THUNDERBOLTS* Review: A Welcome Change of Pace from the Usual Marvel Fare

THUNDERBOLTS* Review: A Welcome Change of Pace from the Usual Marvel Fare

Thunderbolts*' focus on characterization and practical effects makes it a welcome change of pace from the usual MCU fare. Imagine an A24 movie with a bigger budget.

Review Opinion
By vectorsigma - May 02, 2025 03:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts* is a refreshing addition to the superhero genre, though it doesn't break any new ground. Think of it as a blend of Guardians of the Galaxy with indie sensibilities. Very minor spoilers ahead.

It's a film that doesn't concern itself with world-ending or multiversal threats, which is a welcome change. Instead, it focuses on a smaller, more personal scale, delving into themes of depression, regret, and loneliness. While these themes are compelling, the script sometimes feels like a therapy session, explicitly stating the characters' emotional struggles. But sometimes, saving someone is as important as saving the world. Imagine an A24 movie with a bigger budget.

The action is well done, not relying much on CGI. But the portrayal of the Void might leave some comic book fans wanting more. I am not too familiar on the comic book counterpart of it but I didn't feel the danger at all when it was revealed later on what it is all about. Maybe I am nitpicky here but it was also shown in the trailers how people are just passing by them all bloodied and emotional in the street. For a movie that shows "how are you" is a superpower, no one from the crowd did that and seem unbothered.

As for the cast, it is fantastic, with Florence Pugh being an excellent choice to lead the ensemble. Her performance brings a lot of depth and charisma to the film. Everyone has their own time to shine (poor Taskmaster though) and given ample characterization for us to understand and relate with what they are going through. Their rapport and energy is reminiscent of the GOTG cast which is great. Harbour brings in the humor as the super soldier wishing for the glory days of his past. Louis-Dreyfus as Val is that annoying pest that you want crushed but always gets out of tight situations.

The score by Son Lux is a standout feature. If you remember, Son Lux also did the music for Everything Everywhere All at Once, and their work here is equally impressive. The music adds a unique layer to the film, enhancing the action and emotional depth of the story. 

I am not sure though if the Doomsday cast announcement is a good idea, which unfortunately spoils the characters' fates. The post-credits scene, as many already know, also gives away too much on another team's fates. These elements detract from the overall experience by removing some of the suspense and surprise. I don't know, this film has enough merit but the announcement don't seem to echo trust, but that's just me. Much has been discussed about what the asterisk means as well and it might be divisive. Time will tell how the audience will react to it.

Despite these flaws, I enjoyed Thunderbolts. The film does a great job of introducing and developing its characters, allowing the audience to get to know them well in just one movie. This character development is crucial, especially considering what might happen in Avengers Doomsday. We need such characters as it has been on low supply since Phase 4 started.

Overall, Thunderbolts is a solid film that offers a more intimate and emotionally driven superhero story. While it has its shortcomings, it succeeds in creating a unique and engaging experience. It is a suprise that this ended up as the kind of movie that it is, but it is a welcome change of pace from the usual Marvel fare. The studio were able to resolve a conflict with a dance off. This one with a group hug.

THUNDERBOLTS*: First Official Concept Art Of Lewis Pullman's Sentry Revealed
Related:

THUNDERBOLTS*: First Official Concept Art Of Lewis Pullman's Sentry Revealed

Is THUNDERBOLTS* A Flop? Why *THE NEW AVENGERS Is Exactly The Movie Marvel Studios Needed Right Now
Recommended For You:

Is THUNDERBOLTS* A Flop? Why *THE NEW AVENGERS Is Exactly The Movie Marvel Studios Needed Right Now

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 7:57 AM
@NateBest

Thanks.
Latverian
Latverian - 5/1/2025, 9:25 AM
User Comment Image
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 9:51 AM
@Latverian - i can appreciate great effort from Marvel which this obviously has. Hope F4 continues the momentum
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 5/1/2025, 10:20 AM
Fair 🧐


Shall I stop hating on Superman? 🤔

User Comment Image

🤣😌😭
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 10:31 AM
@JurassicClunge - lolz, you are a dc hater without any assessments 😂
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 5/1/2025, 10:35 AM
@vectorsigma - you haven't been around as Doom up above and I sir!

