{"id":31172,"date":"2025-04-30T11:13:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T18:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=31172"},"modified":"2025-04-30T11:13:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T18:13:18","slug":"thunderbolts-is-a-little-stronger-than-recent-superhero-outings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=31172","title":{"rendered":"THUNDERBOLTS* Is a Little Stronger Than Recent Superhero Outings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Running Time: 126 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feature from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios\nopens exclusively in theaters and IMAX screens on May 2nd<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking the motion picture world by storm, it has been\na slow couple of years for Marvel Studios. Yes, the recent Deadpool &\nWolverine<\/em> was a colossal hit, but it appeared only tangentially connected\nto other studio efforts (which may have been a good thing). Comparatively,\nseveral other titles from the past two phases of films have struggled to make a\nlasting impression. Of course, in part this is because after 35 films, it\u2019s\nhard to see much that is original. Thunderbolts*<\/em> attempts to buck the\nrecent downward trend by focusing on downtrodden and eccentric characters. It\nresults in one of the better titles of this particular phase, although it is\nstill not without problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The central plot involves Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh),\nex-Black Widow operative and adopted sister of now deceased Natasha Romanov aka\nBlack Widow (who was played by Scarlett Johansson). The agent still works for\ncrooked CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) but\nfeels disillusioned and lost. With de Fontaine\u2019s sketchy secret activities\ncoming under government scrutiny, Yelena is sent on a mission and unexpectedly\nencounters several antiheroes, including the Taskmasker (Olga Kurylenko),\nrejected Captain America successor John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr aka\nGhost (Hannah John-Kamen) and the mysterious Bob (Lewis Pullman). It turns out\nto be an elaborate set-up and Yelena ends up on the run with others, eventually\nteaming with Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and her\nadopted dad, Red Guardian (David Harbour), to try and foil de Fontaine\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The conceit is a good one. We\u2019ve seen plenty of seemingly\nflawless and immensely talented superheroes, but these characters have issues\nand seem more prone to failure, adding some tension to the proceedings. This\neffort also doesn\u2019t feel as epic as some of the other Marvel titles, allowing\nit a slightly grittier and more personal feel. There are a few memorable action\nscenes, particularly during the final act. This involves a battle on a busy\ncity street filled with the potential for collateral damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This slightly more intimate approach also lends the film the\nopportunity to address more trials and past traumas of the characters. They all\nhave horrible histories, and a minor subplot suggests that some of the\nindividuals yearn for some recognition, which leads to some funny observations\non fame and becoming a celebrity. Additionally, the cast are all solid in their\nroles. Not all of the bickering between them earns big laughs, but there are\nsome funny quips and the name of the team is an amusing running gag. It\u2019s also\na winning moment to see the less-than-perfect individuals attempt to become\nheroes when trouble ultimately does arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Of course, as with many recent Marvel outings, there are\nproblems. The leads aren\u2019t the best of the best, and it is interesting to see\nYelena take a different approach towards the main threat during the climax.\nHowever, with the exception of the street scene noted earlier, the group\ndoesn’t do a whole lot over the course of the story. One does wish that these\noff-brand characters weren\u2019t simply reacting and, even while struggling, did a\nlittle more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And as is the way with recent franchise films, there isn\u2019t a\nbig finale to the proceedings. Earlier Marvel would include a specific villain\nand tie up the majority of plot threads. Admittedly, there is an end, but it\nfeels like the screenplay is ultimately offering more set-up than pay-off. As\nthe credits roll, many of the figures involved appear destined to square off\nyet again down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thunderbirds*<\/em> isn\u2019t a full return to the glory days\nof Marvel movies, but it is a decent effort that, thanks to its talented cast,\noffers some chuckles, a moment or two of drama and an exciting action sequence\nor two. It’s a perfectly entertaining popcorn flick and one that will be\nappreciated by comic book movie enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time: 126 minutes This feature from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios opens exclusively in theaters and IMAX screens on May 2nd. After taking the motion picture world by storm, it has been a slow couple of years for Marvel Studios. Yes, the recent Deadpool & Wolverine was a colossal hit, but it appeared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[216,5304,7679,8845,11132,12310,13340,13341,19362,22841,22842,22843,22844,23943,24536],"class_list":["post-31172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-216","tag-david-harbour","tag-florence-pugh","tag-hannah-john-kamen","tag-julia-louis-dreyfus","tag-lewis-pullman","tag-marvel-studios","tag-marvel-universe","tag-superhero","tag-thunderbolts","tag-thunderbolts-film-review","tag-thunderbolts-movie-review","tag-thunderbolts-review","tag-walt-disney-studios","tag-wyatt-russell"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31172\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}