Rating of
3/4
You are not alone
Matthew Brady - wrote on 08/05/25
Thunderbolts is a good and enjoyable movie. And this is coming from someone who was not looking forward to it and had no interest because of the recent decline in the quality of Marvel films.
While not the best Marvel movie, but certainly one of the better entries in what feels like forever. It is probably the best film since, well, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
While watching it, I knew this would be a hit with audiences.
The Thunderbolt team's dynamics were effective, accompanied by numerous humorous moments. Thankfully, two unexpectedly emotional scenes during the film's climax were not ruined by an unfunny joke that is typical of Marvel humor. I'm pleased that they allowed the serious scenes by serious.
During the film, there were a couple of moments involving action set pieces, shots, and character moments that had me saying to myself, "Oh wow, that's a cool shot," or "That's a cool action set piece." It feels like old Marvel again.
I liked how the film handled the theme of mental health, especially depression. Both Yelena and Bob share the same struggle with their mental health and have a mutual bond. However, Bob has a dark and sinister alter ego, known as the Void, who becomes the main antagonist. Bob mentions that he sometimes has good days but also has bad days. Whenever the Void has control, Bob has no memory of what happened. But when he returns to himself, he has the energy that everything is fine. The Void's appearance, personality, and powers are an obvious metaphor for depression. The overall message of the film is that you are not alone.
Although, and this isn't a spoiler since it's all over the marketing, as New York City is engulfed in supernatural darkness by the villain, I was wondering where Mayor Fisk and Daredevil are during all of this or if those characters will ever bring it up, since the TV show Daredevil is now canon in this universe. It makes you wonder. I would hate to be an ordinary citizen living in this world because one day, you're just going about your day, and then, out of nowhere and without any context, some world-ending threat happens that will affect you for life.
Anywhere...
This was good. It was entertaining and full of heart. The entire cast performed well, but Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman were the MVPs of the movie.
