jmforsyth-33291

This movie works.

Thunderbolts excels for a few key reasons, one of which being the central conflict happens on an interpersonal level instead of an intergalactic one. By shifting the stakes to a more grounded character-driven playing field Marvel breathes some much needed fresh air into their universe.

One of the other immediate strengths this movie has is the allowance to let serious moments have the space to breathe without being undercut by jokes, (there are still humorous scenes, one fantastic sequence in particular comes to mind, but jokes don't pop up at inopportune moments). This is important because there are incredibly relatable challenges around mental health anchoring the central theme of the story.

There is much to say but this isn't a spoiler review so one final, hopefully helpful, thought I have is this-Thunderbolts has some of the strongest character work for an MCU film in quite awhile. I cared about these characters and what happens to them and because of this I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

I love Pixar with a passion and since their faultless run pre-2011 they have been a bit more of a mixed bag (no fault to them 15 straight years no misses is wild). But, with this in mind, I had multiple feelings present heading into this movie because I really wanted it to be great - Inside Out is one of my favourite movies they have produced; it's funny, creative, heartfelt, everything that makes Pixar beloved is baked into the original by Pete Docter. However, Pixar's history with sequels has been kind of a let down - it's hard to follow up films like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles with sequels that feel worthy to their predecessors.

No spoilers, but here are some of the things I "feel" after watching:

I think this might be their funniest script since Finding Nemo (2003), their best overall film since Coco (2017), and doubtlessly their strongest sequel sans Toy Story franchise. Amy Poehler is great as Joy; Anger, Fear, and Disgust get more to do in the story this time, there are some fresh ideas, animation styles, and environments explored; the story is tight and told well, and the film can be enjoyed if you have littles, kids, or students navigating puberty.

It's a great conversation starter about some of the more complex emotions we feel as we get older and how we can navigate those without losing ourselves in the new challenges, doubts, and fears we have.

On my overall Pixar list this movie sits JUST behind the original for me. Inside Out 2 was everything I had hoped it would be. If you love the original you will love this one too.

Writing this right after a first viewing and I must say something I haven't said much about Marvel films post-Endgame (minus Spiderman: No Way Home). I want to watch it again.

You'll notice a tonal change between this and previous instalments. This one is darker (parents may want to view by themselves before bringing along their younger Marvel fans to see if they can handle it), the jokes aren't as frequent or as funny, and there are some more mature themes front and centre right from the first scene onward.

And yet, so much of the familiar fun things you would expect are also present too. I won't say more about this for the sake of keeping this spoiler free.

I wouldn't say this is my favourite GOTG film but that is not to say it is a bad film at all; it is more a testament to how highly I think of this trilogy as a whole and the care that was put into all three films. James Gunn loves these characters and you can really tell. I'm happy we can officially call this a great trilogy start to finish.