Thunderbolts*. Photo:
Courtesy of Marvel Studios
As Thunderbolts* closes the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s chapter on Phase 5, critics debate whether the latest superhero flick can reboot the franchise.
Directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank, Paper Towns) and scripted by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and The Bear showrunner Joanna Calo, the film’s story and starry ensemble aim to prove heroes can have emotional depth as well as superhuman strength.
The Wrap critic William Bibbiani writes, “Thunderbolts* is the first Marvel movie in years that doesn’t feel like it was either mangled in post or, just as bad, a shameless act of self-congratulation. It’s a film about its characters, not about its universe, and it’s more concerned with the protagonists’ lives and what their actions mean than about sequel set-ups and cameos.”
Alison Willmore of Vulture writes, “Thunderbolts*, which is miraculously a pretty good movie, proves that a collection of superhero C-listers can carry the day so long as the actors playing them are good and given something to work with.”
Clarisse Loughrey, for The Independent, agrees the film is enjoyable but won’t be saving the MCU anytime soon. Likening the film’s style to Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad director James Gunn, Loughrey writes, “It may basically be Gunn’s formula, but he’s been successful with it because, fundamentally, it works. Take a crew of emotionally repressed characters and have them gradually and tenderly open up and you’ve found a shortcut to drawing in and disarming your audience.”
Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova in ‘Thunderbolts*’. courtesy of Marvel Studios
Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova/Black Widow seems to be the glue holding a rag-tag group of antiheroes and underdogs together. Critics widely agree the actress’ talent (plus a record-breaking stunt) is worth watching even if her costars’ characters leave more to be desired.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney said, “Yelena is the center of the group and Pugh the movie’s MVP in a performance that expands on the character traits that made her so captivating in Black Widow — the deadpan insouciance but, more notably, the depth of bruised feelings she attempts to hide behind her tactical skills as a trained assassin.”
As The Guardian‘s Radheyan Simonpillai puts it, “It’s already hard to take this stuff seriously in a franchise trying to earn some goodwill as it nudges our attention towards upcoming Avengers movies… But if it ultimately works, it’s all due to Pugh, who can wrestle sincerity out of a screenplay (and a franchise) that has so little, capturing a whole emotional arc in just her moments of silence. She’s a superhero performer, easily navigating the tricky balance between cheeky Marvel-brand humour and genuine pathos.”
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes in ‘Thunderbolts*’. courtesy of Marvel Studios
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However, IndieWire‘s critic David Ehrlich isn’t so sure the Thunderbolts, who are introduced as The New Avengers by the film’s end, deserve that title.
“All of these figures have appeared in the MCU before to one extent or another, but none have accrued any significant depth along the way, and they’re not much closer to creating any by the time this movie is over,” Ehrlich writes, adding “The Thunderbolts are not the Avengers. If this simple and relatively spirited return to basics is definitely a step in the right direction for the MCU, that direction is still ‘backwards.”
Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters May 2.
