Film review: Thunderbolts* (plus ticket giveaway)

The fall of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an interesting case study of diminishing returns. What was once a spectacular pop culture event that guaranteed billion-dollar returns to its investors and a happily fed and dedicated fanbase ready to fill the seats every week is now a skeleton of that brand. A moribund zombie plodding through the box office in the hopes it hits that zeitgeist again. A walking corpse that forgot the emotional core of what made it special before and instead tries to recreate that magic by reverse engineering its success while at the same time setting up the following four films that will inevitably lead up to its expected collapse, taking with them the career of promising indie filmmakers hoping this will be the breakthrough that solidifies their career, and a team of writers who, at this point, work as per the directions of a committee of stakeholders and brand managers.

Thunderbolts* (the asterisk is annoyingly part of the title, and it hints at a useless reveal that isn’t as clever, nor interesting, as Marvel thinks it is) is the latest attempt at reviving and restructuring the franchise after Captain America Brave New World failed to stir up interest. The urgency of returning to pre-Endgame numbers led Keving Feige, the mastermind behind this ordeal, to restructure his plan for the future. Eternals are nowhere to be seen, The Marvels may have more of a backseat approach, the Fantastic Four are joining the ranks, and so are all the X-Men when the upcoming Avengers film comes with the return of Robert Downey Jr as the villain Doctor Doom (don’t ask, not necessary).

Central to this restructure (what Feige dorkily calls Phase 5) is Thunderbolts* as the story of a new team of villains and ne’er-do-dwellers who team up for a contrived reason to save the city. There’s Black Widow (Florence Pugh), the sister of the original one who you may remember died in Endgame, her father, the Red Guardian (David Harbour), and the U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), who you probably haven’t met. Still, he’s the villain from that Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV show as the failed attempt by the U.S. government to create a new Captain America, and there’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) who was last seen fighting Ant-Man in the 2018 Ant-Man and The Wasp.

Some of them work as mercenaries for the director of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who is being investigated by the Senate for unethical practices, including, we assume, paying dangerous operatives to complete some dirty work. As part of her covering her tracks, she tries to literally burn all the evidence, including her team, and from that adversity, they get together and are joined by the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), now a Senator trying to gather evidence against Valentina.

That’s the crux of the plot, and the plot is what makes this wheel turn. But to be fair to Thunderbolts* it tries to do something new. Every character suffers from a heavy psychological issue that they leave unaddressed by just churning out their work. Above them all is the new guy Bob (Lewis Pullman), Valentina’s top-secret project and a powerful being that poses as much of an existential and physical threat to all.

There’s a moment in the middle of the third act that perfectly visualises the difficulties of fighting your own demons amid a depressive state, and it’s exciting to see Marvel swinging for the fences so confidently. But that comes too little too late, and before you know it, we’re back to the same torment.

Here’s the thing, Thunderbolts* isn’t actually a bad film. It’s fine; it does its job. It’s an episode of a long-running TV show. Shot with so much flat detail, it can only be enjoyed on the small screen. It’s concerning how it’s advertised as a shot for IMAX and is bumping out Sinners from that format’s screens when it looks so bland and unappealing. Some of the blocking is atrocious, and the script powers through with no sense or purpose except building a brand. But it’s not a bad film.

So Kevin. Mr Feige. Can I call you Kevin? Maybe you have a Google alert for your name, stumbled into this, and the rage barely builds up because who am I against your billion-dollar juggernaut? But if this is really you, just stop. Remember how these films used to be frugal pop culture milestones that stopped the whole world? Every single one of them, it’s like you couldn’t fail. But the world changed, audiences changed, and, above all, you changed. Every Marvel film is now an extension of a bigger product that’s not selling the next blockbuster but selling tickets to a playground attraction in your real estate deals. But you can have it both ways. You can let filmmakers go crazy on their films; you can let them make it look good. It doesn’t have to all be connected, and it doesn’t have to be engineered to please the widest audience.

Because the talent is good. The actors are good (Pugh, Harbour and Louis-Dreyfus particularly). The filmmakers are good. The cinematographer we know is good, at least above these grey, weightless images. The ideas in it are good. It’s you and your board of sycophants who are failing. Pumping air into the puppet in the hopes it’ll dance for you. But this puppet doesn’t run on air, man.

Verdict: 2.4 out of 5
For dedicated Marvel completionists who don’t mind eating the same gruel every day. It has all the elements in the right order to please anyone still on board this train, but no one else.

Ticket giveaway – Crocodile Dundee: The Encore Cut.

LSJ and Kismet Movies have ten double tickets for the upcoming release of Crocodile Dundee: The Encore Cut.

In May, the legendary Mick “Crocodile” Dundee returns to the big screen in Australian cinemas. CROCODILE DUNDEE: THE ENCORE CUT, features a meticulous restoration and an Atmos soundtrack, and will be shown for the first time ever in stunning 4K, in an exhilarating visual experience of the Australian outback and our Aussie hero, Mick Dundee. Audiences old and new will thrill at every adventure, share a heartfelt laugh, and enjoy the infectious charm of Mick Dundee, in the encore of Australia’s most iconic film ever. The perfect movie for the whole family this Mother’s Day. In cinemas from May 8. Click here to see the trailer.

For a chance to win a double pass, email journal@lawsociety.com.au with the subject line CROCODILE DUNDEE before end of day Tuesday 6 May.