Review by Paul Bowler

Thunderbolts* provides a scrappy, fun and uplifting finale to Marvel’s inconsistent Phase Five slew of superhero blockbusters. Florence Plugh is a revelation in Director Jake Schreiner’s picture, reprising her role from Black Widow (2021) as Natasha Romanoff’s adoptive sister Velena Belova – who has grown tired of her role as CIA director Valentina Allegra De Fontaine’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) assassin-for-hire. After agreeing for one final mission, Yelena finds herself lured headlong in a trap along with Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Karmen), Antonia Dreykov’s Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and former super soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell).

As the Thunderbolt*’s realise the extent of Valentina’s underhand scheming, Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo’s brilliantly entertaining script sets the team about plotting some serious payback as they enlist the help of Yelena’s father, Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian.(David Harbour), along with covert congressman Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, and a mysterious young guy called Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman).

Naturally a deadly new superpowered adversary emerges for them to contend with, and it’s from here that this all-out-action romp really kicks into high gear. There a smattering of contemporary issues thrown into the mix, but not so much as to overcook the narrative, and there’s some especially moving and unexpected exchanges amid all the slapstick humour – particularly for Pugh and Pullman’s characters – that really helps us warm to this ban of misfit band superheroes.

The action is as fast and furious as we’ve come to expect from the MCU franchise. But time the focus more on actual physical battles, hand-to-hand combat, and in-person stunts rather than the usual CGI overload that has blighted large quarters of Phase Fives often troubled and uneven roadmap.

I must admit my superhero fatigue left me with very little interest in this movie during the run up to its release. Fortunately the bombastic nature of Thunderbolts* is like a breath of fresh air that blows the cobwebs off what had become a somewhat tired franchise of late, and it’s easily one of the best MCU movies we’ve had since Endgame. Thunderbolts* is just the surprise curveball we needed to set us up for the next phase of the MCU, and needless to say there’s something special in those end credits to stick around for too!

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook