'Thunderbolts*’ a welcome, back-to-basics Marvel adventure

A lack of cohesion and necessity define the current phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After a string of inconsistent and often unnecessary movies and Disney+ television shows, the Marvel Machine hasn’t come close to touching the cultural zeitgeist of an “Avengers”-level release.

Earlier this year, Marvel released one of its most convoluted and disappointing entries in “Captain America: Brave New World.” The presence of a Red Hulk, as just one example, showed the kind of desperation typically suited for lesser-superhero properties like, say, a “Kraven the Hunter” or “Madame Web.”

Refreshingly, Marvel’s latest release, “Thunderbolts*,” seems almost disinterested in creating ramifications for the greater MCU. Even while it assembles a collection of characters derived from Disney+ TV shows, “Thunderbolts*” prioritizes uncomplicated storytelling and a commitment to humanizing its oddball collection of forgotten characters.

Yes, “Thunderbolts*” technically serves as a follow-up to several less-than-beloved, pandemic-era Marvel properties, chiefly the solo “Black Widow” film as well as the “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” TV show. However, director Jake Schreier and writers Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo craft efficient exposition to fill-in the “must-knows” so audiences don’t need to see the previous content to enjoy “Thunderbolts*.”

The wisest choice among many is the centering of Florence Pugh’s character, Yelena Belova, the sister of OG Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) and a deadly assassin in her own right. Pugh, one of the more dynamic young actors working today, continues to thread Yelena’s internalized trauma with deadpan wit. She’s so good here that it makes you want to go back and reconsider the “Black Widow” film (as well as her guest appearance on the “Hawkeye” Disney+ show).

The ensemble here delivers both humor and pathos, particularly David Harbour as Yelena’s father/very Russian super soldier who yearns for heroic glory, and Wyatt Russell’s downtrodden wannabe Captain America. The film also provides Julia Louis Dreyfus with her meatiest (and funniest) appearance yet as the anti-Nick Fury government spook, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

“Thunderbolts*” thrives when it focuses on Yelena and her dynamic with "Bob,” played by “Top Gun: Maverick” pilot and spitting-image of his dad Lewis Pullman (son of Bill). When Yelena and the rest of de Fontaine’s outcast agents are marked for death, the forced-together team meets “Bob” at his most vulnerable. Both Yelena and “Bob” connect over their struggle with overcoming the Void of darkness that permeates their lives. They can’t just escape the past; they keep reliving their worst moments in their minds, poisoning any chance of happiness in the real world.

In that respect, “Thunderbolts*” takes a darker turn than many Marvel properties, though the film uses these two broken characters to build a satisfying and grounded climax, even as it includes the typical Marvel pyrotechnics.

With a film of this scale, not everything works. The movie oddly sidelines Sebastain Stan’s Bucky Barnes, despite him being the lone “Avengers” holdover and de facto lead of the film. The movie also makes curious use out of Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, another holdover from the “Black Widow” film. Maybe the Marvel folks worried there’d be too much reliance on that peak-pandemic-era installment, but as it stands, her inclusion here marks one of the more confusing elements of an otherwise standalone adventure.

The punctuation in the title is more notable as a punchline than as an important tease for the future of the MCU. The post-credits material at least points to story that will be addressed relatively soon (as compared to all those seemingly worthless teases from the likes of “The Eternals” and the third “Doctor Strange” film).

Maybe it’s the fact that “Thunderbolts*" followed one of the MCU’s worst, but for this brief moment, the franchise feels fresh and entertaining enough to serve as a proper kickoff to summer blockbustering.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].

    This image released by Marvel Studios shows Florence Pugh in a scene from "Thunderbolts."