Movie Evaluation: Marvel's Team-Up Thunderbolts* Highlighting Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan's Commanding Performance
3/5 stars
Thunderbolts
If the creators behind the Marvel Cinema Universe (MCU) intended to address the post-Endgame lethargy, they certainly achieved it with the Thunderbolts. Emphatically stating, "The Avengers are not walking through that door," we're left with a team that couldn't be more disparate.
In the MCU, the Thunderbolts are more of a ragtag, morally grey assemblage than a superhero team. Sometimes, they're referred to as the "defective losers." This motley crew of outcasts isn't exactly harmonious.
This squad, overseen by the enigmatic Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), carries out high-risk missions. Unlike their comic book counterparts—where Baron Zemo forms the team to manipulate the public—the MCU's roster comprises reformed villains, antiheroes, and government assets with questionable loyalties.
Squad Composition
Here's a glimpse into this diverse cast:
- Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) - A Black Widow-trained assassin and Natasha Romanoff’s sister, Yelena's currently questioning authority.
- James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) - Former Winter Soldier, now a deprogrammed hero offering his services to the team.
- Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) - A Soviet-era super-soldier and Yelena’s father figure.
- Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) - An operative who was abandoned by SHIELD and is driven by survival.
- Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) - A former brainwashed assassin who's recently freed from her father's control.
- John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) - A disgraced Captain America successor with unstable super-soldier enhancements.
- Bob Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) - A mysterious powerhouse with unclear allegiances.
Background & Motivations
The team is orchestrated by Valentina to conduct covert black-ops missions, reflecting the U.S. government’s troubling history of unethical super-soldier programs. These characters struggle with trust issues and grappling with the consequences of their past actions, as they attempt to find stability and redemption.
- The 'Thunderbolts' movie, with its 3/5 star rating, seems likely to offer an intriguing blend of culture and arts, given its focus on the entertainment industry's troubled history, reflected through its portrayal of questionable government programs.
- The disparate team assembled in this movie, including characters like James "Bucky" Barnes and Yelena Belova, offers a fascinating perspective on the arts of storytelling, demonstrating the entertainment value of complex and morally grey characters.
- The inclusion of Marvel staples like the Avengers and their definitive absence, as well as the emergence of new characters like the Thunderbolts, points towards a potential shift in the entertainment landscape, suggesting a move away from the traditional hero-focused narratives.
- The towns that the Thunderbolts traverse in the movie might experience a boost in tourism, given the presence of several characters with extensive backstories, particularly those like Yelena Belova and John Walker, offering a mix of movies-and-TV entertainment and real-life intrigue.
- The development of the Thunderbolts and their journey towards redemption, as depicted in the paper, could potentially serve as a metaphor for societal malaise, offering entertainments that encourage self-reflection and personal growth.
