Thunderbolts* (2025) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

• Grade – B
• Florence Pugh is perfection. She delivers one of the best-ever performances in an MCU film
• I like that it aspires to be nothing more than a fun movie (and a back-to-basics style experience)
• Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell work well together.
• Once again, Florence Pugh is really good. It’s no surprise, but Thunderbolts* proves she can lead giant tentpole films. 
• It’s a clunky film with a lot of wedged-in dialogue for people who haven’t watched every single MCU movie/show, but it still manages to be a good time
• DP Andrew Droz Palermo (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) and production designer Grace Yun (Hereditary, Past Lives, Beef, First Reformed) do good work within the MCU confines
• I want a party limo

After years of watching Marvel Cinematic Universe properties that feature sun restoration, Egyptian gods, pissed-off witches, quantum realms, and quip-loving gods, watching a group of earth-bound antiheroes bickering about how to escape an underground bunker is very refreshing. I love all-powerful shenanigans and pissed-off witches, but after years of CGI smack-em-ups, sometimes you need to watch a Russian assassin bicker with a “dime-store Captain America” about handgun size.” Thunderbolts* is not a return to form for the MCU, but it’s proof Kevin Feige and crew are attempting to refocus on engaging characters who team up with other engaging characters to battle world-ending threats.

Led by Florence Pugh, who gives an all-time best MCU performance, Thunderbolts* works because of its focus on superheroes who have a hard time lifting large pieces of building rubble. The film revolves around a melancholy Yelena Belova (Pugh), who after the events of Black Widow and Avengers: Endgame is working odd jobs for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The off-the-book missions have her destroying well-guarded Malaysian laboratories and other black sites that house secrets Valentina would like buried. Yelena hasn’t talked to her “dad” Alexei “Red Guardian” Shostakov (David Harbour – loving life) in over a year, and when she finally visits him, he says “The light inside you is dim, even by Eastern European standards.” To get a “more public-facing” gig that will give her life some meaning, Helena makes a deal with de Fontaine (the “de” is stressed) to go on one more job. She’s tasked with stopping Ava “Ghost” Starr (Hannah John-Kamen) from breaking into a top secret location. During her mission, she’s attacked by John “US Agent” Walker (Wyatt Russell), who is in turn attacked by Antonia “Taskmaster” Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko). After a brief fight that releases a guy named Bob (Lewis Pullman) from cryo-sleep (or something like it), the group realizes they were sent to the location to be incinerated by de Fontaine – who because of a governmental inquiry is killing off loose ends. After surviving incineration, the collection of misfits work together to escape the cavernous facility in one of the funniest moments in MCU history.

As always, writing about MCU films is tough because there is a lot to spoil. I can say that there’s a great chase involving a “bulletproof” limo and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) gets a badass hero moment while riding a motorcycle. Also, it’s a delight watching the Thunderbolts* punching and shooting their way through villains. None of them can fly, so it’s nice that the ending doesn’t feature two all-powerful characters punching each other through buildings. 

The script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and Joanna Calo (The Bear, BoJack Horseman, Hacks) is fun and engaging and does a fine job smashing characters from several different properties together to create a likable team. The constant bickering and quippy lines don’t slow down the proceedings and David Harbour’s nonstop enthusiasm feels earnest instead of overbearing. The straightforward story is nice and it moves in a logical manner which allows the “anti-social tragedies in human form” to argue and bond. There are also small touches like Alexei’s limo business slogan “Protecting You From Boring Evening,” and in a nice grounding touch,  the group is named after Yelena’s childhood soccer team.

DP Andrew Droz Palermo (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) and production designer Grace Yun (Hereditary, Past Lives, Beef, First Reformed) do good work within the MCU confines and must’ve enjoyed adding a little bit of grit and texture to the blockbuster film. After Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: Brave New World, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s nice seeing an MCU film shooting in actual locations. There’s a lot of VFX involved and massive sets were built, but they don’t overpower the proceedings. 

The MVP of the film is Florence Pugh, who delivers a thoughtful and impressive performance. The Academy Award-nominated actor has excelled in movies like Midsommar, Little Women, Lady Macbeth and Fighting With my Family, but with Thunderbolts* she proves she can lead a tentpole blockbuster. Between Black Widow and Hawkeye, Pugh’s Helena has been a solid supporting character, but now she’s ready to lead. You can tell that director Jake Schreier respects and trusts Pugh because he gives her a lot to do and lets the camera linger on her while she monologues and deals with her past. 

Final Thoughts – Thunderbolts* is a good time and I’d love to see this group again.