If you had you'd know I'm not DC hater 🤣 I'm just not a big fan of James Gunn 👀
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 12:42 PM
@JurassicClunge - Superman will change that!
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 5/1/2025, 1:22 PM
@vectorsigma - we shall see sir!😮‍💨
Latverian
Latverian - 5/1/2025, 10:33 PM
@vectorsigma -

Can confirm what @JurassicClunge just said.

It's never DC as a publisher that we can't stand. It's not even Warner as a studio. It's certain individuals that tend to operate in charge of either.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 11:13 PM
@Latverian - i understand, and @JurassicClunge and I are just teasing each other always here so no problem.

I understand the issues with Snyder. For Gunn I am all support so let's see how it fares in July.
cubrn
cubrn - 5/1/2025, 4:46 PM
Does this movie give a deeper appreciation for Black Widow or FatWS?
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/1/2025, 10:38 PM
@cubrn - i dont think so. Aside from the characters and certain events being used/referenced there was no in depth look-back at those
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 5/2/2025, 8:37 AM
@cubrn - It only reminds us how Bucky would have been a way better choice for Cap and that Black Widow was very forgettable.
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 5/2/2025, 3:19 AM
Congratulations vector you made it to main! 🥹
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/2/2025, 9:03 AM
@JurassicClunge - it was a long and hard journey, lolz 😂
DemonTweeks
DemonTweeks - 5/2/2025, 3:30 AM
Bob's "Im Fine" when Yelena asks if hes ok touched a nerve with me. thats most mens go to response when they are anything but fine. thought the way the movie handled the many elements of the depression side of the charachters was very well handled, even down to the subtle 1 liners like "im fine" .
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/2/2025, 9:09 AM
@DemonTweeks - i agree. This movie is well thought out and wasnt incoherent as the other recent Marvel films due to rewrites/reshoots. A good lesson on not interfering with the writers too much.

It is a therapy session in itself.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/2/2025, 3:40 AM
Congrats on making the Major Leagues my man
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 5/2/2025, 9:05 AM
@SauronthePower - thank you!
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/2/2025, 3:47 AM
I appear to be in the minority here in that I really wasn’t blown away by this thing

Pugh and Pullmam are excellent in their roles (w a string shout to Russell as Walker) but the movie just seemed like one big ‘Eh’ to me

They absolutely did Taskmaster dirty (which should have instantly rendered Ghost irredeemable), experienced some of the same banal plot contrivances as more recent Disney releases (poorer quality of young writers?), casually introduced and whitewashed away a major casualty event that should have been world bending (think Guardians 2 Ego overrunning Missouri on steroids), and went to the well WAAAY too many times with Red Guardians socially aloof schtick

Great as far as skewing unexpected on the subject matter and tone but really lacking in terms of power physics and kind of banal level audience buy-in towards greater saga arc

Liked it for what it was but most definitely did not love it
Rpendo
Rpendo - 5/2/2025, 7:10 AM
@SauronthePower - Somebody’s word of the day calendar landed on the word “banal,” today, evidently.

What was the major casualty event, exactly? Was it the one where no one died and everyone came back ten minutes later? I mean, yeah, I am curious what happens when everyone in Manhattan suddenly gets pulled into their own personal hell for a few minutes, and what the fallout from that would be, but Ican leave that part to my imagination.

