Thunderbolts* (Christian Movie Review)
Thunderbolts* is easily the best MCU film in years, offering compelling characters, a meaningful story, and—most importantly—the sense of direction and purpose the franchise has desperately needed.
About the Film
The Marvel Cinematic Universe needs a victory. The once-undisputed champion of Hollywood has been mired by an unbroken series of critical/commercial failures and off-screen controversies. In an almost meta way, Thunderbolts* probes the question of what a post-Avengers world looks like and whether a new batch of heroes has what it takes to fill the void. On the surface, a movie about sidekicks and third-string heroes seems like an unlikely vehicle to get the franchise back on track. But against all odds, it succeeds. Like an aging athlete who digs deep for one more match, the film proves that Marvel still has the goods to tell an entertaining comic book story. Thunderbolts* is easily the best MCU film in years, offering compelling characters, a meaningful story, and—most importantly—the sense of direction and purpose the franchise has desperately needed.
In one sense, Thunderbolts* is a remix of familiar MCU elements. It combines a goofy Guardians of the Galaxy-esque ensemble of bantering anti-heroes with the grittier tone of Captain America: Winter Soldier. But rather than feeling derivative, the approach effectively guards against the excesses that derailed previous installments in the series. It is one of the funniest MCU films in years, with Florence Pugh showcasing some excellent comedic timing. Yet the humor never feels forced. The MCU seems to have learned all the right lessons from its string of recent failures, and Thunderbolts* returns to what made the franchise the biggest thing going in cinema for more than a decade.
The film owes much of its success to its superb cast. Black Widow (2021) is often lost in the shuffle of the flashier, more cosmic MCU stories, but it may ultimately prove to be among the most consequential. Florence Pugh as Yelena demonstrates real promise and enough star power to carry the torch of the franchise into the future. Her combination of butt-kicking strength and earned vulnerability make her character sympathetic. Fellow Black Widow-alumni David Harbour (Red Guardian) is fantastic as well. He infuses the story with plenty of humor and establishes himself as the potential “Drax” of the new MCU. The characters are “anti-heroes,” but they are continually striving for goodness rather than reveling in the worst parts of their nature. They may not be traditional “good guys,” but they are relatable good guys, which makes them compelling.
Director Jake Schreier, a newcomer to the MCU, delivers the most impressive filmmaking the series has seen in some time. The action is well choreographed and exciting, such as a long-take, top-down action sequence of Yelena advancing down a long hallway dispatching bad guy goons, which is evocative of John Wick.
Perhaps thanks to Schreier’s prior experience directing music videos, Thunderbolts* is elevated by some striking visual storytelling. The MCU antagonists have often been mirrors of the heroes. Thunderbolts* takes that premise even further by pitting the heroes against literal personifications of their internal darkness and despair. The film effectively utilizes light and a motif of mirrors to create some surprisingly impactful visual moments. Thunderbolts* may be an entertaining comic book film, but it demonstrates a degree of thoughtfulness and intentionality that elevates it above the fray of the genre.
Thunderbolts* is the first MCU film in years to inspire legitimate optimism for the franchise, as it is actually about something and doesn’t feel like merely another cog in the Marvel machine. By distancing itself from the convoluted, mostly uninteresting multiverse framework and returning to the franchise’s roots, Thunderbolts* offers an intriguing path forward for the MCU.
On the Surface—(Profanity, Sexual content, violence, etc.).
Language: There are frequent profanities (mostly “s—”), as well as numerous religious exclamations, including “G— D—,“ “J—” and “J— C—.”
Violence: Mostly standard MCU bloodless violence. The most extreme moments involve two characters who get shot in the face (the first is not shown; the second is masked, although some blood emerges from the wound). There is also some violence directed toward children, including a repeated flashback in which a child is shot and killed (the murder always happens off screen) and some kids who are abused with a whip (again, the action happens just off screen).
Sexuality: None.
Engage The Film
Righteousness and Power
Thunderbolts* is about power—both what it is and what it takes to obtain and wield it. The film explores the question of whether it is the heroes’ internal character or merely their superpowers that are necessary to keep the world safe. The plot involves the “Sentry” project, a secretive government initiative to create superheroes in a lab. But as one character muses, giving power to noble men like Steve Rodgers/Captain America is one thing, but what happens when superpowers are bestowed on less virtuous people? Isn’t there more to being a hero than possessing power?
CIA leader Valentina de Fontaine doesn’t think so (or doesn’t care, as long as she’s the one who controls that power). She declares, “Righteousness without power is just an opinion.” In her view, good intentions and virtue are admirable. But if you want real change, you must wield power. Similarly, Bucky wavers between his dueling personas as “Congressman Bucky” and “The Winter Soldier.” He wants to enact change, but showcasing power and strength seems to be the only way to do so. The rest of the Thunderbolts have the necessary strengths and abilities, but they question whether they have the “goodness” it takes to be heroes.
The film’s underlying theme is that character matters. Yes, there is an unmistakable hint of political commentary to the message. The government official in charge of the project is willing to abandon ethical considerations in order to accomplish “good ends.” Her declaration, “I’m unimpeachable!” is an on-the-nose allusion. But the theme more broadly challenges the “might makes right” philosophy that has become popular in today’s culture, both inside and outside the Christian community.
When a newly created superhero sees himself as a god, he is challenged that he is throwing around that title too flippantly. He remarks that he is all-powerful (even more so than Thor, who is considered a literal god in the MCU universe), and isn’t that what it means to be a god? He then concludes, “Why would a god take orders from anyone?” The film demonstrates that attempts to play God inevitably lead to destruction. God is all-powerful, but also all-loving and all-good. Power without righteousness is a devastating force. Ultimately, righteous character rather than raw power proves to be the mark of a true hero.
