Thunderbolts*

May 16 – 29

7 pm
1:30 pm Sunday May 18 & 25 Matinées

Marvel / Action / SciFi

Rated PG – 2h 5m

Thunderbolts*, the greatest Marvel offering in years, and the latest in the superhero franchise, is scrappy, scruffy-looking, down-to-earth fun, with a charismatic Florence Pugh at its centre. It isn’t the epic tale of indestructible titans saving the Universe, let alone the multiverse; it’s a comedy-tinged caper about bungling secret agents who are deemed a liability by the very company that used to employ them. It’s not a new scenario, but Thunderbolts* stands out because it has a whole group of such spies: a ragtag bunch of depressive, dysfunctional loners who must work together and can’t stop grumbling about it. What’s especially unusual about the film, in Marvel terms, is that its premise would be viable even if the characters weren’t super-powered.

Thunderbolts* plunges deeply into its characters’ mental health issues. The movie, directed by Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, may not be the most original treatment of those issues, but it’s sincere and heartfelt in the way it approaches them. It also happens to be the most enjoyable Marvel adventure in some time. It isn’t a self-satisfied joke like Deadpool & Wolverine or a forgettable slog like this year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Thunderbolts* is an unwieldy jumble, to be sure, and it’s been designed, like all Marvel films, to help extend the brand unto infinity. But for an impressive stretch, it actually looks and feels like a real movie, with solid action, vivid emotional stakes and characters memorable enough that you won’t mind seeing them again in the inevitable sequel.

The movie builds to a surreal sequence — an almost Being John Malkovich-style romp through the subconscious — that floats some fascinating questions: What if loneliness were the single most destructive force in existence? And what if human connection really was powerful enough to save the world? That may sound like a trite sentiment, but it’s nonetheless worth repeating — and for two hours or so, Thunderbolts* just about makes you believe it. It’s a welcome return to form for the franchise, with thoughtfully fleshed out characters, spectacular visuals, engaging action sequences, and fantastic performances from Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman in particular.