Thunderbolts*

The best ensemble Marvel film since "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3", THUNDERBOLTS* brings adventure & laughs back to kickoff Summer 2025.

Fast paced, funny, loaded with clever action sequences and possessing a VERY dark side, it also cannily weaves in some serious meditations on mental illness & isolation.

If that sounds like an ill fitting combo, it isn't, thanks to a superb cast.

Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Black Widow, Dune: Part Two) is nothing short of fantastic as Yelena, still mourning the loss of her sister, Black Widow. She's a fixer for hire, traveling the world to clean up the messes of global politicians.

Top of that heap is the current, embattled CIA Director, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, hilariously played by Julia Louis Dreyfus. Her delivery of every line of dialogue has the same sharp wit of "Veep", if Selina Meyer had a much more dangerous desire for domination.

Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is in his first term as a Congressman and the first superhero to do so. He's got his eye on de Fontaine (DONT forget the de!).

David Harbour is back and so damn funny as Alexei Shostakov, Yelena's Dad and former Soviet superhero Red Guardian.

When Yelena announces she'd like to quit after one last assignment, she's pulled into a quadruple cross. She, disgraced former Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko from "Quantum of Solace") all arrive in the same spot.

Stumbling into their showdown is Bob, a quiet guy in hospital pajamas that can't remember why he's there. Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) crafts a clever character in Bob, who turns out to be much more than a punchline.

From there, the adventure is off and running.

What THUNDERBOLTS* gets SO right is the laughter, camaraderie and big punch lines that carry the same spirit as the most enjoyable moments of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" series. Our heroes this time out truly are antiheroes.

They're a sordid lot with a ton of baggage. We relive some of their worst moments with them.

In truth, this is one of the darkest Marvel films in memory. Like Doctor Strange's terrifying tour of the Multiverse, it slithers into some jet black corners of the mind. It's never a horror film like that entry surely was, but it mines new depths on the impact of battle on our superheroes.

Pugh leads this large cast effortlessly. She is amazing, harvesting far more depth of character in Yelena than I expected. She's also a complete kick-ass action hero.

I also have to call out the great Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) for her funny, interesting role as Mel, de Fontaine's assistant with a knack for delivering a perfect cup of coffee anywhere on the globe. Her comic timing delivers one bullseye after another.

Released on May 2, 2025 to mark the 17 year anniversary of the first Marvel film, "Ironman", THUNDERBOLTS* is a refreshing return to the independent spirit of that first entry, worrying less about world building and more about sheer entertainment.

Too many times in the past couple years, I've felt like Marvel has tried to deliver new characters or teams that just fell flat. There were never moments that felt like the early Avengers films.

For the first time in a long time, there were moments here with this ragtag bunch assembling to defeat a villain that felt RIGHT and soaring.

The music score by Son Lux is also a breath of pounding, fresh air. Modern, eclectic and big, it's a hell of a compliment to the action and the drama.

THUNDERBOLTS* is a refreshing blast of clean storytelling, unburdened by heavy exposition and focused on fun (with a very heavy splash of darkness).

From the moment that the opening Marvel credits slow down and all that bright red goes to black and grays, you know you're entering different territory.

That's a relief.

THUNDERBOLTS* gets an A-.

Stay tuned for a mid-credits sequence and a post credit scene, three minutes in duration, it's the longest in MCU history and left our sneak peek IMAX crowd cheering.