#MovieReview: Thunderbolts* is a scrappy return to form for Marvel
Thunderbolts* is one of the best Marvel movies in a decade and might breathe new life into the flailing franchise.
The new offering is emblematic of the post-Avengers problem, with few recognisable characters available and a heavy reliance on bottom-of-the-barrel heroes. Thunderbolts* turns that misfit feeling into a feature rather than an unfortunate necessity, bringing together a forgotten group to become greater than the sum of their parts.
Florence Pugh (Black Widow) leads a cast that includes only one major name – the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
The other roles are filled out by reliable backup talent, chiefly David Harbour as an over-the-hill Russian super soldier and Lewis Pullman (son of actor Bill) in a dual performance. The film never tries to disguise its lack of star power, instead letting the ragtag crew find an unconventional rhythm that feels earned rather than forced by focus-group feedback.
And if, like me, you have not watched even half of the Marvel movies and TV shows to keep up with the continuity, that's fine too. Thunderbolts* gives enough exposition to allow anyone to follow the major moments and enjoy the overall product.
That product is not perfect, but it has plenty of jokes that land, some solid fight scenes and third act visuals that are genuinely inventive and interesting. Combine that with plenty of heart in the performances and just the right amount of scrappy underdog sentiment and you have a recipe for an enjoyable time at the movies.
If Marvel's upcoming big swings – Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25) and Avengers: Doomsday (May 2026) – work, then there could be enough positive momentum to bring it back to the heart of pop culture.
Rated 13 for Language and Violence.
3.5/5.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Boksburg Camera Club's best of May
Boksburg Camera Club members again excelled in various categories in May. The club welcomes new members. To find out more about what they do, where they meet and how you can join to hone your photography skills, go to WINNING IMAGE OF THE MONTH: Jamie-Lee du Plessis (Open: 4 star, Twig Dancer). How long have you been a member of the club? Since January 2023. Skill level? 4 Star. Where was the image taken? In my garden at home, in Boksburg. What inspired the image? I absolutely love micro photography and often go 'gogga hunting'. While out searching I cam across this moving 'twig' and had to photograph it. What time of the day was the image taken? In the late afternoon, just before sunset. Camera settings? Focal length: 65mm, shutter speed: 1/320 sec, aperture: f/14, ISO: 1600. Why do you enjoy being a member of the club? Boksburg Camera Club has pushed my limits with photography and helped me to get out of my comfort zone, exploring new genres and continuously improving myself. Being a member enables me to turn the everyday into the extraordinary. With macro photography, for example, you're suddenly seeing an entirely different world; textures, patterns and details you never knew were there. That's the magic for me! ALSO READ: Boksburg Camera Club's winning April shots OTHER WINNERS 4-5Star Masters 2nd Place – Theo Van Der Merwe – Misty Sunrise ALSO READ: Boksburg Camera Club boasts with its January winners At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
14 hours ago
- The Citizen
48 hours in pictures, 1 June 2025
48 hours in pictures, 1 June 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Visitors in costume take part in the TwitchCon Europe gaming and livestreaming event at Rotterdam Ahoy arena, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 31 May 2025. TwitchCon will gather thousands of streamers, gaming fans, and industry professionals worldwide in Rotterdam from 31 May to 01 June. Picture: EPA-EFE/ROBIN UTRECHT Ukrainian army amputee veteran Andrii dances with his partner Monika during the 'Brave Hearts' charity ball near Kyiv, Ukraine, 31 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. The 'Brave Hearts' charity ball, an initiative of the U+ System prosthetics and rehabilitation center aimed at supporting Ukrainian military personnel with life-altering injuries from the war, plans to raise funds for prosthetics and the rehabilitation of veterans and servicemen currently awaiting assistance at the center. Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO Ineeleng Kavindama from Botswana enjoys the moment at the Africa Fest SA 2025 on May 31, 2025 in Kempton Park, South Africa. The annual one-day cultural exposition brings together representatives from diverse African nations to showcase, celebrate, and share their respective cultural heritage through cuisine, clothing, art, music, and traditional practices. (Photo by Gallo Images/Antony Kaminju) A motorcyclist performs during the Day of Moscow Sports Festival in Moscow, Russia, 31 May 2025. The festival, organized by Moscow authorities, aims to promote a healthy lifestyle. Picture: EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV People search a flooded area after heavy rainfall in the town of Mokwa, Niger State, Nigeria, 31 May 2025. More than 100 bodies have been recovered as search and rescue operations continue following a devastating flood that struck the Kpege area of Mokwa in the early hours of 29 May 2025, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. Picture: EPA-EFE/AFOLABI SOTUNDE A Greek Leopard 2A6 tank operates during the Immediate Response 25 military exercise at a military training center, near the town of Negotino, Republic of North Macedonia, 31 May 2025. The exercise, part of the DEFENDER 25 series, involves the armed forces of seven NATO member countries and two partner countries, and runs from 26 May until 09 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI Check dams set up on the water from the Lonza river after the formation of a lake on the last houses of the village of Blatten, Switzerland, 31 May 2025. A large part of the Blatten village, located in the Loetschental Valley in the canton of Valais, was buried under masses of ice, mud, and rock on 28 May after several million cubic meters of rock fell from the Kleines Nesthorn mountain above the village, resulting in the collapse of the Birch Glacier. Picture: EPA-EFE/CYRIL ZINGARO A model presents a creation by Indonesian designer Ivan Yogi Susanto during the Indonesia Fashion Week 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 May 2025. The IFW event runs from 28 May to 01 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/BAGUS INDAHONO People carry their belongings through floodwater in