THUNDERBOLTS* (2025)

THUNDERBOLTS* (2025)

Tagline: Not super. Not heroes. Not giving up.

(Superhero, Drama, You're Floating) [PG-13]

I don't think so, junior varsity Captain America.

In this one, Yelena Belova is just kind of drifting through life, doing one dangerous job after another, working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. After a series of events, she runs into another group of individuals also doing the same type of work. It doesn't take long before they realize they are in a trap. Not only that, but a new sinister force is threatening the future of all mankind, forcing them into facing the deepest personal nightmares of their past. 

Okay, everybody, settle down. Yes, THUNDERBOLTS* is a really solid entry in the MCU, largely because it's off the beaten path when it comes to everything else we have seen so far. The structure, the emotional toll, the dark humor, the humor-humor, and the extremely unique antagonist (at least as far as the MCU goes). It's shot well, the script is tight, I mean this thing is firing on all cylinders, but it is NOT the best MCU entry since AVENGERS: END GAME. AVENGERS: END GAME wasn't even that great. In fact, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, and a few other movies were better than THUNDERBOLTS,* but that doesn't mean it's not triumphant. It's just a bit overhyped, and if you walk into it expecting 126 minutes of shooting and punching, you are going to miss an incredible story and a branching out regarding what an MCU movie can be. 

I won't get too much into spoilers, but there isn't much in this flick that goes the way I was expecting it to. The cast is really solid, but Florence Pugh does most of the heavy lifting as Yelena. We also get Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes which is awesome. Sebastian, one of the MCU's most tenured actors, made his first appearance 14 years ago. David Harbour returns as the Red Guardian, and Hannah John-Kamen returns as Ghost. We also get Wyatt Russell as John Walker. He does a great job in the role, but to be honest, I never watched "The Falcon And The Winter Soldier", so I don't hate him as much as everyone else seems to. It was also nice seeing Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this. I really haven't seen much of her since "Seinfeld". 

A lot of what went well for this film was what it didn't have. None of the cast felt forced or like they had some sort of diversity quota to meet. None of the script felt like it had some sort of agenda, trying to force-feed me globalist garbage. It was just straightforward fun, but deep writing that had direction and excellent pacing. Oddly enough, it actually reminded me of the paradigm-free films that founded the MCU, only with some really cool ideas we really hadn't seen in the MCU before. 

I would describe these characters as a dysfunction that is held together by focusing on the core ideas of redemption and determination. People might not catch it, but there are also several Biblical ideas in this thing, even though faith is never mentioned. I can't really gauge how this thing will age over time for me, but right now, I would consider the re-watchability high. 

THUNDERBOLTS* gets a 6 out of 7. It would have been a 7 if I cared about more of the characters than just 2. My thoughts on this might change over time if these characters keep showing up in future films. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF MARVEL STUDIOS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

Please check out the link below by clicking on the picture. Because no one should die buttonless.