Directed by Jake Schreier (of Netflix’s *Beef* and Showtime’s *Kidding*) and written by Eric Pearson (*Transformers One*, *Black Widow*) and Joanna Calo (*The Bear*, *Bojack Horseman*), *Thunderbolts* explores the sense of emptiness that surrounds Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) as she carries out assignments for the Ox Group, under the direction of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Yelena hasn’t moved past Natasha/Black Widow’s death and is tired of killing people and taking on villainous jobs for money. Following a visit with her father figure, Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), Yelena decides to turn toward heroism. However, de Fontaine is currently facing a government investigation and is in danger of impeachment. Yelena's latest assignment serves as an excuse for de Fontaine to tie up loose ends and appear innocent. She finds herself trapped inside a large incinerator alongside U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Bob (Lewis Pullman), a man suffering from memory loss. *Thunderbolts* is an unusual superhero film for several reasons. The antihero dynamic gives the movie a feel similar to *Guardians of the Galaxy* or *Suicide Squad*, where a group of misfits find acceptance and redemption by working together as a team. What's interesting about the writing is that *Thunderbolts* doesn’t focus on traditional character development; instead, these characters are united by shared loss. In a reveal that isn’t particularly surprising, Bob has more to him than initially presented in *Thunderbolts*. Without giving away too much of the film's direction, Bob can see another person’s memories through physical touch. While this leads to some interesting glimpses into certain characters' pasts, it never delves very deeply, even when Bob shares details about his own experiences. With Bob’s ability to enter people’s minds, the finale of *Thunderbolts* has elements reminiscent of *Inception*, but it is more a battle with inner demons than an over-the-top CGI fight scene. The Thunderbolts crash through dream barriers that alter physics as the sequence shifts focus between Yelena and Bob. Despite everything, what binds these characters together is their trauma and loss. Yelena is searching for something to fill the emptiness inside her. Alexei hasn’t been Red Guardian since *Black Widow* and now drives a red limo for work; he has completely lost any remaining traces of his super-soldier abilities. Ghost no longer struggles with controlling her powers or molecular status, but she does struggle to find purpose in this film. Besides fighting and arguing with everyone else, Ghost doesn’t contribute much. U.S. Agent is still struggling with the fact that he's no longer Captain America; he acts as if everything is fine, but has essentially lost it all following *Falcon and the Winter Soldier*. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is on the verge of losing everything she’s been building. Bob has always been alone—he’s never had friends, and this void becomes a plot device later in the film. Bucky (Sebastian Stan) has been involved with Congress, but he's floundered since Sam Wilson became Captain America. He is secretly part of de Fontaine’s impeachment investigation and searches for evidence in the way only The Winter Soldier can. The entertainment value of *Thunderbolts* largely comes from watching this unlikely group of outcasts and makeshift “heroes” interact while trapped together. They initially resist working together, but eventually begin to appreciate how flawed everyone around them is, which allows them to form a decent team. While *Thunderbolts* lacks significant depth, it’s enjoyable for what it is and is better than *Captain America: Brave New World*. The film primarily sets the stage for a new Avengers-like team in the next phase of the MCU, though Sam Wilson's Captain America is already doing something similar. It’s mostly worth seeing for Bob; he has considerable potential, and Lewis Pullman brings a charming cluelessness to his performance that makes him one of the most compelling characters in the MCU. *Thunderbolts* delivers plenty of action. Florence Pugh shines, and Bob is the best character to emerge in the MCU in quite some time. Antiheroes are fun again.

Source on TMDB