Thunderbolts*

Action/Adventure | Directed by Jake Schrier | M (violence, offensive language)

The onslaught of Marvel films over the past 15+ years has resulted in varying levels of quality—and recently (in this reviewer’s opinion), it’s mostly been on the lower side. Thankfully, Thunderbolts* feels like a return to form—largely because the scope of the film is smaller than the grandiosity we’ve come to expect. We get time to know the characters and care about them. Florence Pugh and David Harbour, in particular, are fantastic! One downside is that a wider knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is necessary to understand all the story threads, so casual viewers may find references to films/series they’ve not seen confusing. However, the way the story explores the themes of depression and isolation makes Thunderbolts* worth a watch.