On Saturday, my younger son and I went to see the newest MCU movie, Thunderbolts*. I have to say, I wasn't eagerly anticipating this movie, but the trailers did make me hopeful that it would at least be entertaining. I went in with fairly low expectations, and it surpassed them by quite a bit.
Note for anyone wondering how much "cursing" is in the movie, there's a fair amount of mild swearing.
Yes, Google searches for movie titles plus "curse words" still lead people to my movie reviews.
So, Thunderbolts. The team of the B-league antiheroes. Former villains/opponents, brought together and trying to do the right thing. It's got the Marvel action, humor, and heroics we expect. It's also a movie built around exploring depression, regret, and redemption. Yeah, the movie has heart. It's not a huge world-shattering plot. It feels fairly small and personal, despite the way things go south in the third act and do threaten the world...or at least NYC.
And for a team that "just punches and shoots" as you may have heard in the trailer, our protagonists can't fall back on their military training to resolve the plot.
I'll avoid spoilers, but this movie felt like a callback to the Phase I MCU movies. And yet, the resolution (and post-credits stinger) tie into the overarching plot of...what is this, Phase VI? After the slightly better than mediocre (fun and full of action, but failing to resonate) Captain America: Brave New World, this is an improvement.
Watching Thunderbolts* after watching Daredevil Born Again (which was excellent!), I feel like Marvel may have finally figured out their new formula for success. And I was already looking forward to Fantastic 4 this summer, but I'm even more excited now! Of course, the MCU is also going up against the new James Gunn Superman, which I'm also really excited for.
If you're missing the feel of the early MCU in the post-Disney+ glut era, check out this movie.
My family (well, the kids and I) have been looking forward to Thunderbolts, but we haven't seen it yet. To me, I like Marvel's "B" list superhero squads: they're awkward, self-conscious, often full of petty rivalries and defensiveness (perhaps because they're so self-aware of their lack of "A" list superhero status). And the cast of Thunderbolts looked like a nice "capper" on all the random MCU content of the last few years, coming together.
ReplyDeleteHopefully for the last time (it's okay to end things!).
The new Fantastic Four, on the other hand, looks...well, fantastic. I really like the vibe they're going for; perhaps third (fourth?) time will be the charm? Will we see an actual Dr. Doom of the Kirby variety? I mean, I'm cool with (what appears to be) Galactus and a gender-bent Surfer, too. But bring back the REAL 'Big Bad." Let's have some FUN with the FF.
I agree with your appraisal of Thunderbolts* - and of Brave New World & Daredevil, too. Here's hoping MCU movies are headed in a good direction.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it! Glad to see a couple of characters from one of my two favorite Marvel movies of the last couple years get a chance to shine. One scene in particular reminded me a lot of the plans my players tend to make! This sort of team really does feel like a bunch PCs in general.
ReplyDelete