Thunderbolts* (2025)

Celebrates the return to form with action, thrills, and melancholy as the team grapples with grief; director blends spectacle and character focus effectively.

Florence Pugh has saved Marvel in this stripped-down, toned-up throwback to an earlier era of Marvel movies. Director Jake Schreier proves an inspired choice with a darker, more grounded vision and bruising action sequences.

The review praises the film's refreshing lack of firepower and focus on character interiority over spectacle, crediting Schreier and the cast for reinvigorating the MCU. Pugh is highlighted as anchoring the story with real human feeling amid themes of depression and inadequacy.

The film mostly works as an odd duck of a superhero movie that leans into MCU fatigue and might help straighten it out. It offers richer acting than recent entries and an emotionally grounded final act, though the first act is weak and action choreography lacks shine.

Notes the film's modest approach and thoughtful look at addiction, abuse, and mental illness; performances suggest Marvel can still tell compelling stories despite franchise fatigue.

Florence Pugh is the most impressive member of a ragtag Suicide Squad-esque team in an often charmingly unusual yet still baggy adventure. The film is messy with clumsily forced narrative beats and tonal shifts but gets the job done as the best Marvel entry since WandaVision.

The results are fitfully amusing, sometimes touching and resolutely formulaic. Florence Pugh is the best thing to happen to Marvel in a while, giving her weary Yelena an ironic sensibility that deepens the material.

Praises the bold exploration of mental health and trauma in a team-up film, with strong cast chemistry and snarky banter, but notes it requires prior MCU knowledge. Calls it a cut above recent entries.

It balances self-deprecating comedy with an earnest allegory about facing personal trauma and mental illness. The film dragged until the Void sequence, then felt like a modestly budgeted supernatural thriller about tormented characters saved by troubled friends.

Marvel’s jokey, moody and middling film sets expectations low and meets them. It is a teenaged-feeling, depressive and defiant spinoff that mocks itself before critics can, anchored by Pugh’s compelling performance as a sullen, bored assassin.

The critic finds the film dares to be different as a ragtag anti-hero team-up with human moments and found-family themes among the action. It praises subtle performances (especially Pugh) and an internal resolution but notes uneven humor and a washed-out tone with mixed handling of mental-health elements.

Florence Pugh is the real marvel in this MCU entry featuring a mix of disconsolate also-rans who unite against an evil CIA boss. It comes within an inch of being the Barbie of the MCU with a rare note of downbeat realism.

The critic praises the film's focus on character depth and emotional themes over spectacle, highlighting Florence Pugh's performance and the fresh premise of antiheroes. It notes the group hug climax as a rare emotional touch in the MCU.

The critic finds the film a gratifyingly fresh and soulful Marvel adventure with a distinctive take on the genre from director Jake Schreier. Pugh's performance as Yelena is singled out for its depth and emotional fragility amid the team's dysfunctional outsider dynamic.

This is the superhero film we needed, refreshingly devoid of CGI spectacle and focusing on the impact of poor mental health. It suggests the problems of the world can’t be solved by a super-powered punch but by a heartfelt group hug.

The review highlights how the film makes good on the promise of a new start for the MCU through its fresh tone and emotional depth. It singles out strong character work and a shift toward more grounded, human-focused storytelling amid the superhero elements.

The critic calls it Marvel’s answer to an A24 movie, a pretty good film that turns C-lister anti-heroes into an asset through strong performances and emotional depth. Pugh's raw portrayal of unhappiness and the cast's chemistry are singled out as making the story feel solid and character-driven.

The critic says Marvel is getting back to the basics of comedy, action, and actual characters with no multiverses or heavy CGI, praising the charming cast and chemistry. They note it sits comfortably among the franchise’s best films and is the first good MCU movie in a long time that cares about story and characters.

The critic calls it a terrific MCU throwback that focuses on characters and fun rather than wider concerns, with strong ensemble chemistry and emotional depth that could make fans fall in love with Marvel again.

The critic calls it a surprisingly emotional and restrained MCU film that is still a lot of fun and one of the most enjoyable since Endgame. They single out the focus on character dynamics and the balance of darker themes with lighter tone and action.

The critic hails the hilarious caper tone and aggy antiheroes that make Marvel fun again, praising the consistent blend of thrills, humor, set-pieces and emotional depth as the most enjoyable MCU film in years.

The critic praises the winsome ensemble led by Florence Pugh and the film's shaggy, hang-out vibe as a refreshing MCU entry with emotional depth on depression and a soul, though the direction is merely workmanlike.

The critic calls it one of the best MCU films for its emotional depth, human story of antiheroes confronting trauma and mental health, and strong ensemble performances, especially Florence Pugh as the emotional anchor. It blends humor with serious themes without sacrificing story but is not flawless.

The critic finds the film a fun, character-focused origin story for Marvel's anti-heroes that prioritizes human elements like trust and identity over heavy CGI. The smart script and strong ensemble performances are singled out as strengths.

The critic sees the film as a welcome, grounded MCU entry about working-class has-beens that focuses on character and consequences rather than cameos or set-ups. Pugh's performance and the ensemble's relatable issues are highlighted as particular strengths.