Having "muscled countless independent films out of cinema screens", Marvel has had the "audacity" to promote the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise "as a big-budgeted film with the 'feel' of a low-budgeted one", said Clarisse Loughrey in The Independent.
It even boasts, with a wink, that the film was made by a "crew of indie veterans who sold out" (many from indie production giant A24). Well, it's annoying in a way – but getting those people involved has paid off, because the film is pretty good. The titular Thunderbolts are "an ill-matched squad of antiheroes" drawn from previous Marvel films, who squabble at first but then bond over their shared PTSD: Florence Pugh, for instance, is back as Yelena Belova, still reeling from the death of her pseudo sister Black Widow, in "Avengers: Endgame". That is a fresh approach, and there is also a fresh appearance from Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a deliciously Machiavellian CIA director.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Christian extremism: Taking 'holy war' literallyFeature A self-proclaimed minister shot two lawmakers and kept a 'kill list' targeting Democratic officials and abortion providers
-
Iran: Is regime change possible?Feature The U.S.-Israeli attack exposed cracks in Iran's regime
-
What to know about private equity in your 401(k)the explainer BlackRock is making private investments available in employer-sponsored retirement plans
-
Jeff in Venice: a 'triumph of tackiness'?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
The Anatomy of Painting: Jenny Saville's 'stunning' retrospectiveThe Week Recommends Saville's new collection features 'masterpieces' from throughout her career
-
M3GAN 2.0: riotous action sequel to the comedy-horror hit about a killer dollThe Week Recommends A 'ridiculously' entertaining 'hyper-camp mash-up' of Terminator 2 and Mission: Impossible
-
Shami Chakrabarti picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The politician and human rights activist shares the polemics that inspired her
-
Properties of the week: bright and cheerful housesThe Week Recommends Featuring homes in Cornwall, London and Norfolk
-
6 sleek homes for modernistsFeature Featuring a concrete-and-steel home in South Carolina and a renovated 19th-century former carriage house in Pennsylvania
-
The Genius Myth: a 'fresh and unpretentious' book from Helen LewisThe Week Recommends This 'angry, witty book' by Helen Lewis is a valuable critique of the 'flattering fiction' of genius
-
From Hilde, With Love – the 'moving' story of an accidental revolutionaryThe Week Recommends Liv Lisa Fries gives a 'compelling' performance as the soft-spoken heroine.
