THUNDERBOLTS*

THUNDERBOLTS*

Directed by Jake Schreier

Less than 3 months ago Marvel Studios' CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD set the world on fire and ushered in a thrilling new era for the MCU... JK that movie was a huge flop and signaled a new low for the once dominant franchise. Superhero fatigue is real and general audiences are growing tired of the same ole same ole. Imagine my surprise, the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, THUNDERBOLTS* (asterisk included) is not only good but kinda sorta got me excited for the series again?? 

A movie about scrappy antiheros and former villains teaming up to stop an evil politician. These are D-level characters but the fun cast does an excellent job of making you at least kinda care about them. That the emotional hook and main focus is Florence Pugh's Yelena is kinda the reason the whole thing works. That and the legendary Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the deliciously evil Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, bringing in some much welcomed VEEP energy.

Like most MCU entries of late, this one picks up threads from various previous projects most notably 2021's BLACK WIDOW and a Disney+ show or two. Unlike more recent movies though this one does a decent job of keeping the plot easy to follow without getting into major gobbledegook territory. 

Spotlight on Sebastian Stan, his Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier has been a fan favorite since his MCU introduction in 2014. He's a good actor and a handsome man, so I'm not entirely sure what happened here. What his character is now is confusing to the audience and it seems like to him as well. Strange hollow performance and I'd to officially nominate his wig to be included in the all time worst hall of fame. Seriously what is happening on top of his head? He looks awful!!!

Fun action, fun characters, fun plot development. Maybe there's some juice left in the tank after all!

⭐⭐⭐ Out of 4