Aaron Ploof
Thunderbolts*: A New Kind of Team
Most people have been to some pretty dark places in their lives. Even for myself, there have been times when I didn’t think I had the willpower to carry on. There have been moments when the overwhelming void of emptiness threatened to swallow me whole and snuff out all the light that was left inside of me. I’ve also done things in my past I’m not proud of, actions that I’ve taken which I wish I could take back. How I made it through those times, how I forgave myself for those sins, some of that I take credit for. But a lot of my healing I owe to the individuals who were in my corner. My team.
In Marvel’s newest film, Thunderbolts*, a new team takes center stage. One comprised of anti-heroes with heavy pasts. Sins they have to atone for, regrets they haven’t yet learned to let go. This new story is one in which they learn to fight together, and it serves double duty as an excellent therapy session for viewers who may still be fighting their own battles.
Loss of Purpose
Yelena Belova (Midsommar’s Florence Pugh) has lost her reason for living. She’s still mourning her sister, Natasha, and her adoptive father, Alexei (Stranger Things’ David Harbour), hasn’t called for a year. Currently working as a black operative for corrupt CIA director Allegra de Fontaine (Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus), she clocks in and out of work with no larger purpose. A gigantic void threatens to swallow her whole, but her only means of dealing is to push it further down. When she asks for a shift to a more “public-facing” position, she’s given one last job: eliminate a target at one of Fontaine’s former facilities. The mission does not go as planned, and Yelena soon finds herself teaming up with U.S. Agent John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr a.k.a. Ghost (Hannah John Kamen) Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Alexei a.k.a Red Guardian to take down Fontaine. Oh, and then there’s Bob.
Heart of the Thunderbolts*
Bob (Bad Times at the El Royale’s Lewis Pullman) doesn’t think much of himself. He can’t remember where he was before he last woke up, and he’s a bit confused. The trailers haven’t revealed much about him. If you’re not a Marvel fan, I doubt you’ll know who he is, so I’ll keep his role a secret. He’s the wildcard in the Thunderbolts team, but he also brings a lot of heart.
This film has no shortage of that. Indeed, it can get pretty emotionally heavy and dark at times as well. All of our “heroes” are dealing with pasts that have emotionally weighed on them. They’ve killed people and committed wrongs. Whether or not they’ve done it willingly, like John, or were forced to, as were Bucky and Yelena, that doesn’t change how they feel about themselves. The void that threatens Yelena threatens them all.
Each actor approaches their character in dealing with this emotional void in varying ways. Russell infuses his character with a huge ego, and plays it well, though he doesn’t have much of an arc. Kamen does okay with what is there but similarly doesn’t have a lot to work with. Pugh and Harbour do most of the heavy lifting here. There’s one particular scene between the two of them that hits the emotions hard, with Alexei attempting to bring Yelena back from despair by assuring her that he loves her.
And Bob. Of course, Bob. He serves as the central beating heart to the entire film. Pullman captures his damaged, vulnerable state with skill. One can tell that his past has been painful, he’s had no friends, he does not know his own value. His character has the lowest self-image and lacks a sense overall purpose and selfhood more so than even perhaps Yelena. It’s therefore no surprise to find the two of them bonding more strongly than the other members of the team. His insecurities make him a prime target for emotional manipulators like Fontaine. She seeks to control him for her own means.
Inventive
The battle to save Bob takes on a serious, brooding mood, with a darkness engulfing Manhattan. But the final skirmish occurs in a creative headspace that brings to mind more intellectual films like one of my personal favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Like in that movie, memory plays a central role in the proceedings, not simply in this concluding sequence, but also throughout the story. The memories of our “want to be” heroes fill them with pain and weigh them down, and it is only by working together as The Thunderbolts* that they will succeed.
While this film can hit hard, it’s not nearly as hopeless as Avengers: Infinity War. There are no beloved characters dissolving into dust. Rather, the mood is lightened by the usual Marvel one-liners and humorous banter. For the most part, these jokes land well. Alexei definitely brings the laughs. He’s the central comic character of the film, but as said before, he also carries a huge heart and a need to be loved. Yelena also delivers a few sardonic lines.
Action-wise, I enjoyed this substantially more than Captain America: Brave New World. The scenes felt intense and kinetic, with weight behind them. CGI seemed to be less prevalent here. The movie was slow at first, but once it got into the second act, it picked up speed. While characters like Taskmaster, Ghost, and Walker felt shortchanged, the chemistry between Harbour and Pugh was electric, and the bond between Pugh and Pullman felt true.
While Thunderbolts* doesn’t quite match the best of the MCU catalogue, it’s one of the best since before Phase IV, and it deserves your attention. Including the writing, acting, and effects, this was a substantial improvement on the previous film. Especially if you’re someone who has struggled in the dark places like our team of screw ups, Thunderbolts* will help you to maybe find some way of dealing with that void and to shine light in those dark corners.
Score: 8/10
Thunderbolts* is currently playing in theaters.
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* | Final Trailer | In Theaters May 2
In two weeks, one last shot at redemption ⚡️ Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* only in theaters May 2. Get tickets now: Fandango.com/Thunderbolts ► Watch Marvel on Disney+: https://bit.ly/2XyBSIW ► Subscribe to Marvel on YouTube: http://bit.ly/WeO3YJ Follow Marvel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marvel Like Marvel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marvel
