The Thunderbolts*
Directed by Jake Schreier
★★★½
A Surprisingly Human Spin on Marvel’s Anti‑Heroes
Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, directed by Jake Schreier and scripted by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, is the breath of fresh air the MCU desperately needed. At last, a Marvel film that isn’t just digital spectacle—but a character-driven ensemble piece that actually feels grounded. And honestly? God, I love Julia Louis‑Dreyfus in this. She’s a revelation.
The film gathers a motley crew of MCU anti‑heroes under one roof—each someone morally ambiguous: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John‑Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). CEO‑type figure Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis‑Dreyfus, manipulates them into a CIA black‑ops mission, only to be double‑crossed when the team discovers she’s covering up a dark super‑soldier project. The result is a tense, friction‑filled ride toward group redemption… and eventual insurrection.
What’s most refreshing here is how “real” it all feels. Schreier’s decision to rely heavily on practical sets—deserts, helicopters, un‑forced interiors—gives the movie a classic texture you rarely see in modern superhero fare. Instead of clashing through endless green screens, many key sequences play out in a tangible environment that lets the emotional stakes breathe. The action is restrained but visceral. A mid‑mission helicopter showdown, for example, crackles not because of CG explosions, but due to choreography and obstacle navigation. It’s a throwback feeling done right.
Florence Pugh steals every scene she’s in as Yelena, a character battling guilt, grief, and a desire for atonement. Pugh balances dry humor with emotional weight. Sebastian Stan’s Bucky has settled into his role as a thoughtful veteran haunted by the past—he anchors the team’s more soulful moments. David Harbour’s Red Guardian is fun as the bumbling Soviet-era hero that has layers of loneliness under his braggadocio. Wyatt Russell is brash, unhinged, and a whirlwind as Walker, while Ghost brings a battle‑worn edge. Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster is terse but effective.
But Julia Louis‑Dreyfus towers over them all. As Valentina Allegra de Fontaine she’s cunning, charismatic, and endlessly ruthless. She casually recruits and discards these characters as pawns, all while maintaining icy composure—with the occasional flare‑up of fury. She morphs from immaculate spymaster to bully boss to embattled anti‑villain in a way that brings comedic tension and real menace. Watching her steady eyes and clipped delivery is a highlight; she doesn’t just chew scenery, she commands it. She could literally play any political figure and make it believable.
What’s most impressive is that, despite the large cast and multiple narrative threads, Thunderbolts* feels coherent. Even emotional subplots like Yelena’s trauma or Bucky’s sense of futility are woven into the mission arc rather than tacked on. It moves steadily, unfolding over just a few critical days, and it resists collapsing into a multiverse overload or post‑credits parade. You feel the burden of loss, ambition, manipulation, and survival—without feeling obligated to memorize timelines.
Critics have called it “Marvel’s most entertaining movie in ages,” and the sentiment is fair. It doesn’t reach for mythic scope or world‑ending stakes—it focuses on a small team, flawed but capable, trying to outsmart patron and government alike. It trades franchise exhaustion for a more grounded, emotional story without tossing out heroics or spectacle. Yes, the movie ultimately serves franchise setup for future MCU entries, but it does so while still feeling like its own story.
Could it suffer from franchise familiarity? Sure. It borrows structural beats from team‑up films of the past. But this time, the Marvel machine feels intentional, not rote. There’s murder, betrayal, redemption, and even a psychological twist hinting at upcoming Avengers split arcs.
In short, Thunderbolts* is finally a step in the right direction for Marvel. It’s thoughtful without being dour, dramatic without losing fun, and maybe most importantly, led by Julia Louis‑Dreyfus doing her finest work as a supremely dangerous CIA director. You leave it not exhausted by fan service, but satisfied that the MCU can still dig deeper. Please, Marvel—keep this up.
