thunderbolts* - marvel did well????

gonna kick off the media reviews with a piece on thunderbolts, mainly cause i saw it just the other day in the cinema and its fresh in my mind!!! (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THUNDERBOLTS)

before i talk about any of the thematic or cinematographic elements of the film, i must disclose that one particular reason i enjoyed the film was, yes, the presence of bucky and yelena - i must confess they're both very easy on the eyes. (also, i did not expect to get nearly so attached to bob - its important to me that you all know he is literally me).

that being said, thunderbolts did feel refreshingly GOOD, which is saying something for new marvel (as much of a fan as i am, even i can't praise a lot of the absolute slop they've put out recently). thunderbolts felt, in an odd way, like old marvel, for one simple reason - it felt realistic. now, i know what you're gonna say - its a superhero film, they're not exactly known for their realism. and yes, while there were end-of-the-world stakes, and yes, they did beat the evil guy with the power of friendship, the film felt like it held substance, and most importantly, consequences. one unfortunate effect of marvel's recent exploration of its multiverse is that no character is truly dead - they get a tragic death scene, and then boom, they're back three films later. it means the plot lacks any sort of substance, if the viewer feels that any wrong committed in the duration of the film can simply be undone later.

another aspect of thunderbolts i have to praise is its handling of some more sensitive subjects - in particular, yelena and bob's mental health issues. whilst perhaps the evil guy bob battled with was a literal void, a slightly straightforward take on the matter, all in all, it was pretty decently handled, and yelena's speech before she walks into the shadow did break me a little.

one aspect i couldn't get behind so much was the brief flashback we see to valentina's past when bob enters her memories - it just felt unnecessary, and didn't really have any connection to her actions or motivations in the present. it just kinda felt like marvel felt the need to make her a sympathetic villain - a bit of a disappointing choice, as i do love an unapologetically evil bad guy, and that would have worked better with her frankly icky interactions with bob.

most of all, i was so pleased that marvel didn't give yelena an unnecessary romance arc, as they are wont to do with female characters - especially since of the key messages of the film was that you should surround yourself with friends, and they are there to support you.

all in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable (and sometimes heartbreaking) film, and i'm genuinely impressed with marvel for their work. let's hope they do equally impressive things with all of the thunderbolts characters in the future.