Movie Review ~ Thunderbolts*

Somewhere between the chaos of multiverse burnout, cameo crossover madness, and release fatigue, Marvel remembered how to tell a story again. Reporting that Thunderbolts* isn’t another bloated spectacle is sort of exciting because I can’t remember the last time I left a a chapter of the MCU actively anticipating not only the next film but also returning to theaters to see it again. More than just a clever footnote to a franchise spinning its wheels, this new film is a bold, surprisingly intimate course correction that closes Phase V with genuine electricity.

That asterisk? It cheekily reminds fans The Avengers are not available. Turns out, we hardly miss them. The film assembles a group of Marvel’s forgotten, fractured, or formerly feared. Without gods, billionaires, or over-choreographed speeches to fall back on, Thunderbolts* strips the formula down to character. After recent stumbles (I’m looking directly at Captain America: Brave New World with its cringe-inducing dialogue), this film delivers something increasingly rare in superhero cinema: wounded, weird, broken characters worth caring about. More refreshing? The stakes aren’t sky lasers or collapsing timelines. They’re personal, brutal, and often internal.

Director Jake Schreier has crafted a pleasingly straightforward premise. A collection of antiheroes finds themselves ensnared in an elaborate death trap orchestrated by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said, essentially playing a more sinister version of her Veep character) as she is cleaning house to avoid a government investigation that is getting too close for her comfort. To survive, these misfits must undertake a dangerous mission that could offer redemption. That is, if they can overcome their destructive tendencies and learn to function as a team.

As Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, Midsommar), the emotionally bruised Black Widow alum still reeling from her sister’s death, Oscar-nominee Pugh owns the screen. Already known to be a remarkable dramatic actress (her absence from 2025 award nominations for We Live in Time remains baffling), she’s in nearly every frame of the film and is an undeniable action star. Radiating a lived-in weariness without the melodrama, she’s sardonic without losing her edge and grounds the film with her honest emotional arc. You believe this woman has grown up living through hell, and you think she’s still deciding whether she even deserves to come out the other side.

David Harbour (We Have a Ghost), brings a warped warmth as Red Guardian, Russia’s failed Captain America, and Yelena’s bumbling surrogate dad. Harbour’s physical comedy lands, sure, but there’s something poignant under the bravado — a man trying to matter to someone who’s already lost too much. There’s a touching sequence where he earnestly tries to tell Yelena why she matters, and it speaks more to generational masculinity and unspoken love than any well-tuned monologue could.

U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), meanwhile, finally finds the groove. He’s no longer just a bootleg Steve Rogers; he’s messy, volatile, and unusually genuine in his search for redemption. Bob (Lewis Pullman, Top Gun: Maverick, continuing his ascent to the A-list) is a mysterious wildcard, and it’s the film’s biggest curveball. Pullman has been kept out of so much of the marketing that I feel it’s only fair not to say anything more.

Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko,  Quantum of Solace) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen, Ant-Man and the Wasp) deserved more substantial screen time, while Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan, Fresh) appears somewhat weary — perhaps mirroring his character’s frustration at constantly being relegated to muscle status despite occasional character development.

It’s not just the performances that are surprising; it’s how cohesive Schreier makes this ensemble feel. The film flows with a precision and purpose that’s been sorely missing from recent Marvel entries. Schreier (Robot & Frank and Paper Towns) isn’t trying to mimic the Russo brothers or copy Taika Waititi’s notes on punchlines-per-minute comedy. He’s carving his own tone: gritty and funny but still hopeful.

The screenplay from Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and Joanna Calo (The Bear) gives each character room to breathe, with quiet scenes of tension or tenderness. The B-team banter rivals anything the three Guardians of the Galaxy movies delivered, often feeling more authentic for coming from truly damaged individuals rather than obnoxious quip machines.

And let’s be clear: the visuals actually work. After the oddly murky fights of The Marvels, this film’s action is sharp and kinetic. Whether it’s a tense infiltration sequence in a firestorm-battered facility or a chaotic desert ambush, everything looks like someone cared.

Most surprising is how effectively the film addresses themes of isolation, pain, and otherness. This isn’t superficial “heroes are misunderstood” territory — the characters’ struggles feel authentic and timely. Moving through an era marked by widespread anxiety and fragmentation, Thunderbolts* makes a compelling case for community as an antidote to darkness.

I was unexpectedly moved to watch these damaged individuals tasked with protecting us gradually lower their defenses. Their halting attempts at connection speak directly to our current moment, suggesting that even the most broken among us might find healing through the simple act of genuine human contact.

Marvel’s recent stumbles weren’t just about bad VFX or bloated scripts rushed into production — it was a lack of soul. Thunderbolts* doesn’t solve every issue the studio is facing, but it reminds us why these stories work when they work: because they’re about people. These characters aren’t icons. They’re people asking whether they still matter in a world that keeps moving without them.

That idea — broken doesn’t mean finished — gives the film more heart than anything Marvel’s done in years. If this is how Phase V ends, maybe Marvel’s finally remembering how to begin again.