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| Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Ava Starr/Ghost, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova/Black Widow, and John Walker/U.S. Agent, played by David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, and Wyatt Russell, respectively from ‘Thunderbolts*.’ Courtesy of Marvel Studios. |
You've seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe's attempts at superhero misfit madness with the original Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. But it took a dark-toned yet humorous turn when they released 'Thunderbolts*' this weekend. It was funny how the titular team had sitcom-like trouble working together, specifically in the friction between Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh and John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell, and how Julia Louis-Dreyfus of 'Seinfeld' fame rose to the occasion of playing an adult snob/mean-girl stereotype in her reprisal of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Humor aside, I enjoyed seeing Pugh, Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen fight using judo and kickboxing techniques against each other, then some enemy soldiers.
Taking place after previous MCU media, Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, John Walker/U.S. Agent, Ava Starr/Ghost, Bob, and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, played by Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Russell, John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, and David Harbour respectively, are pawns in a game set up by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Louis-Dreyfus, to find who will fill in the gap left by the original Avengers. Little do the women and men realize that de Fontaine is trying to keep them off her trail of her illegal superhuman experiments, with help from her comically-intimidated assistant Mel, played by Geraldine Viswanathan. Belova and her rivals have to work together when dark forces come to destroy life as we know it once again.
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| Julia Louis Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine from 'Thunderbolts*.' Courtesy of Marvel Studios. |
The beginning of 'Thunderbolts*' stood apart from prior films due to the Marvel Studios logo going from its usual epic page-flipping accompanied by Michael Giacchino music to a dark tone with melancholy music as Yelena reflected on having an empty void without her sister Natasha by her side. Then, her melancholy moment with her monotonous tone went to a little throwdown mission for de Fontaine, beating scientists up Black Widow-style, without the hair flip pose. After seeing Bucky stumble in his first interview as a congressman and Alexei slacking on the couch, it was joyful to watch Yelena, John, and Starr/Ghost fight each other and Taskmaster, played by Olga Kurylenko, similar to when the Guardians of the Galaxy first met. Then Bob's dimwitted nature lightened the mood and the team ended up bickering out of their "Temple of Doom"-style booby trap.
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| Lewis Pullman as Bob from 'Thunderbolts*.' Courtesy of Marvel Studios. |
"None of us can fly. We just punch and shoot." Yelena said that as they escaped de Fontaine's facility. Then they got picked up by Alexei, and ended up in a shootout with "Ginuwine" by Pony playing in his limo and a rescue by -and brief confrontation with- Bucky. Then it all came down to a big battle in New York City where they had to confront their inner demons and save the world from a growing darkness reminiscent of Galactus from 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.' Returning to the beginning quote, the Thunderbolts lacked many powers and discipline, and de Fontaine thought her incoming threats were "defective losers." And yet, they managed to punch, shoot, rescue civilians, and redeem themselves. Though instead of a Hulk, they got a Bob with bumbling telekinesis and mind manipulation that reminded me of Scarlet Witch's powers from 'Age of Ultron'
At first, I thought the film went away from fulfilling the Avengers' legacy. In a way, it did, because the team was made up of loose cannons, criminals, or bumbling superhuman fanboys like Red Guardian. But just as the Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic Four, and Suicide Squad did, they put aside their egos and mistakes to prove that good can come out of something, or someone, so bad. Just because they were trained as living weapons, it didn't mean that was their only path.
Pugh and Russell's characters of Yelena and John did the most bickering, with Yelena calling John out on his failure to be a true Captain America. Harbour's character of Alexei was funny with his enthusiasm for a higher purpose and his rocky attempts to be a good father figure to Yelena and a mentor to the team, though he acted a little like Fred Flintstone until the final battle. And despite his struggles with a political job, Bucky zoomed in to the Thunderbolts' rescue like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible II. I felt Viswanathan as Mel was flirting with him while wishing for a better job than being de Fontaine's lackey. And going back to Bucky, he asked Alexei, "What is the plan?" as they headed to the former Avengers Tower to stop de Fontaine. Then he got all cocky as Red Guardian and answered the question by ramming their truck through the front door.
I enjoyed the humor and chemistry between the members of the main cast, characterization of Pugh and Russell's roles, stunt coordination by Heidi Moneymaker, visual effects, and scoring by Son Lux that highlighted the sad and uplifting moments in the film. I just wish Louis-Dreyfus got to fight, too. I look forward to seeing what epic mismatching Marvel has next.
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