Marvel’s misfits step up

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Friday, May 2nd.

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Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: capes, quips, and box office clout. Hollywood launches its summer season with the newest superhero movie from Marvel.

WORLD Arts and Culture editor Collin Garbarino grabbed some popcorn and a notepad and brings us a review.

COLLIN GARBARINO: Not too long ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed an unstoppable juggernaut. With more than 12 billion dollars in domestic ticket sales, the MCU is the highest grossing film franchise of all time. But in the last few years, the franchise’s quality has dropped off, and fans have begun to complain that it’s grown bloated and tedious.

YELENA: There’s something wrong with me.

What the MCU needs is a reboot. The latest installment Thunderbolts* doesn’t scrap everything and start over. But even the film’s intro montage signals that it’s heading in a new direction.

YELENA: I thought it started when my sister died, but now it feels like something bigger. Just a… void.

Thunderbolts* begins with the Black Widow assassin Yelena, once again played by Florence Pugh, facing an existential crisis. She’s been performing black ops missions for the US government but feels like she’s leading a meaningless life. She agrees to go on one last mission for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by a very game Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

VALENTINA: Look at you, you are all so adorable …

But the op doesn’t go as planned. Yelena runs into a few more of the government’s contract killers. It seems Valentina doesn’t have everyone’s best interest at heart. But these antiheroes aren’t sure whether they should cooperate or kill each other.

YELENA: There you are.

JOHN: Now what?

AVA: Oh, get over yourself.

Thus is born a ragtag squad of B-list superheroes. They’re a group that’s adept at punching and shooting things. But they’ll have to learn that some problems can’t be solved with fists and bullets.

The most respectable member of the group might be Captain America’s old sidekick Bucky Barnes, played again by Sebastian Stan. Barnes has recently been elected to Congress representing Brooklyn.

BUCKY: This ends today.

VALENTINA: Congressman Barnes, wow. You know, I never really thought you’d have a promising political career, but… less than half a term. Yikes!

Hannah John-Kamen plays Ava Starr, aka Ghost, an assassin who can walk through walls. And Wyatt Russell returns to the MCU as John Walker, the disgraced soldier who made a mess of things when he tried to pick up where Steve Rogers left off.

US AGENT: We’re taking you in, Val.

VALENTINA: I don’t think so, junior varsity Captain America.

Rounding out the crew is Yelena’s adoptive dad, played by David Harbour. He’s an old Soviet supersoldier who finds himself bored out of his mind during his forced retirement.

VALENTINA: Who’s this old Santa?

ALEXEI: I’m Alexi Shostakov. The Red Guardian.

VALENTINA: What?

Thunderbolts* possesses a kind of meta-commentary on the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I found appealing. The characters talk about their world in a way that acknowledges the fact that the franchise is in shambles. And it’s up to this scrappy team of misfits to get things back on track.

On the whole, I would rate Thunderbolts* as one of the best MCU movies of the last five years… not that there’s been much competition. It has some nice action sequences, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s not bogged down with too many ties to other MCU properties. You can understand what’s going on without watching the 35 films that precede it in the franchise. But if you want to get the full background on all the characters, you’ll only need to see two films, Ant-Man 2 and Black Widow, and one Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Thunderbolts* is rated PG-13, but it’s a grittier PG-13. The violence is about what you would expect, but the language is a little coarser than the typical comic book film. It also explores some heavy themes.

VALENTINA: Yelena, you look awful.

This isn’t your typical story of good versus evil. Just like in real life, everyone is flawed. The villain’s overarching problem is cynicism, believing the entire world is made up of bad guys and worse guys.

Each and every character in this movie is damaged in some way. Yelena’s not the only one plagued with memories of a difficult childhood. And just about everyone is racked by regrets and guilt over past mistakes.The film’s climactic battle becomes something of a metaphor for contemporary society’s struggle against mental health problems.

The film’s central question is the same one we see in the Book of Ecclesiastes: How can we find meaning in this life that sometimes seems so meaningless? Of course, I wouldn’t go see a comic book movie expecting insights to rival Biblical wisdom literature. The film acknowledges that we all have a hole in our hearts, but the scriptwriters don’t understand that God is the only thing that can satisfy it. Instead the movie suggests that we find meaning in a sense of community… which isn’t bad advice, as far as it goes, considering the isolating effects of contemporary society. Thunderbolts* might not offer the ultimate solution to the problem of our need for meaning, but I applaud the filmmakers for being brave enough to pose the question.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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