Thunderbolts*

Director Jake Schreier

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is disillusioned with her “cleaning up” job for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). When offered the chance to change, after one last mission, Yelena finds herself brought together with some unlikely allies including John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and the mysterious, Bob (Lewis Pullman) a seemingly innocent member of the public. But, when a dark presence threatens New York, the unlikely group, with some help from Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Yelena’s father Alexei, the Red Guardian (David Harbour), team together to take it on and become unlikely heroes.

Thunderbolts* is another attempt to restart the Marvel machine. While it’s not perfect, it is a much more successful than some other recent ones.

It’s a film that does try to do something a little different, with a story that mixes a light touch, with a much darker story that explores loneliness and depression, and does it pretty successfully.

The balance is helped hugely by the excellent Florence Pugh, whose Yelena has been a recent Marvel high point. She manages to bring both real fun, balanced perfectly with the gravitas that the darker elements of the story need to ensure they are handled with sensitivity. Her pairing with Pullman’s Bob is the serious heart of the film, while it’s her fun back and forth with Harbour’s Alexei that is its light heart.

The action is fun, but it’s not an action filled adventure it is attempting to be a bit more than that. However that does mean at times it’s a little glacial in its pacing. But overall a more than solid effort.

Thunderbolts* is the latest rebooting of the Marvel machine and is a pretty decent attempt. Led by the imperious Florence Pugh, it tries to tell a more interesting story, with an exploration of depression and loneliness, balanced well with a light fun touch. While it does move a little slowly at times, there’s a solid story and a cast that comes together well, to give you plenty to enjoy.