Thunderbolts* 4K UHD Review: Dir. Jake Schreier

Thunderbolts* is a return to form for the MCU – with a great ensemble, this is an emotional, funny and action-packed adventure!

Feature Review by Pete Messum

In recent years Marvel Studios have expand their cinematic roster to include new characters as well as returning to old favourites, but with less of a sense of direction for the saga. Thunderbolts* (*now officially The New Avengers) presents itself as the culmination of several plot threads that have been left dangling during the MCU’s fourth phase, bringing together a seemingly random selection of characters for a team-up movie designed in stark (!) contrast to the Avengers films.

Directed by Jake Schreier, with a story by Eric Pearson and the screenplay from Pearson and Joanna Calo, sees the shady Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) sending her least-trusted agents on a mission to kill one another, ensuring that none of their activities can be traced back to her. Her top agent Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is having something of an identity crisis, and as she encounters her fellow agents John Walker / US Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr / Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), begins to realise that not only have they all been played, but that Valentina’s plans may pose a greater threat than they anticipated. Teaming up alongside Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour) and the mysterious but unassuming Bob (Lewis Pullman), the newly formed Thunderbolts* (team name pending) must become the kinds of superheroes seen on cereal boxes…if they can overcome their personal issues.

If this sounds similar to certain anti-hero films from that other popular comic book franchise, rest assured that Thunderbolts* has enough of its own unique tone and style to remain distinct. Also, unlike those films, this presents a team of already-established characters, dispensing with introductions, backstory and exposition to keep the plot moving at a brisk 127 minutes. Audiences who aren’t up to date on the MCU shouldn’t have too many issues keeping up with who’s who and what they can do (“we all just punch and shoot,” reminds Yelena at one point), although it may be worth watching Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier if you haven’t already, given that both of those projects set up the main emotional arcs of this film.

Florence Pugh is the standout as Yelena, her arc delves into complex themes, and her dynamic with Lewis Pullman as Bob makes for some of the film’s strongest moments. It may have taken 7 years for Hannah John-Kamen to return as Ghost but it’s welcome as she bounces off her co-stars in fun ways, while Wyatt Russell reprises his role as “asshole Captain America” with a certain glee in his eye. Louis-Dreyfus sinks her teeth into a leading role as Valentina (who has only appeared in cameos and supporting roles until now), bringing the sense of humour one would expect from the actor whilst never shying away from the character’s suspicious intentions, and then David Harbour brings in the comedy as Alexei with his distinctive red costume and booming voice. The father/daughter dynamic between Alexei and Yelena leads to some fun moments (Pugh hilariously captures the sheer embarrassment of her goofy dad joining her on a secret mission with a group of trained killers), but also some heartfelt moments, with one key scene near the end tugging at the heart strings.

Thunderbolts* swiftly moves between tragedy and comedy, resulting in one of the darkest and funniest MCU films. There’s a running theme about depression that develops into a unique third-act confrontation against an antagonist with a visually striking look. There is some great action sequences littered throughout with fluid camera movement and solid fight choreography, and with the lack of super-powered characters, the action is less reliant on CGI than other MCU entries (although there a few moments of unconvincing CG doubles). It’s also surprisingly refreshing to see the protagonists actually saving civilians in the third act, rather than focusing on punching a disposable army of bad guys. Hopefully we’ll see more of this in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday.

All in all, Thunderbolts* is a strong return to form for the MCU, developing its protagonists further and delivering a satisfying story that could only be told in this connected universe. This may still be a family-friendly blockbuster, but the film’s willingness to go into some dark places adds a sense of maturity that the humour never undercuts, emphasised by Andrew Droz Palermo‘s steely, almost monochromatic cinematography. It’s not exactly the quirky indie movie that some of the marketing has pushed it as, yet it holds together as an emotional, funny and action-packed summer blockbuster. This might not be the best MCU movie since Avengers: Endgame (that’s still certainly Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), but Thunderbolts* is well worth checking out – and, as ever, stick around for those end credits scenes.

Special Features review by Dan Bullock

On this specific steelbook release, as well as the standard 4K UHD release, will give you 2-discs. On the UHD you get the film, etc but the only extra there is the audio commentary. However, on the additional Blu-ray, you get all the bonuses which I explored and enjoyed!

The first featurette, Around the World and Back Again, opens us up with Florence Pugh talking about Yelena, and her trying to find a way of the void she’s found herself in. She’s not really trying to connect to reality, and is aware, but a deep depression has set in, which is understandable considering the events gone before. This film gives her the chance to find who she is and who she wants to be, and this is discussed by Pugh, Exec Producer and Director Jake Schreier.

They also go into the massive sequence with Pugh standing on top of that huge Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, and it’s fascinating to hear from base jumpers – with Katie Lajeunesse leading the way. We then see when Pugh came in, after a lot of training and planning, who not only points out how much she loves heights, but also how unique an opportunity this is. It all leads up to her standing on top of that building for real and even jumping off – although with a lot of support and rigging, perfectly technically planned of course and we hear from Heidi Moneymaker, the stupendous stuntwoman making things happen. These are creating heart in mouth moments, and it shows the exceptional levels of production.

Assembling a Team to Remember initially comments on how they’ve been wanting to make Thunderbolts since Black Widow. And it roots further into the relationship between Yelena and Alexei (David Harbour) as well, emotive depth and all, which is vital to the film. Sebastian Stan discusses Bucky’s story to this point, and where he’s at now, and what he brings to the new team. And then there’s John Walker, Wyatt Russell, who could have been the best ‘next’ Cap but at a huge loss, and he needs to realise what he’s done to get where he will be next. Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost is looking at finding a family, but who’s hers? This her hope to be part of something, out of barely much.

All About Bob, Sentry and The Void – Now we’re somewhere even more fascinating with Lewis Pullman’s character, which becomes one of the toughest switches in Marvel for a long time, a deep character with multiple edges and changes, and especially into what he’ll become. Why has he been locked away in a box for so long? Well… Sentry has one hell of a journey, and what could look cheesy, looks powerful, and you’ll see how even the costume can cause the character to act differently, it’s great stuff. There’s also a chat with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who’s Valentina has been growing in the MCU for a few years now, and overall, the intensity and darkness of this creation is exciting.

And then, to tie things up, you’ve got the always welcome Gag Reel – and if you want a teaser, watch it here and I’ve added it below as well – as well some deleted scenes, finishing off with audio commentary on the film from director Jake Schreier.