MARVEL fans have been waiting with mixed feelings for Thunderbolts*, the 36th entry in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which closes out Phase Five.
After years of superhero fatigue, scepticism over yet another team-up movie and lingering doubts from some underwhelming recent entries, many were not sure what to expect. But here is the surprise: Thunderbolts* turns out to be a solid, entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful film, not perfect, but a step in the right direction for a studio that has been under heavy scrutiny.
This latest Marvel outing brings together a group of antiheroes: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell), all wrangled under the watchful, manipulative eye of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
What follows is a chaotic, action-packed mission forcing these characters, all broken, disillusioned, or jaded, to face their past demons. But the real magic of Thunderbolts* is not just in the fights or explosions (though there are plenty) but in how it tackles the messy, often uncomfortable emotional baggage these characters carry.
