Review - Thunderbolts* (2025)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* has finally arrived in theaters. Directed by Jake Schrier, the movie stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, Olga Kurylenko, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. 

        The movie sets up that an Avengers level threat has surfaced, but with one problem: no Avengers. To combat the threat, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine assembles the following antiheroes: Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Ava Starr/Ghost, John Walker/U.S. Agent, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster. Can this group of misfits form a proper team and save the world? 

         Okay, so this movie does take a little bit to get going. But, once in genuinely gets going, it's a really fun ride to the finish. Now, I do have to admit that there are moments of Marvel humor that do pop in here and there, and this creates a bit of a tonal imbalance. But, the tone does keep itself fairly consistent. And, aside from a few offhand callbacks to prior MCU titles like Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the movie predominantly keeps to its own story, and is really entertaining in that respect. 

       The performances, for the most part, are fantastic. Both Florence Pugh as Yelena and Lewis Pullman as Bob Carry the emotional core of the movie, as two characters each dealing with some form of internal trauma that they both struggle to come to terms with. Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Wyatt Russell as Walker, and Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost all really work well as more veteran badasses, and David Harbour as Red Guardian is a decent source of comedic relief throughout the movie. However, it was Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina that was easily the least enjoyable character in the movie. As for Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster? She's not in the movie very long, so...

      Now, obviously, when it comes to our protagonists in this movie, there's going to be comparisons to the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad due to this being an unconventional team of misfits. But, I think a more appropriate comparison of this team would be to the superteam in the '90s superhero comedy Mystery Men, as this team consists of Marvel heroes that are seen as either second-string or wannabes. 

        One thing that pretty much EVERYONE has praised about this movie is in its handling of trauma and mental health. And, I definitely agree with those sentiments. I think that this movie handles the issues of dealing with and confronting personal trauma was very well handled, and it illustrates the struggles those who have to live with trauma go through in a way that's very effective and visceral. And, as mentioned before this is why Yelena and Bob are the emotional core of the movie, as it's the trauma that both of them have struggled with that ultimately is what drives their respective character arcs. 

         So, a few questions to answer. First, is Thunderbolts* worth seeing? Yes, absolutely. I highly recommend seeing this movie, and I absolutely see it as a really good start to the Summer Movie Season. Second, is this a return to form for the MCU? Eh, it's still too soon to call. I mean, when we had something come out like a Spider-Man: No Way Home or a Deadpool & Wolverine that wowed audiences and seemed to bring the fandom back, there was always something afterwards that drove things back to square one. But, I will say that Thunderbolts* is a good first step, one of many, back in the right direction. Third, what's up with the asterisk in the title? Well, by the end of the movie, it's going to make sense. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off. If you're heading to the movies this weekend, definitely check out Thunderbolts*. And, I will see you guys in the next review.