There has been so much online anticipation for this final instalment of Phase 5 of the MCU particularly after the trailers brought exciting fight sequences, returning characters, and that signature witty MCU dialogue, and early reviews reflected fan expectation.
The Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus: “Thunderbolts* refreshingly returns to the tried-and-true blueprint of the MCU’s best adventures.”
This brought in the numerous videos and articles discussing fun theories: Why is there an asterisk * at the end of the film’s title? How significant is Baron Zemo’s major role in Falcon and Winter Soldier? How do the members of the Thunderbolts fit into Fantastic 4 or Avengers: Doomsday films?
While I loved seeing these positive reviews (in general, I’m a pretty staunch defender of all MCU films and shows, “Hey dude, maybe Ms. Marvel isn’t made for you?”), my life has significantly changed earlier this year with the unexpected pre-mature birth of my daughter.
Without a doubt I was anticipating Thunderbolts* just as much as every other fan, but I’ve also made the decision to relegate any entertainment to Disney+, Apple TV, and Amazon.
So when the reviews confirmed Marvel Studios was back to its old form, these very same reviews became the reason why I almost didn’t see the Thunderbolts* this opening weekend.
And yet, as Saturday rolled around and under unforeseen fortuitous circumstances, I found myself with 2 hours free, a random free ticket (thanks past Lawrence), and my wife’s encouragement to watch the Thunderbolts* matinee solo, and I’m so glad I did, because this might be the most significant Marvel film made over the last decade.
Leaping into the (metaphorical) Void
The film begins with what could be interpreted as a suicide note. The film’s main character Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) stands atop Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka 118, the 2nd tallest structure in the world and stares over the edge as she shares her pain:
“There’s something wrong with me. An emptiness. I thought it started when my sister died, but…now it feels like something bigger. Just a void.”
She then takes a step off the ledge falling to her death in a beautifully shot, Tom Cruisian-esque stunt. This grand opening is worthy of the big screen and the thought provoking first words had me sit up in my seat.
But soon after, we see her parachute open, and her impossible mission begins in typical Marvel fashion with the tension-cutting line:
“Or maybe I’m just bored.”
Yelena’s leap lands her straight into O.X.E. Group’s Malaysian offices, and we immediately enter a fun and energizing fight sequence setting up the film’s main storyline: CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is facing impeachment and she needs to erase any evidence of her involvement in the “Sentry” project.
To do this, Yelena is sent onto one last covert mission, to find out what a thief is after at a covert O.X.E. facility and to then kill them.
Under the same false pretense, US Agent John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Antonia Dreykov) are all given the same memo. As they all try to kill each other, they meet the mysterious new character Bob (Lewis Pullman) who’s suffering from amnesia, the perfect formula pulling us viewers right back into that comforting action-meets-banter MCU style we’ve come to love.
Forced to work together and escape incineration, we get to witness the origins of a new classic superhero team-up that we’ve all been promised since the Superbowl Trailer first dropped in February.
“Sooo none of us can fly? So what, do we all just punch and shoot? I can’t think of a worse group of people trying to work together.”
It wonderfully sets up this ragtag group of anti-heroes called on to save the world.
“Everyone here has done bad things. You can’t escape the past. So you can do something about it now, or live with it forever.”
Quite frankly, I thought that’s about as deep as I thought this film would go. When Yelena asks Bucky about his wellbeing, he responds with the quippy line, “Oh I’m fine. I have a great past so I’m totally fine.”
It makes sense, superhero films aren’t supposed to be mental health dramas. The perfect way to tackle serious issues is by highlighting them at an important story moment, and once it just about lands, you wait a few awkward beats before you deliver a Deadpool-esque joke so it doesn’t get too uncomfortable.
I mean, it’s a Marvel movie after all.
Marvel and Mental Health
Even if it didn’t go deeper, I was already thankful they decided to highlight such an urgent issue of our time. Marvel Studios has always made considerable efforts to include the mental health of its characters. Especially after half the world was snapped away in Avengers: Infinity War, how could the MCU not deal with PTSD and grief?