Banal!
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 5/2/2025, 8:33 AM
@SauronthePower - My guess is that you didn't relate to the core of the story, which means that you had an easy life until now.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/2/2025, 1:07 PM
@Usernametaken - hardly

The depression angle was handled well enough (finesse as opposed to The Joker hammer)

Also that ancient Chinese proverb concerning opening one’s mouth and removing all doubt probably applies here to your assumptions
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/2/2025, 1:11 PM
@Rpendo - yet the commonality of it IS in fact world-bending. Also, the immediate memory loss angle was not handled with consistency as certain people had better self-acuity than others

While I am certainly glad that Feige shied away from the 937th mirror boss final fight, THIS got Eternals/Guardians 2 level consequential, which was a bad choice

Also, for your edification, my innate vocabulary dwarfs your insignificance to society but Thanks for playing
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 5/2/2025, 8:39 AM
It's a great movie, one of the best MCU movies period.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/2/2025, 6:53 PM
I thought it was a pretty good movie, but not the game changing, Endgame-level film that some are painting it as. I actually felt like it was about on par with Cap: Brand New World (which I guess means I liked BNW more than some people and Thunderbolts less than others). While Thunderbolts overall is a stronger film, has a more expansive set of core characters to enjoy, and has some pretty sweet fight scenes, I felt that BNW at times packed a much bigger punch. For example, the Cap & Falcon scenes against the fighter jets in front of Eternal island, or the entire Red Hulk sequence; I don't quite think Thunderbolts had something on that level of exhilaration, even if the Void and Sentry were really cool and neat. The exploration of depression and darkness was great though. I just felt like the movie lacked some heavy hitting punches.

The cast was great. Florence obviously shined, Pulman was great as Bob, Harbour was so good as Red Guardian. Always love Bucky (though surprised his journey of being a congressman was so short and unexplored). And I really enjoyed this second go around with U.S. Agent and Ghost (Ghost this time around was superior to her first showing). Would have liked to have spent more time with Taskmaster, just a baffling decision to kill her off. And the action was good and well done too.

I'll need a second viewing to really figure out where this ranks and my final thoughts on it (also need to rewatch BNW), but I think that this is probably the best movie of Phase 5, and a good way to round it out. But is it the best movie since Endgame? no. Best since No Way Home? No. Best since Wakanda Forever? Yeah, I think so.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/2/2025, 8:34 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - maybe I was overtired, but I was definitely underwhelmed

Enjoyed it to a degree but also felt that it was a bit amateur-hour on some of the plot contrivances and story movement

Agree 1000% that Pugh and Pullman absolutely shined in both their dynamic and their personality projection. Even Russell ran well with what he was given. Problem to me was that JLD and Harbour REALLY started to get annoying at a certain point. Marvel went to the well about seven too many times with both their characters

Also, two MAJOR gripes I had were: 1) the way they offed Taskmaster would've/should've easily rendered Ghost more unredeemable than Kylo Ren AND 2) the whole Valentina redirect from doe-in-headlights to staged presser via that little curtain was utter and complete horse excrement. Besides the sheer inanity of it, the whole hero redemption arc would have seen the team reject the Val’s ‘New Avengers’ credibility ’candy’ in favor of the morally superior taking her down angle

I liked the movie to a point but, to me, it felt like just another mid-tier saga-pusher movie as opposed to the rampant love seemingly flowing like honey from a lot of others

Without Pullman and Pugh, it’s a bottom 7-10 for me
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/2/2025, 9:41 PM
@SauronthePower - I totally agree about JLD. I saw it with my family and we all agreed that she was the worst character. I liked Harbour though. There is something about his Red Guardian that I just really enjoy. For me he helped balance the depression elements.

Also totally agree about your two major gripes. For me it was more so that they offed Taskmaster in the first place (I quite liked Ghost in this, but yeah, they kind of wiped under the rug any impact of Taskmaster being killed). And while I thought the curtain pull of the 180-presser was pretty well played and unexpected, I overall didn't like how try hard she was. She was much better in her prior appearances.

This was my most anticipated MCU film of the year, and while I did really enjoy it, I too felt a bit underwhelmed. To the point that I might actually like Brave New World more, I'm not sure. I think this movie for me at least has high rewatchability, and I'll enjoy a lot of the moments again and again, but it did lack the punch I was expecting. I guess maybe First Steps will be my dark horse, since that was the one I was looking forward to the least this year based on first trailers.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder