Superheroes have trauma. That’s not an original idea. However, what happens when these superheroes have to face something more real and unsolvable than saving the world, such as actual depression and mental health issues? You get something greater than your average superhero popcorn blockbuster. That’s where Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* truly excels.
Over several years, discourse on the definition of “cinema” has been brought up time and time again, with the greatest filmmakers coming out and declaring their general non-preference for the superhero genre. Which, normally, no one could blame them for, given how much studios monetize franchises. However, even the most stringent of filmmakers need to recognize the idea that genres and mediums aren’t what dictate that definition. A great story, with great characters, emotional stakes, beautiful execution, and strong universal themes are what encapsulate the spirit of “cinema.” Though I wouldn’t necessarily categorize all MCU films to be worthy of the title, I do feel Thunderbolts* truly does deserve consideration (and in my opinion earns it).
While it’d be easy to write off a movie about flawed, traumatized antiheroes as cliched in the era of Batman or The Suicide Squad, I have yet to see a superhero film that acts as an actual visual metaphor for depression. In fact, very few superhero stories have the courage to tackle such subject matter. Trauma, sure. However, for any superhero movie to visually represent what it’s like to be in the maxed out state of hopelessness and despair that comes with such a status — well I honestly feel I’ve never seen that before. Nor have I ever identified on a human level with another superhero movie as much as I have with Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts* naturally is the culmination of several seeds planted in the MCU post-Endgame. When Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is sent on a mission by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (aka “Val” — aka Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to take care of a “spy going after classified information,” she discovers that all of Val’s “loose ends” have been set up to take each other out. Upon the discovery of the betrayal however, Yelena, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) find an unassuming civilian named Bob (Lewis Pullman) trapped in there with them. As the unlikely and uneasy allies team up to try to survive and escape Val’s pursuit, with the help of Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan), they begin to realize that there’s more to Bob than meets the eye, more to Valentina’s plan than they anticipated, and more to themselves than just their own sordid pasts and individual traumas have dictated.
If I were to make a comparison between Thunderbolts* and any other modern day movies (superhero or not), the answer may surprise you. Because to be frank, Thunderbolts* is almost more akin to an MCU version of Inside Out than any other movie in the studio’s storied 17-year history. This is because more than any other film in the MCU, Thunderbolts takes you both figuratively and metaphorically into the depths of the minds of several broken individuals: in particular Pullman’s Bob. However, this isn’t just Bob’s story or the story of how these individuals save Bob. This is a story about how saving Bob helps them to save themselves (oh, and the world).
When it comes to pulling off this abstract concept, director Jake Schreier (Beef) has done a wonderful job, understanding that this particular superhero movie shouldn’t be solely about the apocalyptic stakes or explosions, but more so about the very essence of having to deal with the human challenges of just trying to get up in the morning. Especially when someone hates themself, or is dealing with emotional and mental health issues. The true conflict, figuratively and literally, is one of an internal nature, as Bob wrestles with two different sides of himself: his “up” moments and his “down” moments, as mentioned at several points in the film. What happens to a person, however, when the “down” moments overwhelm the individual? Well they get sent into a literal prison of despair of their own making. Which then poses the question, who could possibly get someone out of this, when others are also overwhelmed with issues that are just as dark and complicated?
To me, that’s where Thunderbolts* is at its most compelling. The setting and mission isn’t to save New York, because the Avengers aren’t available. The setting is Bob’s subconscious, and the collective subconsciouses of each respective “hero.” The mission is for these characters to save themselves and Bob, otherwise how could they possibly save everyone else? In many cases, the Thunderbolts are the perfect team for this, because all of them on an individual level are dealing with, frankly, how much they truly hate themselves, both for the things they did, and what that’s turned them into.
The audience finds Yelena having an existential crisis about her work and place in life, carrying the heavy weight of her Red Room past. Walker is dealing with having his failure at becoming Captain America decimate his family life. Red Guardian has to relive his glory days via delusion on VHS because he’s essentially become a self-employed joke. Despite being self aware about how broken they are, they just can’t seem to pull themselves out of the holes they’ve dug for themselves.
And that’s the point. Sometimes when it comes to depression and despair, it takes more than a single person to get yourself out of the hole. The movie goes so far as to show this at least twice. In one humorous scene, the team is faced with escaping from a locked facility by climbing a long and narrow silo that extends hundreds of feet into the air (a literal hole, essentially). Individually no one would be able to rise to the top, but together, the team is able to. Going further into the film, once Bob’s “other self” comes into the picture, he’s thrown into a state of no return, overcome by his own personal depression. The caveat is that depression is manifesting itself in a literal void that is decimating everything in its radius. It takes the whole team of broken individuals to help get him out of this, because again, it’s an impossible challenge to overcome this alone. However the strength of others can definitely help one find strength in oneself.
Schreier’s specialty here is skillfully depicting that superpowers alone can’t get you through some of the biggest, most difficult challenges with being human: self-doubt, anger, feelings of inadequacy, sadness, and trauma. It’s something that humanizes these MCU characters, and also allows us, as the audience, to invest in the message of the power of shared and individual strength as a requirement to overcome even the biggest internal mental barriers. With the help of those around you, there’s hope, and you can get through the worst.
