Product Info

Studio

Marvel Studios

Director

Jake Schreier

Genre

Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated

PG-13

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

May 2, 2025

Film Length

2hr 6min

Purchase From

Thunderbolts* is a new entry that feels like a mixture between Guardians of the Galaxy and DC’s Suicide Squad. There are plenty of comical moments on this ride with some bumps along the road.

The Misfit Team

© MARVEL 2025

Taking place after the events of Marvel’s last film, Captain America: Brave New World, the movie revolves around a group of mercenaries who were hired to kill each other at an abandoned facility and are set to perish there to keep a top-secret government project from being exposed. Some of the members that the audience may remember from previous Marvel films include Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, from Ant-Man and the Wasp and Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, from Black Widow. The film does a good enough job for newcomers to have some idea of the characters to follow throughout the film. The characters themselves give solid performances with their acting, especially Yelena who the film mainly focuses on.

Watching a few of these films mentioned earlier would add more background to each of the Thunderbolts but doesn’t feel required and that’s a great thing. However, there are moments some characters receive more attention than others. For example, Ghost doesn’t receive as much time compared to Yelena as the audience watches more of her growing and becoming someone she wants to be, a public figure that does good like her sister that died a year prior. A little more attention given to other character backstory would enhance the film.

In Your Face

© MARVEL 2025

When these mercenaries are drawn to the facility, the choreography feels marvelous during the action scenes and the cuts from scene-to-scene are enjoyable to watch. From knife throwing to hand-to-hand combat, the film wasn’t afraid to get more violent as the film went on, especially in the first half. The battle within the facility kicked off the movie with a strong start, as each character went after one another and defended themselves. This scene offers a fun twist that is often not used in movies. The pacing does go into different speeds further into the film but the comical aspect helps to keep the story engaging.

The movie tosses in an unexpected character named Bob, who apparently was a test subject that was sent to be killed in the abandoned facility. The interaction he has along with the other members of Thunderbolts was both comical and heartwarming as viewers watch these characters grow together.

Things go into a deeper, emotional dilemma towards the end of the film that feels like watching a Dr. Strange film but not as wild in computer-generated imagery (CGI). Instead, it created interesting transitions and cuts in-between scenes that lead up to the cliffhanger of the fight.

Sound effects are great as usual with Marvel films from explosions and the hand-to-hand fights. The film’s orchestrated soundtrack, while not mesmerizing, did a good job transitioning between scenes and during dialogue tension. Nothing ground-breaking as the film’s soundtrack did its job to keep the audience engaged.

Internal Struggles

© MARVEL 2025

The film is more about an internal struggle than anything outside. For example, in Captain America: Brave New World, the stakes were much bigger as it pertained to obtaining global power and was a much more serious film. In Thunderbolts*, with a group of misfit characters put together in a position where it was more for vengeance and rescuing a friend.

With many comical scenes, the film was trying to pull the audience into serious tones that made it feel too much back-and-forth, making it an inconsistent tone. Thunderbolts* felt it was pushing both humor and serious tones together too much and feels like it should let it go on cruise control.

The Final Mission

Thunderbolts* is a fun and enjoyable ride with a likable cast of misfits. It won’t dethrone films like Guardians of the Galaxy but it’s good to see a successful shift in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that is much needed.

An early screening provided for this review. Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters on May 2, 2025. Fans can visit the official website for showtimes and tickets.