Image: Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Movie Studios

Alright! There is something there that has gotten my attention because to be honest I have lost interest with the Thunderbolts because it seems like a scaled down Suicide Squad with the muted colors, dry dialogue and almost lifeless onscreen characters that seem to have no real personality whatsoever. 

But then, after they have completed their reshoots, re-edits, and likely added more scenes, the movie is taking shape. There is substance to it now, and there is something to look forward to with the Thunderbolts. Perhaps the global success of Deadpool & Wolverine has made the filmmakers realize that their upcoming movie should resemble a comic book rather than something you could watch back in the day on Cinemax.

Honestly, a few months ago, after watching the teaser trailer for the Thunderbolts, I hoped the movie studio wouldn’t try to create a “James Gunn movie” with it. It is his style, his formula, and practically a patented recipe for filmmaking. Let’s admit it: when you watch a James Gunn-directed movie, they all share the same hallmarks, tropes, and signature elements that are hard to miss. This is why many people opposed the idea of James Gunn overseeing the entire DCEU; it requires a team, and one person’s taste cannot satisfy everyone. However, after watching the official movie trailer for the Thunderbolts, I no longer see that being the case.

After the surprise global success of Guardians of the Galaxy, a problem arose with many superhero movies, both from DC and Marvel, trying to re-create that chemistry between comic book characters on screen. This should not be done because overdoing something can lead to a lack of creativity, ingenuity, and originality, making it predictable. You can never deceive moviegoers with a rip-off, a poor imitation, or blatant carbon copy and try to pass it off as something new, unique, or original when it clearly is not. I hope the Thunderbolts does not fall into this common pitfall, as it has the potential to be entertaining for everyone without reminding viewers that they have seen “this” before for the nth time.

For the record, the Thunderbolts’ official movie trailer runs for 3:40 minutes, making it the longest official movie trailer ever for Marvel Studios. The lengthy collage of clips revealed a lot without giving away too much, as the movie will likely run for at least 2 hours or close to it. Time and again, official movie trailers, regardless of their length, do not reveal everything. I am getting excited about the Thunderbolts because it might become a sleeper hit, a movie that turns out to be fantastic and continues the positive direction of the MCU.

I particularly liked the action sequences, which reminded me a lot of the old Jason Bourne movies crossed with other films of its kind. I get the sense that this is a high-end action-espionage-spy movie that happens to belong to the MCU. There will always be room for these types of films, especially considering the past couple of years have seen movies like Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Black Widow, which opened the door for the Thunderbolts to eventually take place. It was bound to happen as it was the culmination of many things and was the most logical direction for this batch of unlikely heroes to come together and form a super team of misfits for a lack of a better term.

For me, this is one of those trends in superhero movies that has not run its course, felt stale, or become too cliché, because Marvel Studios has yet to release their own version of a Suicide Squad or a team-up of super villains, and the Thunderbolts is exactly that.

As for the treatment for the Thunderbolts, this is likely to be one of the most grounded and realistic movies from Marvel Studios in some time. None of the members of the Thunderbolts were born with powers. A few of them have superhuman abilities due to a version of the super soldier serum (Red Guardian, US Agent and Bucky Barnes), some are highly skilled assassins (Taskmaster and Yelena Belova), and the rest possess slightly enhanced human capabilities in terms of their fighting abilities. However, none of them are pure super villains. Since they are all villains, they are not initially on the side of good. It was circumstances that brought them together to fight for the greater good and operate as a united team of the most unlikely of allies with a mission.  

I truly believe that no matter how insignificant, mediocre, or lackluster the cast of superheroes, or in this case, super villains, may be, with the right director, writers, and producers, the movie can prove everyone wrong and become an experience comparable to films featuring the best Marvel comic book characters. I mean, there is only one super villain here who is a legitimate threat to the world, and that is The Sentry, better known simply as “Bob” in the movie. But wait until you see him in his comic book-accurate Sentry costume; then, that isn’t “Bob” or some random guy. Haha. 

Can the Thunderbolts be one of those unlikely superhero-based movies to defy the odds of low expectations from the majority of moviegoers? Time will tell.

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