Latest news with #post-Endgame
Forbes
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
New Report Explains Why The MCU Has Been Mostly Bad Since ‘Endgame'
Thunderbolts: Not bad Thunderbolts is currently on pace to be a big win for Marvel, its best critic scores in years, its best audience scores close to ever, and what looks like it's going to be a solid box office haul. That of course, has been something of a rarity in the post-Endgame era, with perilously few exceptions. Now, a new Wall Street Journal report dives into what apparently happened here, focused around the architect of the MCU, Kevin Feige. Among the highlights: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 27: Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in ... More Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo byfor Disney) Daredevil: Born Again The idea overall appears to be…make less stuff, but make better stuff. That seems wise, but I think we're still in a questionable era at the moment, Thunderbolts and Daredevil: Born Again aside, and we may have to get through a bunch of mucky productions before this full reset happens. And the thing I'm worried about the most right now is Avengers Doomsday and Secret Wars. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
The Hindu
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Thunderbolts*' movie review: Florence Pugh shines amid the ennui of Marvel's mid-life crisis
With Thunderbolts* (the asterisk denotes a little something that's worth ceasing all phones at early screenings), Marvel Studios offers a strange something. Not a new beginning, not even an end, but a reluctant middle piece to its dwindling self-worth nearing the conclusion of Phase-5. After a decade-plus of spandex operatics, cosmic showdowns, and multiversal migraines, we've arrived at the era of mid-tier misfits and discards. The Avengers are either dead, de-aged, or trapped in development hell. The remaining bench is a set of weary characters staring down the abyss of their own irrelevance. A former child assassin, a disgraced Captain America knockoff, a super-assassin turned congressman, a haunted quantum blur, a Soviet relic, and a human emotional contagion named Bob. They've been shelved, sidelined, and mostly forgotten — by their government handlers, by the world they supposedly saved, and, most damningly, by their jaded audiences who've long since moved on. What throws Thunderbolts* a lifeline in the slow, defibrillator rhythm of a post-Endgame Marvel is that Kevin Feige has finally started to admit that the party might just be over. Thunderbolts* (English) Director: Jake Schreier Cast: Florence Pugh, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan Runtime: 126 minutes Storyline: Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts Once a promising successor to her late sister Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow, Florence Pugh returns as Yelena Belova, still mourning her sister, still drolly Russian, and still the Phase-5's most emotionally legible performer. She wears her disillusionment like a second skin and her job is no longer to avenge, but to merely trudge along begrudgingly, and that's proving more difficult by the day. 'Maybe I'm just bored,' she says early on, which feels like a discerning summation of the post-Endgame doesn't solve that problem. But it does acknowledge it with unusual clarity, and that alone makes it one of Marvel's more human efforts in years. Director Jake Schreier (of Robot & Frank and the 2015 adapatation of John Green's Paper Towns) brings a light indie touch to the proceedings. He doesn't seem particularly interested in the convoluted lore or flashy pyrotechnica of modern superhero fare, and instead, lets his cast rattle around in desaturated corridors and puts them in vulnerable spots. No one could reinvent the MCU at this point, but he does subtly redirect it. The plot, as is often the case, is the weakest link. CIA head honcho Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose dry wit is underserved by the script) tricks our assorted antiheroes into a mission that's really a death trap. One by one, they realise they've been sent to eliminate each other, and we soon get a slow-burn mutiny of sad-eyed soldiers who would rather hug it out than throw punches, at least most of the time. David Harbour's Red Guardian continues his grumpy dad routine with winning goofiness. He gets some of the film's funniest lines (Yelena's pee-wee soccer team becomes an ongoing source of oddly affecting pride), but his real role is to tether the film's sky-high gloom to something earthbound and foolishly tender. Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes also reappears, with a more grounded gravitas that reminds you he once had a more engaging storyline. Wyatt Russell's John Walker, still festering from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, scowls his way through a majority of the film, and Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost remains half-formed, but that feels appropriate — her power is literally to phase in and out. And Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster… well. These are characters stuck in a kind of cinematic purgatory. They're not quite important enough for franchise salvation, but not disposable enough to be killed off. They're the narrative flotsam of past installments, with enough courage to question what actually happens to a superhero deferred. The action is competent but rarely thrilling and the colour palette leans hard on shadows and grime. But amid the industrial drabness, a freshness takes form and the characters begin to breathe. The new wildcard is Lewis Pullman's Bob, a fragile, mumbling superbeing with the power to make people feel the worst thing about themselves. That his supposedly omnipotent abilities are practically weaponised depression is quite telling. When he loses control, he becomes a living fog of despair, swallowing blocks of Manhattan in shapeless, shadowy grief. It's a heavy metaphor, but Pullman sells it with a twitchy, wounded sincerity. Bob is the first Marvel character in ages who seems genuinely surprised (and a little terrified) to be in a Marvel movie. It's actually through Bob that Thunderbolts* achieves its most ambitious emotional swing. This rag-tag group of 'disposable delinquents' isn't trying to stop a bad guy so much as stop being the bad guys, and their arcs aren't driven by fate or destiny, but by therapy-adjacent self-reflection. In the end, it all leads back to Yelena, whose sardonic emotional register makes her a compelling nucleus. Pugh's performance builds momentum in silence and she's the only one in the ensemble who seems to understand that the real villain is disconnection. It's messy, meandering, and emotionally lopsided, but Thunderbolts* feels like it was made by people who wanted to be there. That's more than can be said for most Marvel projects in recent memory. That Thunderbolts* feels like a minor miracle in the post-Endgame MCU is less a credit to the film itself than a damning verdict on the films that came before it. It's a modest movie, practically allergic to MCU chutzpah, and yet it succeeds where so many others have failed. Thunderbolts* is currently running in theatres
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Thunderbolts' Is The Best-Reviewed MCU Movie Since 2021
