“Thunderbolts*” Review: Marvel’s B-Team Gets an A for Effort
Fans of the Marvel comic “Thunderbolts” may have had mixed feelings about this new feature film. I know I sure have. The original series was about a team of superheroes who were secretly villains in disguise, who planned to use their celebrity and misplaced public trust to take over the world. It’s one of the cleverest ideas Marvel ever had for a series, and it would have made a pretty cool movie. So it’s odd that the Marvel Cinematic Universe took the title but abandoned the premise.
Then again, there was more to “Thunderbolts” than that one high concept. Eventually it went grimdark, with a team of despicable supervillains forced to play nice for their freedom, à la “Suicide Squad.” But in the middle there, Fabian Nicieza converted the series into a freewheeling, excitingly plotted team book about ex-villains struggling to do the right thing. That’s the version of “Thunderbolts” Marvel embraces with their new film.
And although it’s hard to shake the sense that on a practical level this studio is just scraping the bottom of the barrel, desperately hoping their minor characters can be converted into headliners, they’ve done a damn good job of it. “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. It’s shot and edited as if there was a plan all along, a plan that actually came together, which is rare for the MCU these days.
“Thunderbolts*” may be the umpteenth film in an increasingly unremarkable studio franchise, but it’s not a studio hack job. It’s a tragedy that Marvel has lowered our standards so low.
The Story Behind the Characters
The sad truth is that two of the Thunderbolts get the short shrift, character-wise, and that’s a bummer. However, this is par for the course in an ensemble team movie. The film still manages to make you care about its characters, thanks to outstanding performances from its cast.
Petra Lett (the star of Paper Towns) plays Kate Pinkerton, a troubled heroine who has seen some dark days and nights. She is the anchor that holds this film together with her vulnerability, sadness, and resilience. The chemistry between her and the rest of the characters brings everything together.
Rafael Bob-Waksberg (the creator of BoJack Horseman) plays Derek King, another troubled character in the film. He plays a role that is both darkly comedic and tragic, as he grapples with his own personal demons.
Mental Health, Humor, and Emotion
“Thunderbolts*” makes a movie about mental health, in which these heroes are held back by their shame, loneliness and insecurity. By the end of the story they team up not to save the world — although they might do that, too — but to save themselves from debilitating misery.
The film has the quippy humor we’ve come to expect from Marvel movies, and it’s actually pretty funny for once. But unlike most Marvel movies, it’s not afraid to have feelings. The sad moments in “Thunderbolts*” aren’t undercut by jokes and aren’t tossed aside to get to the action.
The Art of Storytelling
One thing that does hold this film back is its color palette – a grey, muted one that undermines some of the otherwise crafty camerawork and intriguing visual choices. This makes it look at a glance more like a straight-to-video Jean-Claude Van Damme movie from the 2000s than a big budget blockbuster.
These aren’t catastrophic complaints, but they do detract slightly from the overall experience. (If you think nits don’t matter, you should try being covered in nits.)
The Conclusion
Ultimately, “Thunderbolts*” fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper, but not as a flagship enterprise. For once, these Marvel movies feel genuinely working class: the headliners have skedaddled, leaving has-beens and day-players the chance to take center stage, in this movie and also in real life.
The thought of watching forgotten characters from forgotten movies work through their issues may not dazzle you, but Pugh is, as usual, perfection. Louis-Dreyfus is an excellent villain. Pullman is doing complex work.