First Take: Thunderbolts* - normal Marvel service is resumed

SYNOPSIS: After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

When Phase 5 began within the MCU not even two years ago (with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), it felt like Kevin Feige was having an identity crisis with the cinema side of it - the TV shows over on Disney+ had gone down well at the expense of all but a select few feature entries. But as one story ends on the big screen, another one begins - Thunderbolts* is a return to form, and just in time too with things we CANNOT dare spoil this soon after release.

Jake Scheirer of Robot & Frank fame is the man tasked with bringing the curtain down on this era of the MCU, in its 36th (yes, 36th) feature film - and what’s he’s done is go back to basics, taking clear influence from how James Gunn handled the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and applying it to what is, effectively, their own version of the Suicide Squad that Gunn himself now oversees. As a result, working to a script from Eric Pearson and Joanna Kalo, this film is able to balance the darkness of what we ultimately see around the final act, along with the humour we have come to know from earlier MCU efforts, in a 2 hour 6 minute film that is paced well, delivers edge of seat moments, and will go down as required viewing in a storyline we’re gonna see play out over the next few years - even if it suffers from the usual predictability at times. Cinematography wise, Andrew Droz Palermo did an incredible job here, with the film looking crisp on a 4K laser projection system, and Schreier’s long-time musical collaborators Son Lux (the band behind Everything Everywhere All At Once’s score) are allowed to do what they do best in another act of creative freedom from the powers that be.

This cast though, are one of the main reasons this film is able to work as well as it does. Marvel get to welcome back Florence Pugh (who once again delivers some standout work), Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus back to MCU feature film projects, with welcome debuts to Wyatt Russell (picking up right where he left off in Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Lewis Pullman and Geraldine Viswanathan for good measure. With production taking place after 2023’s actors and writers’ strikes, it feels like the delays helped more than it hindered, because from what I understand it didn’t require many reshoots - and you can tell. It’s an MCU film which feels enjoyable, and good to watch, something I’ve not been able to say that often since Endgame. Now with a clean slate and a creative refresh, I have started to feel excited for Fantastic Four: First Steps and beyond. That should say a lot about where the quality of these films were prior to Thunderbolts* opening in cinemas.

THE VERDICT

Thunderbolts* is the perfect way to completely revitalise the MCU after a period of it being stale and, for some, overly cliched. Stay back during the credits because, as is tradition… events transpire which will start hype trains rolling (and try and see it on opening weekend if possible - it’s gonna be all over the internet sooner rather than later). It finally feels like the creative handcuffs are off, as this year’s output from Marvel Studios has felt a lot more unique and not made by committee. Roll on the summer and Phase 6 kicking off.

RATING: 4/5