Nagaon, Assam, India, 31 May 2025. At least five people died due to landslides in Assam in the previous 24 hours, as continuous heavy rainfall has caused flooding in six districts, affecting over 10,000 people, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANUWAR ALI HAZARIKA French equestrian artist Lorenzo performs during the 24th edition of the Hassan II Trophy of 'Tbourida', Morocco's Championship of Traditional Equestrian Arts, in Rabat, Morocco, 31 May 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/JALAL MORCHIDI An Indian Hindu devotee walks barefoot on hot charcoal, a practice called firewalking, during a Hindu festival in honor of the goddess Mariyamma or Maha Shakti in Bangalore, India, 30 May 2025. Devotees perform the religious practice of walking on fire as an exchange for a wish or blessing granted by the Hindu goddess Parvathy. Picture: EPA-EFE/JAGADEESH NV A young participant paints a wooden cat figure during the annual Hermitage Cat Day celebration in the courtyard of the Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, 31 May 2025. The day is dedicated to the 60 Hermitage cats residing in the museum's basement, which has been hosting cats since the 18th century. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV Visitors slide down a 50-meter-long, two-track foam slide during the Pink Soup Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania, 31 May 2025. The festival, in its third consecutive year, celebrates Lithuania's iconic summer dish, 'saltibarsciai,' a cold beet soup. Picture: EPA-EFE/VALDA KALNINA Firefighters and civil defense members carry out a mock drill to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of an attack during Operation Shield, a large-scale civil defense exercise in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 31 May 2025. The drills are part of the preparations following the uncertainty in the region after the recent India-Pakistan conflagration, following which a ceasefire was announced. Picture: EPA-EFE/FAROOQ KHAN A man stands next to a bull at the Roskilde Agricultural Show, in Roskilde, Denmark, 30 May 2025, on the opening day. The agricultural fair runs from 30 May to 01 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/IDA MARIE ODGAARD MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 30 May 2025
eNCA
16 hours ago
- eNCA
Kyiv exhibition helps relieve stress of war
Virtual sunrises, a giant sculpture of a purring cat and a soundproof booth you can scream into -- the installations at Kyiv's "Third Wind" exhibition may seem like a bit of light-hearted fun. But for the show's organisers, among them leading psychologists and mental health experts, the art has a very serious purpose: to help Ukrainians de-stress and explore their emotions after three years of war. Russia's invasion has triggered a mental health crisis in Ukraine, with more than half of respondents to a recent survey feeling "anxiety and tension". If only for a brief moment, the installations offer visitors a much-needed mental break from the war and help them "release tension, cry or smile a little", said curator Yulia Solovey. "Above all, it's about giving people the strength to keep moving forward," she told AFP. The exhibition has proven wildly popular, with nearly 100,000 people visiting within the space of a month. Among them was 41-year-old resident Inna Purgan, who came seeking a "return to childhood" after a weekend of Russian strikes. "It was very stressful, I couldn't sleep because of the drones and explosions," she told AFP. After letting out a high-pitched scream in a soundproof booth, one of the interactive experiences, she said she felt a little better. "It makes you feel lighter!" she said with a smile. The exhibition's name is a play on "second wind", a burst of energy experienced during moments of exhaustion. It is a feeling many Ukrainians relate to in their fourth year of war, with the exhibition inviting visitors to answer the question "What helps me move forward?", said Solovey. - 'Shut down emotionally' - According to state-backed mental health organisation "Ti Yak", which means "How are you?", Russia's war and its challenges remain the number one source of psychological stress for Ukrainians. Theatre worker Anastasia Storozhenko and her husband Viktor, a soldier in the military, are no exception. AFP | Sergei SUPINSKY "It's really hard if you don't try to escape to another reality," said 31-year-old Anastasia. The couple were actors, and much of their work before the war revolved around emotions. Wearing a virtual reality headset transporting them to the Himalayas, she and her husband smiled ear to ear at the exhibit. The young mother said she reminded herself she had to keep living, if not for herself, then for her child. But Viktor has struggled to express his emotions since he joined the military. "I've shut down emotionally," he said. Surrounded by colourful decor, laughter and music, he started smiling. "It helps a lot, life continues... emotions... And no more boom boom," he tried to explain, imitating missile blasts. Nearby, other visitors were learning dance moves, while others embraced in front of a screen displaying a sunrise -- meant to symbolise hope. Half of the proceeds from the tickets will go to an NGO making prosthetics for veterans who have amputations, the organisers said. Once the exhibition ends, its installations will be moved to rehabilitation centres for soldiers and civilians recovering from trauma. - 'Childish state' - On a black wall, visitors were invited to draw colourful chalk messages. "I'm alive", "I feel my heart beating", "Welcome to Ukraine-controlled territory" and a few swear words scribbled by children were among them. Wearing rubber boots, army rehabilitation worker Natalya Novikova and her husband Vadym splashed around in puddles of water in one of the rooms. AFP | Sergei SUPINSKY "You can stop feeling the pressure of being an adult for a moment," said Vadym, catching his breath before reverting to seriousness to scold children who splashed him. Both come from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine -- Vadym is from Sevastopol in the annexed Crimean peninsula, Natalya from the eastern Donetsk region. Natalya left her native Donetsk region in 2014, when Moscow-backed separatists fomented an uprising in the area. She had resettled in Bucha, where Russian troops were accused of committing war crimes in early 2022. The heavy emotional toll of the war was lifted, albeit briefly, by the exhibition, she said. She said it brought her into "an animal, childish state." "I didn't expect it to do much to me, but actually it's amazing." By Florent Vergnes