From an action level, Schreier also does something incredibly unique. Yes the action sequences are bangers. There’s a terrific four-way-fight scene in Act II, an amazing fight sequence with Bob and the rest of the team, an awesome car-chase with Bucky, Pugh’s jaw dropping stunt in the beginning of the film, and more. All terrific. However, when the film approaches its final act, I was incredibly impressed that Schreier was able to make the most thrilling scenes out of the antithesis of a Hollywood explosion; deafening silence. The apocalyptic event occurring in New York is one whose creep factor is amplified through the swift and silent shadow bursts happening throughout the busiest city on the planet. And it’s because of how Schreier plays with sound and imagery. Bob’s final act form as The Void is so incredibly creepy, with his silver eyes and shadowy, ghostly presence. As is watching random citizens around the city being evaporated in plain sight.
In lieu of the traditional third act battle we see in most superhero films, we are instead watching, an almost-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind inspired conflict, with a group of heroes navigating their way through one individual’s subconscious. All this while seeing New York drowned out in darkness and quiet. It’s effective, and different, so I must give him a ton of credit for it.
As with most MCU films, the script is also not without it’s hilarious moments. I definitely think, as far as the ensemble goes, Pullman, Pugh, and Harbour garner really big laughs. However, I was so surprised at how much funnier, and actually more likable, Russell’s Walker has become. The whole ensemble bounces off each other in a really fun way, and the chemistry between them is astoundingly good. It helps that they’re just really terrific or really underrated actors, who understand how to play off the beats their fellow cast members set up. Pugh and Pullman, for instance, have an easy and relatable chemistry (I’m absolutely shipping Bob-lova by the way!)
Pugh is really just a standout performer at this point, both in the MCU and her entire career. She’s an incredible actress, but what she brings to the role of Yelena is sincere empathy. Pugh injects the character with a sense of sympathetic humanity, that turns every single one of her line deliveries into something that either makes you laugh or breaks your heart.
The same can be said for Pullman. He makes Bob likable, even in his worst moments. There’s an innocence to him, and Pullman plays up the character’s desire for self improvement well, but also, on a dime, he can get darker. He has no trouble going between sweet-natured and self-sacrificing one minute, to scary and sinister the next.
Russell thrives greatly under Schreier’s direction, maintaining a likability he never had while on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, despite the fact that he’s great at also playing an asshole. I’ll say this though, while John-Kamen and Stan are wonderful, I have to say I wish the movie gave each of them just a bit more to do. I understand why we wouldn’t go as deep into Bucky’s story, given how much we’ve already seen of it. However, I still think the script hasn’t fully fleshed out Ava/Ghost as well as it should have. Especially with some lingering questions left after Ant-Man and the Wasp years ago.
In addition to Pugh and Pullman, though, the most noteworthy performances go to Louis-Dreyfus and Harbour. Louis-Dreyfus has never been more hateful as Val! In a movie about former villains and anti-heroes, I find it absolutely hilarious that the worst, most disgusting character ends up being the corrupt politician who is doing everything in her power to control what she can’t. As a villain, Louis-Dreyfus plays Val with a terrible smugness, a dash of humor, and pathetic desperation, that makes you really love to hate her. Harbour pumps so much energy into every frame he is in. Obviously this works incredibly well for comedy, but I was surprised by how emotional his interactions with Pugh made me, particularly in the final act of the movie.
On a technical level, the movie has a really excellent score, courtesy of renowned electronica group, and Academy Award Nominees, Son Lux. Movie buffs will instantly connect them with the terrific score from Everything Everywhere All At Once. On Thunderbolts*, they bring together some really lovely themes that are quite distinct from the average bombastic, sweeping Brian Tyler composition that the MCU is so fond of. I will say that from a cinematography standpoint, I did expect a bit more from The Green Knight‘s Andrew Droz Palermo. While there are many shots that are wonderful from Yelena’s first hallway fight sequence, to various eerie shots during the final New York incident, I just don’t think Palermo achieved similar heights with this one, given a lot of the film looks, relatively ordinary.
Still, a few minor quibbles won’t be enough to dissuade me from loving the hell out of Thunderbolts*. Maybe it isn’t a perfect movie, but to me it’s hands down the most mature and deeply complex Marvel Studios film we’ve seen in a long time. I found myself literally welling up in moments, just identifying with the hurt and broken nature of these individuals, and wanting better for them all. And that’s because no other superhero movie ever made has so eloquently and creatively explored the topics of mental health and depression before this. Thunderbolts* did not have to be this ambitious, in terms of the subject matter it decided to tackle. It didn’t need to go above and beyond to visualize depression in both entertaining and poignant ways. And yet, thanks to the terrific direction from Schreier, and really touching and wonderful performances from his ensemble, Thunderbolts* is able to transcend the expectations set by its own genre, and deliver something so much more human than any other MCU film before. In other words, once more, this is not just a superhero movie. Thunderbolts* truly *is* cinema!
Overall Score: A-
