For the first time since Avengers:Endgame, I went to go see a Marvel movie on opening night. I saw Thunderbolts* last night and I am so incredibly happy that I did. Even though I always promise to never reveal any spoilers in these posts, I know some people may be leery to read the full thing. So let me save you the time. I loved Thunderbolts* so much that I am going back to see it again tomorrow morning. It was that good.
When I see a Marvel movie, there is a simple recipe to make me happy. I need: action, a decent story, some heart and/or humor, and awesome special effects. Thunderbolts* hit it out of the park in every single aspect.
The movie comes out of the gate on fire! Not only does the opening scene have some amazing action and excellent fight choreography (where were you in Havoc?!) it also mixes in some humor as well. Actually, at every turn the film manages to mix in humor at just the right time. The writers knew exactly how to break the tension with a quick one liner. At other times, they provided full belly laughs. And there were plenty of those.
As all marvel movies do, Thunderbolts* go through the formula of action... then a story set up... more action... a little more story... more action... a very important part of the story... and finally the big boss battle. As long as the story in between the action sequences is well written and the action manages to work in enough originality and excitement to raise the audience's heart rate, the formula is always going to be a success.
If this were all the movie had I would have been happy. But where the Thunderbolts* really makes it mark is with the humor and the heart. They did not have to make a choice, they did both perfectly.
This movie is made for anyone who has ever felt like a loser at any point in their lives... which is, as far as I know, literally everyone in the world. No one is perfect. Everyone has screwed up. This movie reminds us that it is OK to fail... as long as you keep getting up and you stick together. It also reminds you that life is tough and it is OK not to be OK.
When the Thunderbolts* first strikes, it may seem like this is just a fun, hilarious, nonsense, action, popcorn movie. But it is so much more. Sadly I can't really get into the underlying meaning without spoiling anything so that will have to wait a while until everyone has seen it. And every marvel fan must see this.
TLDR; It is the 2nd best of the 13 Phase 4 and Phase 5 Marvel movies. I'd put Guardians of the Galaxy 3 slightly ahead of Thunderbolts* and Wolverine and Deadpool slightly behind it. It is a tight 3 way race, and all of them have all of the traits I look for. Go see this movie ASAP on the biggest screen you can find!
