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I’m cooled considerably on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s overstuffed, and Richard Linklater’s point about them being catered to eternal 12-year-olds really struck a chord with me. I was never invested in the MCU, but I hadn’t even watched a new movie or show in years. However, I heard good things about Thunderbolts*, even from others who had cooled, so I saw it. Yeah, it was fine.
What if I just left it there? The stuff that purportedly made this a “more serious” MCU film was what was least interesting to me, all things considered. Okay, so somebody watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind recently? And got into listening to a probably dubious therapy podcast? Thunderbolts* thinks it has ideas and heft, but not really.
What worked is that the cast is talented. David Harbour is so broad as Red Guardian, but I like him. I like Florence Pugh. There were some good superhero-style emotional beats, but those were the ones that worked. The ones the MCU has done for years. Some might be invested in the reveal at the end, but for me, it’s too little too late. Also, kind of a surprise. Which, to be fair, being surprised by the MCU on this point is impressive on their part.
Had I seen Thunderbolts* streaming, it would have been worth it for sure. I didn’t mind seeing it in theaters, especially since it was a weekday matinee, and thus had a weekday matinee ticket price. It certainly didn’t get me back invested in the MCU, though. It’s more of the same, even if they tried to assert it wasn’t.
