Reactions: Finally, Marvel got it right again!
Where to watch: Theaters

When I walked into the theater to watch the special fan event early release showing of Thunderbolts*, I was not expecting much. Marvel hasn’t gotten much right lately. But cutting to the chase – Marvel got it’s groove back with this movie. And now I’m actually excited to see the upcoming MCU movies as well.

One thing this movie absolutely nails is the formation of a group of individuals becoming a team. The first Avengers movie also excelled at this nuanced challenge: bringing together a team of folks who have never worked with others, are used to calling their own shots, and don’t trust others easily. In Thunderbolts* you have the added twist that they’re all mercenaries who’ve done really questionable things in their past, amplifying their tendencies to trust only themselves.

I cringed a little when they referenced, “The President who recently turned into a red monster that nearly destroyed DC.” Captain America: Brave New World was such a turd, I was really nervous about them linking the Thunderbolts* plot to that MCU turdmuffin. Thankfully, that was the only reliance on the CapAm connection, until the very end, which of course I can’t talk about because it’s a huge spoiler. Net net, Thunderbolts* sets up the new MCU story arc far better than CapAm did.

My favorite character is Bob, played by Lewis Pullman. I loved him in Outer Range and Top Gun: Maverick. And he’s the son of actor Bill Pullman. He absolutely played an amazing range of “characters” in this movie. That’s about all I can say without spoiling it. Needless to say, I’m excited to see how his character develops in future movies.

There was only one scene that felt boring and slow. It’s right before the big bad happens. Yelena and her dad, the Red Guardian, are having their emotional moment. Yawn. I had to pee, so I used that time to run out of the theater to pee. When I got back, my friends said, “You missed nothing.” That’s pretty decent for a 2-hour movie to have only one scene that feels like it drags.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that Thunderbolts* wasn’t terrible. In fact, I thought it was exceptionally well done. But maybe my bar is also set really low for Marvel lately. Hopefully, with Thunderbolts* and Daredevil: Born Again both being quite good, I actually have some excitement for the MCU again after a couple years of flops. I’m also extremely excited for The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie as well, since it looks like it’ll connect to this franchise and might also be quite good.

A final side note: The trailer for the new Superman movie made me cry. It was the firs trailer of the night and I bawled. I know in a previous review I worried that James Gunn would ruin Superman. But, so far, based on trailers, I think this might just be a fucking amazing movie.

I recommend going to see Thunderbolts* in the theater!