Thunderbolts Early reactions were extremely positive on social media, and now that Thunderbolts has over a hundred reviews in from critics, it has turned out to be the best-reviewed MCU movie in nearly half a decade. It's been a severely up and down era in the post-Endgame era, but with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, that means Thunderbolts is the best-reviewed MCU movie since 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home at a 93%, where that multiverse crossover is one of the highest-scored MCU movies period. What else does that list include? Here's every MCU movie's score since Avengers: Endgame This is an era that includes the only three 'rotten' scored MCU movies in the form of Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and most recently Captain America: Brave New Word. The last of which is an issue considering it fully introduced the new Cap who's supposed to lead whoever the new Avengers end up being from here, a much more major character than we saw in Eternals of Quantumania. Captain America: Brave New World Generally speaking, critics have been giving the MCU far less leeway in the post-Endgame era. I have to believe if movies like Captain Marvel came out now, it would score less than its 79%, and The Marvel, I would say objectively a far better movie, is at a 62%. But yes this era also features just…not very good movies. Thunderbolts appears to in fact be a very good movie. That does not necessarily mean it will do amazingly at the box office, but with amazing trailers, fan-favorite characters like Bucky and Yelena and now these great reviews, hopefully it will indeed perform well. It feels like a different sort of film than the endlessly green-screened slate of MCU features, as a recent promo having Florence Pugh herself base jump off a skyscraper would indicate. Thunderbolts is out May 2, and we'll see how it does from there. Supposedly it also will feature the 'best post-credits scene in Marvel history' according to early viewers, and to keep that a surprise I've muted every term possible online. You might want to as well. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Why is there an asterisk after Thunderbolts in the title? Know the meaning
Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts is scheduled for a worldwide release this May, and with that the mystery of the asterisk in the film title sees some highlight. The asterisk (*) signifies the team's role as substitutes for the Avengers, who disbanded post-Endgame. A Japanese poster for the film states: 'The Avengers are not available'. Film character CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) reinforces this in the trailer, declaring, 'The Avengers are not coming'. ALSO READ | Marvel Thunderbolts movie cast: Meet the full lineup of actors and actresses According to a Variety report, the asterisk resolves as both a joke (Avengers unavailable) and a narrative device (team identity shift). Whether it lands depends on how invested viewers are in Marvel's expanding universe. Another reason could be that the team struggles to adopt the Thunderbolts name in the film, looking at their vivid differences. Fans speculated the asterisk linked to Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (Harrison Ford), a Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World. But Marvel clarified the name is coincidental . Ross's dark past made any form of association unlikely for the antihero squad. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has already teased the asterisk's significance would only be clear post-release. While the Avengers explanation seems straightforward, the film's post-credits scene hints at a dual purpose: the team's official rename to 'New Avengers'. In comics, Thunderbolts are villains posing as heroes. The MCU version diverges, focusing on redemption arcs for flawed characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) . The asterisk also nods to Marvel's playful marketing, leaning into humor over comic accuracy. The Thunderbolts or the New Avengers as we may call it, are again slated to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Their rebranding sets up alliances with Marvel's core heroes. Lewis Pullman's 'Bob' (Sentry) and his alter-ego 'Void' add stakes, hinting at cosmic-level threats. Some fans criticized the asterisk as a gimmick, while others praised its meta-commentary on superhero team dynamics.
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Thunderbolts*' Reviews: Do Critics Think New Marvel Movie Has Zap?
"Thunderbolts*" partial movie poster featuring Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamin, Florence Pugh, ... More David Harbour and Wyatt Russell. Thunderbolts* — Marvel's antihero adventure starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour — is opening in theaters Friday. What do critics have to say about the new film? The official summary for Thunderbolts* reads, 'Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova (Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Stan), Red Guardian (Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell). 'After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it's too late?' Rated PG-13, Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Scheier (Netflix's Beef) and also stars Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Pierce. The review embargo for Thunderbolts* was lifted on Tuesday afternoon. Thunderbolts* so far has earned an 88% 'fresh' rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 96 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus and Popcornmeter score is still pending. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter is among the top critics on RT who gives Thunderbolts* a fresh review, writing, 'There's a disarming freshness to this first-time assembly, not to mention something even more unexpected: heart. That's due to an appealing ensemble cast but also to the new blood of a creative team with a distinctive take on the genre.' Nicolas Barber of the BBC also praises Thunderbolts* in his 'fresh' review on RT, noting that Thunderbolts* is so much better than most of Marvel's post-Endgame films. It's not just because it's a rough-edged, big-hearted spy thriller about lovably clueless anti-heroes. It's because it has an actor as charismatic as [Florence] Pugh at its center.' Alison Wilmore of New York Magazine/Vulture also praises Florence Pugh in her review on RT, writing, 'Pugh, in particular, gives the movie an emotional tangibility that makes it feel realms more solid than the last few years of Marvel product. William Bibbiani of The Wrap in one regard knocks Thunderbolts* but still gives the film a 'fresh' review on RT, noting, 'Although it's hard to shake the sense that on a practical level this studio is just scraping the bottom of the barrel, desperately hoping their minor characters can be converted into headliners, they've done a damn good job of it.' In his 'fresh' review on RT, Peter Debruge of Variety compares the team members in Thunderbolts* to another famous band of MCU misfits, noting, 'As with the Guardians of the Galaxy films, what works here is the uneasy tension within a team that comes together out of necessity, rather than any natural sense of affinity.' Robbie Collin of the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph is the sole top critic on RT who gives Thunderbolts* a 'rotten' review to date, writing, 'Despite its notionally spiky tone, moroseness is the film's root chord.' Thunderbolts* plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.
