Is Thunderbolts Worth Watching? Full Review

Thunderbolts* –2025

Director Jake Schreier
Screenplay Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wendell Pierce

After years of less satisfying results, the expectations for Thunderbolts* is minimal. It is a more focused effort. Although somewhat brief, it generally wins for many good reasons.

The story starts centered on the malaise of super “fixer” Yelena Belova (Pugh). She goes from job to job, working undercover for Louis-Dreyfus’ CIA Head De Fontaine. She hasn’t talked to father figure the Red Guardian (Harbour) in over a year. Her past merges with her present as something that gives more shame than pride.

Simultaneously, Red Guardian is now a limo driver in D.C. waiting to be called in to be a hero somewhere, anywhere.

De Fontaine is currently being investigated for impeachment. Congressman Gary (Pierce) leads the investigation. He suspects nefariousness but cannot yet prove it. In efforts to keep it from being proven, De Fontaine sends Belova to a remote location to finish the cleanup.

Once there, she finds that she is a target in a mish mash of John Walker / US Agent (a bluntly charming Russell), Taskmaster (Kurlyenko) and Ava Starr / Ghost (John-Kamen). As they understand the trap set for them, they encounter Bob (Pullman). He is the lone product of a series of experiments commissioned by the CIA Boss.

They escape, of course, but lose Bob in the process. Then Red Guardian comes to their rescue and Bucky Barnes (Stan) comes to their collective rescue.

The path that Bob takes is subtly acted by the gifted Pullman. He has the gentleness and earnestness of his real life father, Bill Pullman. That the film doesn’t exploit Bob’s character more is a shame. They could easily have fleshed his story out more.

Pugh, as ever, is fantastic. She has the acting skill to pull off the depth of a real person inside a comic book character. In turn, her performance brings more out of the rest of the cast, Harbour’s in particular. The emotional catharsis in the climax of the third act is profound. It makes her heroic decisions completely acceptable, regardless of the result.

The last act feels a bit rushed. They might have developed a few of the minor characters more. The Thunderbolts could have made more actual team efforts. This would have made the film seem more than just a bridge to the next Avengers movie. Apart from that, this film is very rewatchable. Desire for repeat viewing is something that many of the recent MCU films and TV series have lacked.
(**** out of *****)