The higher one climbs, the farther they fall.
Sadly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) knows this tale all too well. For just over a decade, the MCU produced hit after hit: “Iron Man,” “Avengers,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Spiderman: Homecoming,” “Infinity War” and “Endgame” — just to name a few, but heading into its fourth phase, the strong stories stretched few and far between.
Luckily, the MCU’s May 3 release, “The Thunderbolts*” returns to superhero movies done right. With the help of “Agatha All Along” and “Deadpool and Wolverine,” this movie will lead the MCU back to its former glory through its scrappy team of rejects and larger, impactful themes.
Similar to the first “Avengers,” characters previously introduced to the audience end up in the wrong place at the right time. None are quite heroes — in fact, most of them have been the opposite. Though they’re hesitant, the characters form an alliance against Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus) from “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” who tries to have them killed at every turn.
The film captivated me from the beginning with its creative cinematography. The Marvel logo was reimagined and grew darker in color, bringing the audience into the story before a single character appeared on screen. “The Thunderbolts*” is a masterpiece of meaningful shots and impactful parallels that pushes the narrative forward, whether it is the introduction of Sentry (Lewis Pullman) or the final battle.
What really steals the show is the acting. Florence Pugh brings Yelena to life with the perfect blend of dry wit and deeper emotions. Playing the roles of Bucky Barnes and John Walker, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell have hilarious banter that keep viewers laughing. In his breakout role in the MCU, it was Pullman as Bob Reynolds who made me fall in love with the movie; playing both hero and villain, he was charming, lovable and downright frightening.
My only qualm is the untraditional storytelling used to wrap up loose ends. While I love creative credits and never leave the theater before the end-credit scene, the movie ended in an interesting place that left me with a dozen questions. Only most of these questions get resolved by the credits and later scenes, but I appreciate the creativity used to hold onto the viewers’ attention.
Not only is “The Thunderbolts*” a return to everything I love about the MCU, but it left me on the edge of my seat, eager for the next movie this ragtag team of almost-heroes will appear in. Until then, I’ll rewatch this movie a dozen times, as it’s already landed on my “favorites” list.
