Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes -- Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker -- embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Director: Jake Schreier
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Lewis Pullman, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Harbour, Geraldine Viswanathan, Olga Kurylenko
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for strong violence, language, thematic elements, and some suggestive and drug references.
Runtime: 2h 6m
Review:
Marvel's Thunderbolts* proves to be a refreshing change of pace to the standard formula by focusing on the characters’ inner turmoil while still delivering the kind of superhero action you've come to expect. There's an easy flow to Jake Schreier's film even as it explores various aspects of unresolved trauma and how it affects each of the characters. There's a noticeable confidence on display behind the camera, proving more than capable of delivering impressive action set pieces and quieter emotionally centered moments. Schreier maintains a fine balance between the two, which is impressive especially considering how formulaic these films can be. There's a concerted effort on keeping the focus squarely on the characters as opposed to devolving into the usual CGI fight fest. Schreier is blessed with an excellent ensemble cast led by the ever-impressive Florence Pugh. It'd be an understatement to say that Pugh serves as the oil that drives the machine here since she brings so much depth and nuance to her performance that it just makes the entire film more effective. This iteration of her character carries so much pain that's practically disassociated with life in general with Pugh being able to communicate that with ease. She's given a wide emotional berth to work with which makes her character feel like the most three dimensional onscreen as we watch her suffer through her pain but support others through theirs. Pugh and David Harbour share some fun father daughter chemistry together which delivers some of the film's more effective moments of levity. Harbour slips back into his Red Guardian role and easily brings his outsized presence to the past, his prime superhero. The rest of the supporting cast is solid across the board even if they don't get the sort of time or depth of Pugh's Yelena. Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Sebastian Stan share fun chemistry together with the ensemble bouncing off each other easily. Stan has been playing his character longer than anyone else onscreen which gives him the opportunity to give his performance more layers that have been earned over the years. It finally allows the character to breathe a bit and have some fun onscreen as opposed to carrying a perpetual scowl. Lewis Pullman Bob's is subdued and likable when he shows up onscreen with the script adding more to his character as the film moves along. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Geraldine Viswanathan are both clearly having fun onscreen, but their characters feel underserved leaving them little to do outside of moving the plot along. There's a rather inventive final act that brings something different to screen as a climax which is a welcome change from the usual CGI beat em up, making Thunderbolts* more memorable than the recent string of forgettable Marvel entries.
B+
