even more so in its climax. Though it wouldn’t exactly count as a spoiler since it has alluded to it in more ways than one in the trailers, “Thunderbolts*” only reaches its inevitable end through a “power of friendship” approach. And while it can work in certain situations, it does not for “Thunderbolts*” and makes the ending victory feel almost empty, unsatisfying, and undeserved.
Everything said, as the credits rolled and the theater roared into applause, I could not help but feel a lingering ‘void.’ Excusing the pun—did I expect too much from it? Was I mistaken to believe that “Thunderbolts*” could signal a shift in the MCU’s tone and approach?
Partially, outlandish expectations for the MCU in recent years have ruined the viewing experience for many. But in the case of “Thunderbolts*,” when the markers of a successful team-up film are so clearly outlined by its predecessors, it’s clear why it falls flat despite the pinpoint casting, the stellar acting, and the hook-worthy premise.
