Thunderbolts*

“when i look at you i don’t see your mistakes.” not to be basic but we are so back. people always saying that the mcu is back after each new release and to be honest, this is the first time where i fully agree. thunderbolts *is marvel at its most grounded and prioritizes the emotional weight behind each of its characters over mindless quips and explosions. while there is still some great comic book movie action, i found myself completely enamored by the story being told here. and on top of all this, this is one of the best looking marvel films artistically. florence pugh’s yelena is the highlight of this film and carries it upon her shoulders. depression and guilt are major themes at play and each member of the ensemble believes they are defined by every bad choice or mistake they’ve made. my love for james gunn’s guardians of the galaxy films is immense and i would argue that much of the dynamics within those films exist here but on a far less comedic and cosmic scale. a group of misfit antiheroes seeking validation and belonging and the villain represents the physical embodiment of emotional suppression and self-loathing. this is the first time in quite a while where marvel really turns down the humor in favor of the more somber and heartfelt moments of human connection and that we are not alone. visually, i fucking loved this. cgi was awesome and i loved the more grounded and practical set pieces even more. the final act (without spoilers) really felt like the filmmakers were just flexing with how creative they could capture and visualize the seemingly endless void many of us mentally trap ourselves in. the costumes were also wonderful. i don’t know… it is just crazy that this is the first superhero flick in a while that hasn’t taken me out of my immersion because of something looking a bit choppy or unbelievable. my main criticism i have involves the limited screen time and development of certain thunderbolt members. this is yelena’s movie first and foremost and i personally love yelena so this didn’t bother me at all but i know there is that assumption from the writers that everyone has watched all the previous shows/movies involving these characters. thunderbolts lowkey requires viewings of the falcon and the winter soldier, ant-man and the wasp, black widow, and the recent captain america: brave new world* to understand the majority of everyone’s motivations. me being a marvel whale and consuming nearly everything they put out, i had no problem but i can see more casual enjoyers being a bit lost. i am also nervous to see where everything goes from here. i feel like for the past five years, the mcu has been releasing post credit scenes and even full projects that promise continuations and narrative progression and not delivering on that. this film sets up quite a bit and truly marks a new age within this universe so fingers crossed they follow through this time. last thing i want to mention is there is a moment between red guardian and yelena that no joke got a single tear out of me and that is more than any marvel movie outside of the guardians films. “righteousness without power is just an opinion…”