How do we feel about Marvel’s latest addition to the MCU? Find out in our review of Thunderbolts*, premiering May 1 at cinemas near you.
Our rating: 4/5
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Director: Jake Schreier
Release date: May 1, 2025
What we liked: Florence Pugh gives her all in a performance that marries loneliness with listlessness, tugging on heartstrings with ease. Witty back-and-forth banter between characters, interspersed with David Harbour’s chaotically bumbling but lovable dad energy, makes it a fun watch overall. With action-packed sequences, memorable twists, and a storyline with heart, Thunderbolts* is a worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the perfect set up for the upcoming The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
Plot: Caught in a deadly trap laid by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a group of misfits and anti-heroes, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, must set aside their differences and battle their inner demons to complete a dangerous mission.
Let’s just get one thing out of the way — The last Marvel movie to make me bawl was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). One, because watching the talented cast of Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, and Lupita Nyong’o mourn the loss of Chadwick Boseman on-screen felt like a kick to the teeth, and two, because it was just that good. It is my personal humble opinion that everything else since has felt like a mix of hits and misses — and I am happy to report that Thunderbolts sits somewhere between that: More hit than miss, more fun than fail.
If there’s one thing Thunderbolts* has done right, it’s replicating that feel-good feeling of a typical superhero film. The 2 hour and 6-minute watch is equal measures heartwarming and soul-crushing, laced with just the right amount of comedic bite, all neatly wrapped up in themes of self-actualisation, found family, and the power of friendship.
All that to say: If you’ve ever called yourself Daddy’s Girl, loved your older sister dearly, or felt so alone you couldn’t breathe, this movie will break your heart ten ways to Sunday.
Read on for a (mostly) spoiler-free review of Thunderbolts*
Make no mistake about it — Thunderbolts* is an enjoyable entry into the MCU, but the asterisk in the title holds more than one meaning. Officially, it is touted as ‘the Avengers are not available’. Unofficially, it is Marvel’s not-so-subtle way of telling us to not compare the two. And really, there’s no comparison; few cinematic reveals have enjoyed audience approvals the way ‘on your left’ has in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Does that make Thunderbolts* any less good? No; but it does make for a different flavour of superhero movie, and one that I’m not entirely unhappy with. That said, viewers who are expecting an Avengers revival may do well to heed these words: Go in with an open mind, love in your heart for Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, lots of caramel popcorn, and tissues. Just in case.
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As a proud Malaysian, I was delighted by the number of references the script made to Kuala Lumpur, the proud capital of the nation. Who knew Merdeka 118 could make for such an iconic city skyline?
As a Marvel fan, however, I was brought home by the all-too-familiar sight of New York City and its beleaguered residents, who, once again, required saving from external hostile forces. It’s fun, it’s feisty, and it wouldn’t be a Marvel film if New York City weren’t in danger.
Other standout moments in the film play on the unbearably awkward, yet intrinsically heartwarming dad energy of David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian. A character we’re first introduced to in Black Widow (2021), Alexei perfectly fulfils the role of ‘washed-up superhero past his prime’ and is yet incredibly lovable for all his flaws. His interactions border on cringey, and they’re supposed to — yet in moments where his true self and feelings are allowed to shine through, we are shown only a proud father figure, ‘papa’ to Yelena, and dare we say, the MCU’s new best dad?
Sebastian Stan’s Bucky also gets in some fun action sequences astride a motorcycle, playing the ‘bad boy’ trope to perfection whilst inspiring more than a few thirst traps on TikTok. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina is equal measures conniving and charismatic — the perfect ingredients to make a compelling villain. Wyatt Russell’s John Walker pulls off a convincing performance as a hardened militant with a very punchable face. Through it all, one thread of thought pervades the movie: We all have a dark side we’re ashamed of.
While the final moments of the show feel just a tiny bit contrived, it’s perfectly balanced against moments of deep introspection. With its focus on mental health and the loneliness epidemic, this movie hits hard with an inimitable realness that feels comfortingly human.
Not super. Not heroes. Not giving up. The tagline of the show reflects the human existence, in which facing your darkness and inner demons requires as much grit and strength as it does to fight Thanos. At its core, Thunderbolts* makes it very clear that these are not exactly your new Avengers; they’re imperfect beings just trying to get through life one scrappy fight at a time.
And you know what? Maybe that’s what makes them so relatable in the grand scheme of things. After all, we may not all be superheroes, but we’re still super in our own little ways.
Thunderbolts* premieres on May 1 2025. Catch it in cinemas near you.
This article first appeared here