Thunderbolts*

Grade: B

When I wrote about Gran Turismo, I singled out star David Harbour as possibly “my favorite actor who doesn’t act. He puts on more of a presence than a performance.” I didn’t give him enough credit. I won’t give him too much, though. We still won’t see him at the Oscars, other than as a presenter for a minor category (I’d love to be wrong one day), but he puts on a performance of sorts in Thunderbolts*. After Black Widow, he’s back as Alexei Shostakov, and he has fun hamming it up. Thunderbolts* is one of the better movies I’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s easily accessible, has momentum, has subtext that is a little on-the-nose but not too much, and goes down easily. To quote one of Shostakov’s broken English one-liners, “That’s what I talk about!”

Fans of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s involvement as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will be pleased, as she is heavily in Thunderbolts*. She is a CIA Director, facing impeachment. In an attempt to clean her slate, she sends Yelena, John Walker, Ava Starr, and Taskmaster on what they think is a mission, in a deep basement floor of an O.X.E. facility. Her plan was to trap them down there and burn them alive, but of course, they find a way out. While down there, they meet Bob – an awkward, unassuming guy who nobody knows. Back on the ground, they are joined by Shostakov and Bucky Barnes, and temporarily name themselves the Thunderbolts.

The “ragtag group of misfits” thing has been done before, but this crew grew on me more than certain guardians. They have wittier sarcastic quips, and the film doesn’t throw a bunch of classic rock songs at us as a smokescreen. I continue the tradition of seeing Florence Pugh (as Yelena) in all of her live action movies since Midsommar. Her mostly deadpan delivery and thick accent constrain her from giving us the kind of acting she’s really capable of, but she looks great and tough and fierce. Rounding out the ensemble is the likes of Sebastian Stan, Lewis Pullman, Wyatt Russell (the father in Blumhouse’s Night Swim), and the lovely and wonderful Geraldine Viswanathan (You’re Cordially Invited, Drive-Away Dolls). Currently relevant themes such as depression and making old skeletons in your closet go away so you can become unimpeachable are incorporated in almost-too-obvious ways.

By the end, we understand the meaning behind the asterisk at the end of the title. Spoilers about anything Marvel are quite prevalent, so if you want to know, you can easily find out. Hell, just look at any of this main cast’s upcoming projects in IMDb. Anyway, it’s the most eager and optimistic I’ve been to see more in this wildly popular, multi-phased series. Thunderbolts* has enjoyable humor/banter. The plot kept me engaged, and I didn’t check out. For one of the few times in the MCU, it was a pleasure to be with these characters on their journey.

Grade: B