Thunderbolts*

Hollywood is used to cannibalizing itself by churning out movies with the same theme, plot devices, or action sequences within weeks or months of each other. For instance… “Hey, this month we are giving you some movies about a big asteroid coming to Earth! (‘Deep Impact’ vs. ‘Armageddon’),” or “Hey, this month we are giving you a few movies about a volcano blowing up (‘Dante’s Peak’ vs. ‘Volcano’)!”, or “Hey, this month we are giving you some movies about going to Mars (‘Mission To Mars’ vs. ‘Red Planet’ vs. ‘Ghosts of Mars’)!”.

“Thunderbolts*” is Marvel’s answer to the two Suicide Squad movies that DC put out over the last few years where a group of B-list heroes and villains are teamed together by a conniving female antagonist to take on a global threat that is way beyond their abilities and all the while figuring out how to work together with comic effect. But does “Thunderbolts*” (directed by Jake Schreier) give us something new to chew on, or is it the same old formula shoved into a new package like an orange box of Wheaties?

Our team of misfits are assembled out of characters that have appeared in other Marvel properties and who are struggling to find solid footing in their lives. Many of them are also dealing with living in the shadows of their past or in the shadows of their more well known successors (shadows are a big theme in this movie).

We start with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh who is a gift to the MCU) who works a covert government job for villain Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as an assassin/spook, but who is growing weary of her life’s trajectory. Yelena asks the question, near the start of the film, that also haunts the rest of the team: What is my purpose? Yep, purpose is a big theme in this movie, too.

As she reluctantly goes on another clean-up mission for Valentina (who is under investigation by Congress and is desperate to get rid of all sorts of evidence), she arrives at a remote facility and runs into a few other superpowered individuals who were also sent by Valentina to eliminate whomever they came across. It’s like the opening scene scenario of “The Dark Knight” where the Joker assembles a team of thugs to rob a bank but secretly tells each team member to eliminate other team members until only Joker is left standing with all the cash.

Here we meet the perpetually surly John Walker, aka U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), the thinly characterized Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and the quickly exterminated Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). These characters have been seen in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” and “Black Widow”—just FYI.

As they fight with each other (in a scene that is well executed with some good humor notes), they soon realize they are not only there to be vaporized by their boss Valentina, as an attempt to eliminate more loose ends, but that someone else is at the facility. This is an ordinary but confused guy named Bob (Lewis Pullman, looking a lot like his dad Bill) who seems to have been in “storage.”

As they make a truce and use teamwork, plus lots of bickering, to escape, they soon enlist Yelena’s father and retired Soviet superhero Red Guardian (a very entertaining David Harbour) who has a failing limo business and pines for the good old days of superhero-ing.

After one of the best highway shoot ‘em up sequences I’ve seen in a long time, they are also joined by Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) who is also licking his wounds as a not too successful Congressman.

This team starts to see the machinations of Valentina and vow to stop her at all costs. Little do they know that the only normal guy in tow, Bob, is soon to be Valentina’s ultimate tool of destruction in the form of The Sentry, Marvel’s version of Superman.

Bob has been in “storage” because his government-granted powers went out of control, and Valentina had to have him shut away. Trouble is, she thinks she can control him, but she will soon find out that his god-like powers are not able to be contained, and The Sentry’s troubled sub-conscious creates a dark power that descends on all mankind.

What can this band of mid-powered misfits do to combat such a threat? I really like when “street level” heroes are pitted against a global threat or cosmic threat villain, and this is definitely one of those situations.

“Thunderbolts*” is easily compared to the previous Suicide Squad movie iterations and would be logically put into that generic category of superhero filmology. What I appreciate about “Thunderbolts*,” however, is the fact that we delve into some deep themes that are only touched upon in the Suicide Squad movies.

The film itself is shot with muted/drab colors that are emblematic of the tone of the film. There is always insult throwing and wisecracking happening throughout the movie, but there is also a strong current of wrestling with shadows, guilt, hopelessness, and aimlessness.

Yelena is our main conduit for these themes, as she relives her Red Room training experiences as a young assassin and fights through the guilt of her choices (or lack thereof). Her father, Red Guardian, is well past his prime and is ashamed of where he is in life. John Walker, US Agent, struggles with poor choices he’s made that shut him out from his family and country. Bucky deals with his downward slide from being an Avenger, and Ghost is just sorta there, unfortunately. And Bob has a dark and depressed side that overwhelms not only himself, but everyone around him. There are some big swings here and they land right in the “feels” as all the characters deal with lives of disappointment and doubt.

A big theme is also “don’t go through it alone,” as in don’t try to deal with your darkness all by yourself. Get a team to help you through the struggle. This message resonated with my 20-something daughter who has dealt with depression and self-harming thoughts, as I saw her eyes tear up with acknowledgment of the truth of “don’t go it alone.” Friends, family, church, and possibly therapy can all help someone deal with depression and mental imbalance. As my daughter would also acknowledge, you need an anchor to help you in these times of trouble and challenge.

In Hebrews 6:19 the writer says “We have [Jesus] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…”. As we all know, you don’t see the importance of an anchor in calm waters, but an anchor becomes invaluable when you are being tossed about in the midst of a storm or when the seas are very rough. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, gives us security during these tough times when we question our worth and value. He wouldn’t die on the cross for those who are hopeless and worthless. No, He shed His perfect blood for His valuable creations so that we will one day be adopted into His family through the repentance of our sins and the acceptance of His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus gives us hope that we are valuable, loved, accepted, and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). He is truly the anchor for our souls.

“Thunderbolts*” is a mature-themed movie, and it does have some visuals of violence that are a little more extreme than the usual Marvel film (fatal bullet wounds, disintegrations, stabbings, consistent fighting with weapons, and a short domestic abuse scene).

The language is more extreme as well (over a 15 S**t and D**n, over 20 Lord’s name taken in vain, 8 A**, 4 D**k, 3 B***h, but no F-words. There are a few instances of drinking and talking about drinking.

The antagonist is a scary, shadowy figure with pinpoint white eyes. There are strong female heroes who take command that some may consider “woke.” No sexuality or nudity, however. Make sure you stay for two scenes after the movie that point to the future arc of the MCU!

Yes, there are some very well-worn story beats in “Thunderbolts*” that, in a lesser film, have been eye-rolling snoozers, but here we have a great example of recreating tropes in a fresh way that still may speak to the audience. The MCU has been weak and struggling for the past few years, but I see “Thunderbolts*” as being a big boost of narrative energy for the upcoming Doomsday/Secret Wars arc. “Thunderbolts*” gave me some hope as a Marvel fan. If we get more films like this one, that explore some deeper issues and themes, I think the MCU, just like Bob, can be resuscitated, powerful, and kicking tail once again.

• Violence: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
• Wokeism: Mild
• Nudity: None
• Sex: None
• Occult: None

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