MOVIE REVIEW: THUNDERBOLTS*

 

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+

MOVIE REVIEW: NIGHT SWIN

 

Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.

Director: Bryce McGuire

Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan, Jodi Long

Release Date: January 5, 2024

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 38m

Night Swim has a fun concept paired with strong performances, particularly Kerry Condon, but the execution is little more than a bland, uninspired Amityville Horror knock off with a sprinkle of Cocoon for some reason.   Bryce McGuire's big screen debut, based on his short film, is initially intriguing as we are introduced to the general concept and central family.  A series of well staged jump scares provide the sort of scares you'd expect from a film of this ilk.  The issues start popping up fairly quickly there after as the script struggles to stretch the concept out for a full length feature.  The reveals are fairly uninspired, mostly consisting of well worn horror tropes that we've seen countless times before.  With few twist and turns there are telegraphed so loudly that you'd be hard pressed not to see them coming from a mile away.  Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon play it deadly serious throughout which works better in the first half of the film before things get progressively more ridiculous as the family battles the evil pool.  Condon brings a level of commitment to the role which speaks to the level of talent she brings to the production even as she confidentially utters some unintentionally funny lines in the film's final act.  Russell is a solid screen partner early on but once he's overtaken by the evil his performance makes Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance look like a study in subtly.  Amélie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren play the pair's children with both bringing an authentic air of sibling chemistry together which the film would have been wise to use to greater effect especially since there are slivers of interesting character traits for each.  As is, Night Swim will fall into the massive wasteland of utterly forgettable horror films dumped into January.

D+

MOVIE REVIEW: OVERLORD

On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers drop behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. As the soldiers approach their target, they soon begin to realize that there's more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. Making their way to an underground lab, the outnumbered men stumble upon a sinister experiment that forces them into a vicious battle against an army of the undead.

Director: Julius Avery

Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Gianny Taufer, Pilou Asbæk, Bokeem Woodbine.

Release Date: November 9, 2018

Genres: Action, Horror, Mystery

Rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, language, and brief sexual content

Runtime: 1h 49 min

Review:

Overlord is a schlocky B movie that hits all the right notes.  Julius Avery directs the film with a steady hand.  The film opens with an amazing aerial sequence that will make some people think of the opening sequences in Saving Private Ryan.  As the film settles in, you get the feeling you are watching a well made World War 2 film as the film introduces us to classic war movie types.  These types could typically come off as clichéd but the performances from the cast makes them all interesting and engaging.  Avery and his cast establish an excellent sense of atmosphere and the feeling that something is just a tad bit off.  Once the film takes its right turn, which has been highlighted in the trailers, it turns into a full tilt horror film and does it quite well.  It calls to memory the reaction people had to From Dusk till Dawn, some people will go with it others will be turned off by where the film ends up.  Those that stick with it will find plenty to enjoy because as a horror film it’s an effective gory ride.  

B+