As the rather awkward and incoherent Phase Five comes to a close, Thunderbolts* marks a cautious but notable return to form for Marvel with this enjoyable outing by managing the peculiar feat of being both quintessentially old-school Marvel and at the same time offering something a tad different. It takes returning formerly-second-tier characters and pushes them front and centre in a very contained manner, with the villainous Valentina (an entertaining Julia Louis-Dreyfus) trying to expunge all evidence before her impending impeachment, including luring Yelena (the magnificent Florence Pugh, who owns this movie), The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's incarnation of Captain America, John Walker, Ava/Ghost from the AntMan sequel and the unstoppably comedic David Harbour as Yelena's father to a death trap where they encounter Robert Reynolds, the only surviving member of The SENTRY Project, whose emerging powers cause major problems as the story develops. With Bucky Barnes (the ever-reliable Sebastian Stan) now a congressman who gets involved along the way, this new team forms slowly but organically to face their new and very real threats. Pitched somewhere between the early Captain America films and TV's Agents Of SHIELD in style, and with the usual Marvel touchstones of family, responsibility and what it means to be a hero, Thunderbolts* also flips many of those ideas to tackle mental health in a largely thoughtful and sensitive manner, giving the characters a bit more grounded depth than some of Marvel's recent characters, reflected in its more muted colour palette than usual, although branding Bobby a potential bad guy because he is 'unstable' sticks out awkwardly. The script is smart and snappy with plenty of sharp barbs and quips, the story flows and develops very effectively that keeps the viewer hooked all along, and the third act really does deliver with some decent action set pieces/fights along the way. The mid-credits scene is a short fun throwaway, but the (quite long) post-credits scene not only positions this new team going into the next Phase but also sets up a bit of intrigue in the MCU that recent Marvel films have failed to do; this kind of cohesion makes a welcome return, which makes Phase Six something to now look forward to.
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