By Kaylon Coleman
Marvel Studios The Thunderbolts* made its way to theaters worldwide this past weekend and the reviews are in — Marvel is back. With a Rotten Tomato score of 87% and an audience score of 94% The Thunderbolts* is proving to be a movie people love. I can attest — it’s pretty good.
Following up on several different Marvel Cinematic Universe properties including Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to name a few, The Thunderbolts* follows a rag-tag team of “losers” banding together to try and stop a cataclysmic event in — where else? — New York City.
While I don’t fully agree with the streets saying this is “the best MCU movie since Endgame,” I will say I think it’s definitely in the conversation for top three. I think this is the result of a couple of different factors, most of which I feel the MCU has been lacking in as of late.
One of which is their recent overhaul effort to push more quality than quantity. Since the creation of Disney+, the MCU has been shoveling out movie after movie and show after show, maximizing storytelling and minimizing output. I don’t believe “superhero fatigue” is a real thing as many others do. I think audiences just know what quality feels like and get worn out when these companies shell out mid movies and shows.
I say that to say, The Thunderbolts* did not feel like one of those movies. From the trailers, to the promotions, to the acting, to the themes, The Thunderbolts* stands apart from recent MCU movies unequivocally.
As mentioned, I’d really like to talk about the acting in this movie. I believe that each and every person in this movie gave a stellar performance. While I do feel as though the dialogue was a bit stale at times and not everyone had enough screen time — which is bound to happen with teamup movies if I’m being honest — each actor gave a performance that shined in its own light. And, while I don’t want to single out one particular character, I think it’d be a disservice to not mention Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena Belova in this movie.
Without giving away too much, we see Yelena — and others — struggle with issues of depression and loneliness in this movie in ways that honestly hit way closer to home than I would’ve thought. Pugh is continuing to prove she is more than capable of carrying the mantle of Black Widow in the MCU, and I can’t wait to see her in Avengers: Doomsday.
All in all, grab your friends, head to the Broadway Cinema and go have fun watching The Thunderbolts*. I give this movie a 7.3/10.
Kaylon Coleman is a junior journalism major with a concentration in news and a minor in Psychology and Communications. He is the Social Media Assistant Manager for LJ. He is also the president of the Black Student Union at CPH, social media coordinator for the Umoja Center, and a part-time radio DJ.
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