Thunderbolts* – Review

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Jake Schreier

When sent by Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to kill each other, a group of troubled and powerful rogues set out to get their revenge, however tragedies in their pasts may lead to bigger battles on their journey.

Perhaps not helped by how much the trailers give away, within the first 15-20 minutes of Thunderbolts* I could tell exactly where the narrative was going to go. I may not have been able to say about one of the undisclosed third act directions but much of what comes before this feels very predictable from the initial meeting of the titular rogues’ gallery.

Trapped together after being sent by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who up until now has been sending most on illegal missions for secret projects, to kill each other the group need to band together if they’re going to escape and get their revenge. However, their nature as a dysfunctional unit, and own tragic pasts, get in the way of forming a proper team – despite the insistence of David Harbour’s Red Guardian that they could be the new super team on cereal boxes, featured as toys inside.

It takes more time to connect with some members of the team than others. While much of the early events are told through the eyes of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, having first made an impact in 2021’s Black Widow, as the unofficially named Thunderbolts come together there’s more of a group insight for the middle hour. Yet, it still feels like characters such as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who we last saw during her debut seven years ago in Ant-Man And The Wasp, and super-soldier-gone-wrong John Walker (Wyatt Russell) don’t get a great deal of development. They still feel like quite basic characters, even with what they try to give Walker in regards to his anger and personal tragedies, with the world viewing him as a fallen sign of hope and a killer.

The film itself tries to lean into ideas of mental health throughout, especially regarding how the characters largely haven’t addressed or discussed the tragedies in their lives and the traumas which affect them. However, often these moments can feel somewhat clunky and quite on-the-nose. Even the third act where these points are admirably dealt with, even if taking a slight step away from the rest of the film, and to some other extent the wider MCU, feels slightly pushed, although not heavy handed. Perhaps this comes from the focus on one or two of the key characters who seem to have been more embraced by fans over the last couple of years; and the addition of Lewis Pullman’s Bob, accidentally placed into the vault at the start of the film when believed to be dead after being a medical subject for Valentina’s organisation, while others feel more present simply to make up the Thunderbolts and actually have a team, and with the writers to some extent perhaps unsure as to where to take them (Ghost, for the most part, despite John-Kamen’s efforts).

The presence of Sebastian Stan as now-Congressman Bucky Barnes feels placed to bring a more familiar face into the proceedings. While he ties in to an impeachment trial being faced by Valentina – led by the always welcome presence of Wendell Pierce – his eventual usage is less as a leader for the ensemble and more the reminder of what they can become, a further callback to past films and hopeful connection with this one. Stan, of course, puts in a good turn and there are some interesting developments eventually for him, and some of the more prominent team members, but they appear to come more to the fore very late in the day – it could be argued to some degree not until the end-credits scene, setting up some interesting dramatic elements that will hopefully arise in the future.

As the road trip to Valentina takes place there are some likable chuckles here and there, most of which are brought about by Harbour’s character most passionately believing in the non-existent team. They help to lift up some of the more uncertain or predictable moments, especially in the first half. Thunderbolts* appears to have started as something of a lighter MCU entry, maybe not quite an Ant-Man-style palate cleanse but perhaps a Guardians-esque romp, but overtime became something more serious as it got more into its dramatic themes.

While those themes don’t always have as in-depth a nature or discussion as could perhaps benefit the film they still make for some admirable details in the third act, especially when straying away from developments which can be seen from very early on. There’s a good film within Thunderbolts*, but one that struggles with some of its team members lacking detail in a narrative that needs an emotional connection or understanding with them to have a greater effect, and more enjoyment.

Thunderbolts* struggles to bring new depth or detail to some of its lesser-known or loved characters, meaning that there’s not a full connection with the team stopping the effect of the sometimes clunky and on-the-nose themes of mental health in an occasionally amusing, but predictable plot.