If you think the current state of U.S. politics is a soap opera, wait until you see where things are at within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The last movie, Captain America: Brave New World, saw the President institutionalised after turning into giant red monster.  This time, the power-hungry director of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Louis-Dreyfus), has been impeached by Congress for her involvement in O.X.E. Group, a secretive company engaged in illegal superhero-developing activities.

To ensure there’s no physical evidence which can be used against her, Fontaine enlists her cronies to destroy laboratories and torch evidence.  The last “loose ends” are a group of super-powered undercover agents she wants killed to ensure they don’t testify.  They include supporting characters we know from previous outings – Yelena Belova (Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt) and Antonia Dreykov (Kurylenko).  This eclectic crew become aware of Fontaine’s plan and if they have any chance of surviving, they must team up and fight back.

We’ve seen this formula utilised successfully by Marvel with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.  I’m referring to a group of chatty “misfits” uniting in pursuit of a common good.  Thunderbolts* (yes, there’s an asterisk in the title) lays this theme on thickly at times but I liked the exploration of their darker personalities.

As an example, Yelena is a lonely, depressed figure who is scarred by her traumatic upbringing and the recent death of her sister.  Fontaine’s description is apt in that the light within Yelena is “dim even by Eastern European standards.”  Mental health issues can be tricky to depict visually, particularly within the confines of a CGI-laden action movie, but Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women) calls on her full emotional range and makes an impact.

I can’t reveal names but Thunderbolts* is also to be praised for the most interesting villain we’ve seen since Thanos in the Avengers flicks of 2018 and 2019.  The way they dispense of innocent civilians is chilling (loved the simple, thudding sound effect) and the depiction of their mindset has a warped, Being John Malkovich-type quality.  Thumbs up to American director Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank) for not going overboard on action and maintaining the film’s humanity.  The comedic elements are well timed, but I did tire of Red Guardian’s (Harbour) continually jokey nature.

Closing out Phase Five, Thunderbolts* is one of the better entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to its script and performances.  As always, stay for the full closing credits!