Despite the recent wave of superhero fatigue that has been whittling audience’s attention spans, Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” offers a refreshing, thought-provoking take on the stalling genre. Marvel films have been criticized for their lack of depth in recent years, but “Thunderbolts*” aims to set Marvel on a new path. The film handles depression, loneliness and finding one’s place in the world with a candor that surprised me.
“Thunderbolts*” takes place during the aftermath of “Captain America: Brave New World,” as various groups vie for power to fill the void that the Avengers’ absence left. CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who first appeared in the television series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” heads one of these groups, but she is under scrutiny for her involvement with the secret superhuman “Sentry” project that resolved to inhumanely create a hero stronger than all of the Avengers combined. This lays the foundation for the film as they unite under the name Thunderbolts and attempt to take down de Fontaine.
The film has a dark, gritty feel that reflects its mature themes. Compared to previous Marvel films, this film employed a muted color palette, lower exposure and less saturation. This stylistic choice gave scenes a nice touch of focus and seriousness. I felt that the characters’ inner struggles were well represented through this palette, and it made me more invested in their stories.
Despite the darker feel to “Thunderbolts*,” like any Marvel film, it has its moments of comedy. These moments never feel ham-fisted or out of place, though, and they always offer a nice contrast to the film’s heavier parts. The hallmark cheesy Marvel one-liners were remarkably absent as well, and the characters’ humor feels natural. The humor never took center stage over the story or distracted from any crucial plot details. It was actually quite funny.
The ragtag team of Yelana Belova, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, Alexei Shostakov, Ava Starr and Bob Reynolds — characters from various earlier franchise films — is easily one of the strongest aspects of the film. They struggle to get along at first, but their loneliness, regrets and mistakes bring them closer and allow them to bond naturally. Through this team dynamic, we get conversations that dig deeper than any Marvel film usually dares. We get a good look at people – not heroes – who grapple with their mental health together as they learn how to cope with loss and trauma. In fact, these people are not conventional heroes, nor do they try to play the part. Rather, when something goes awry with the Sentry project they are forced into the role, and they must learn how to change themselves to fit it.
Every character has a sense of depth and doesn’t embody overused tropes. Take John Walker, a super-soldier and Captain America candidate that is part of the Thunderbolts, for instance. He puts on an exaggerated bravado, but it is merely a facade meant to hide his regrets with his ex-wife and growing pains in replacing America’s hero. He comes off as a stereotypical, douchey guy, but he saves other Thunderbolt’s lives several times and shows a more thoughtful, poignant side that contrasts starkly with his hot flashes of anger.
Yelena Belova, the main character of the film, shined like no other character in “Thunderbolts.” Florence Pugh brought a dynamic, believable performance to this role and made you consider Yelena as a person and not just a hero. She struggles with depression and lack of purpose in the world, and her scenes with her adoptive father, Alexei Shostakov, highlight this. She has a strained relationship with him because of his absence after having pretended to be her biological father in her youth. Still, she confides in him because he is all that she has left after losing Natasha. Their relationship is one of the primary pillars holding up the film’s emphasis on overcoming suffering together. Yelena is a wonderful example of a multifaceted hero because she is both highly focused and highly caring of her team members. Her relationships in the film reflect this.
These characters have such complex depth and development that other characters inevitably got the short end of the stick. Ghost, also known as Ava Starr, felt more like a plot device than an actual character in the film. Her powers include the ability to phase through objects, and she received little screen time. Compared to the other characters, she sees no significant development, which is ironic considering that she saved the team on multiple occasions. The majority of the team members at least received a backstory or crucial role in the film, but Ghost felt like… well, a ghost.
Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, suffers from a similar problem as Ghost, but to a lesser extent. He assumes a leadership role in the Thunderbolts, but his involvement with other characters and the main plot is incredibly minimal. Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan, felt more to me like eye candy than an actual character. However, the original “Captain America” movies and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” gave Bucky significant depth — so it worked to sideline him in “Thunderbolts*.”
Another weak aspect of the film was the pacing. The story takes place over the course of two days, which I found difficult to digest. It made the plot feel rushed and lacking impact. The movie would have been more moving if the drama had been stretched across weeks.
“Thunderbolts*” is a great watch, but the question arises if “Thunderbolts” is strictly a great Marvel film or a great film in general. I think the emphasis on mental health and strong messages centered around it make it stand out already as a Marvel film, but the clear and thoughtful ways that it expresses these messages elevates it beyond just that. The movie created heroes that were also compelling as humans. “Thunderbolts*” is a touching film, whether you are a Marvel fan or not. There was a spirit to this movie that made me feel an excitement for Marvel that I have not felt in years. I hope this marks the beginning of Marvel’s focus on quality, rather than quantity.
★★★★
