Thunderbolts*

By: Kaylyn Bell

Thunderbolts*, through its beautiful visuals and symbolism, provides a powerful look at depression, trauma and mental illness. This relatable film explores our need for purpose in the context of heroes and balances comedy and emotional depth very tastefully. With callbacks and parallels to the original Avengers movies, it felt nostalgic to the early days of the MCU.

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is questioning the monotonous and unfulfilling nature of her work while on a mission in Malaysia. After visiting her dad, Alexei aka The Red Guardian (David Harbour), she asks her boss, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), if she can switch up her missions and do something more public-facing in search of a purpose. Meanwhile, Valentina is facing impeachment from her role as CIA Director for her alleged involvement in illegal black ops projects and is trying to save face and eliminate liabilities. After escaping a deathtrap, Yelena bands together with an unlikely team of antiheroes – John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian, Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and a civilian named Bob (Lewis Pullman) – to embark on a dangerous mission.

The ensemble works very well together, and the performances were excellent. As a fan of the show “Veep,” it was very exciting to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus again playing a politician and she was hilarious, as always. The first half of the film is very comedy-driven, and the actors all play off each other to deliver the unconventional family feel that you would hope for from the New Avengers.

The standout actor in this film was Florence Pugh; her performance was moving, and she was able to emotionally connect with the audience. We’ve previously seen a bubblier and more comedic Yelena, and Pugh did a great job keeping an undertone of those elements of her character while showing the emotional battle she was experiencing as her trauma finally caught up with her. She really is at the heart of this film and her performance will stick with you even after you’ve left the theater.

The dynamic between Alexei and Yelena in the film was also very real and emotional, balanced by humor from David Harbour. The scene where they discuss her childhood and she finally expresses how she feels, including her frustration towards him that had been festering, is one of the most memorable from the film. It is a release of tension and a turning point in Yelena’s character arc that was very beautifully written to communicate the message of the film. I wish it had given Alexei more accountability for his involvement in sending Yelena to the Red Room (the source of her trauma), but I think the way their conversation went made sense for the characters and it realistically highlights the complexity of family dynamics.

Thunderbolts* was directed by Jake Schreier, who is known for his emotionally rich work. His character-driven visual storytelling effectively supports the film’s message and guides us through the character arcs. The highlight of the movie for me was the scenes set in the void, and this can largely be credited to Schreier. The way the camera tilts as a transition to show Yelena going through different scenes had me in awe and greatly contributed to the emotional tone of the sequence. The only issue I had with Schreier’s creative decisions was the complete underutilization of Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), who was introduced in Black Widow. She is a very interesting character with a captivating backstory and the ability to mimic her opponents’ fighting techniques, so I was excited to see more of her in this film. Therefore, I was disappointed that her role was so minor and that her character wasn’t explored more; it felt like wasted potential.

This film is one of the deepest and most real Marvel movies to date, highlighting depression and the toll trauma takes on a person if they don’t work through it. We get insight into the price of being a hero and what it means to be one. This concept is encapsulated by a quote from Valentina: “There are bad guys and worse guys, and nothing else.” This is a fresh take on a superhero movie, and I think it was about time something like this was made. It keeps the classic elements of a superhero movie with fighting and explosions, but the writing elevates it to a beautiful film with layers and depth in ways we haven’t seen before from Marvel; through symbolism, we literally see the characters fighting their inner demons.

Thunderbolts* follows the general structure of a superhero movie, but with more realism and heart, making it enjoyable for a wide audience. It would be best to watch at least Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier before seeing it, but if you are not an avid Marvel viewer it stands alone as a moving and very relevant film. With memorable performances, a relatable and emotional story and stunning visuals, Thunderbolts* came together beautifully, marking a new era of the Avengers. Marvel movies are always better on the big screen, so get to the theater and experience it for yourself!