Marvel movies whether on big screens or little of late have been less than blockbusters, and some have just been busts. But this new franchise called the Thunderbolts (with one carry over character–the Winter Soldier) shows some promise. It involves a group of losers with certain sets of skills (but none of them can fly), who have a chance at redemption in the form of battling a President (played by a wicked Julie Louis Dreyfus) who wishes to take over the world by having developed a new all powerful super dude called the Sentry. Big problem, he’s a former druggie a head case, and chronically depressed. What could possibly go wrong when one gives him super powers?
Missing is the old pizzazz and arch humor of the Lee and Jack Kirby era, but there are a few scenes that make one smile, and even more that deal with the theme of everyone’s need for love and a sense of self-worth. Mostly this is an action flick where one has to suspend ones disbelieve again and again in some scenes, where our anti-heroes should be killed several times over. But looking ahead at the summer fare, apart from the last episode of Mission Impossible, there appears to be almost nothing but reboots of dubious quality.
The one new standout acting performance is by Florence Pugh as Yelena, the daughter of Alexi, who dresses like a buffoon from the Deadpool series. The 2 hours and six minutes largely focus on Yelena’s character and her story, and that is worth watching. So there is hope that the next episode of the Thunderbolts will take another step in the right direction
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