Getting the possibility to attend an early screening of Thunderbolts was an unimaginable expertise. From the opening scenes, one efficiency that stood out was Gabrielle Byndloss. As a shocking African American actress, she brings grace, energy, and emotional depth to each second she’s on display. Her presence provides a grounded authenticity to the movie, and it’s nice to see Marvel giving extra space to highly effective, nuanced girls of colour on this universe.
Thunderbolts marks a daring step for Marvel because it dives right into a extra morally gray, grounded world. As a substitute of a standard superhero story, we get a messy, chaotic crew of anti-heroes and misfits tasked with missions that aren’t about saving the world—they’re about surviving it. The setup is thrilling and hints at greater, extra difficult tales down the street.
The movie undoubtedly isn’t good. It nonetheless suffers from a few of Marvel’s previous habits, particularly throwing in humor at moments when the story could be higher served with some respiration room. Emotional scenes typically get interrupted by jokes that really feel just a little misplaced. However truthfully? It doesn’t take an excessive amount of away from how entertaining the journey is.
David Harbour completely steals the present as Purple Guardian, mixing comedy and tragedy in a method solely he can. Florence Pugh as soon as once more proves she’s one of many MCU’s brightest stars, bringing coronary heart, humor, and toughness to Yelena. Their chemistry is without doubt one of the greatest highlights of the film, offering each emotional depth and laugh-out-loud moments.
Ghost, sadly, doesn’t get as a lot to do as she deserves. She’s a captivating character with tons of potential, however right here she feels just a little sidelined. It’s disappointing as a result of her powers and backstory are so wealthy—hopefully Marvel provides her the highlight she deserves in future tasks.
STAY INFORMED! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!
The motion is tighter and extra hand-to-hand centered than ordinary MCU fare, becoming the grittier tone rather well. Whereas the center act does drag a bit, the third act brings some nice payoffs, each emotionally and action-wise.
On the finish of the day, Thunderbolts is messy, darkish, and tough across the edges—however that’s precisely what makes it such a refreshing entry into the MCU. It’s not attempting to be one other good superhero film. It’s about damaged folks looking for their method, and that rawness is precisely its allure. With sturdy performances, stable motion, and an thrilling setup for what’s subsequent, Thunderbolts simply stands out as one of many extra attention-grabbing Marvel tasks shortly.
Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Thunderbolts hits theaters Could 2, 2025. In the event you’re searching for one thing just a little totally different from the standard Marvel system—however nonetheless full of coronary heart, motion, and standout performances—go see it. You gained’t remorse it.

Anthony Head is a contract author and you’ll hear Jazmyn each morning on “Jazmyn within the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folks Jamz and Grownfolkjamz.com. Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Observe her on Fb and Instagram.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE.