FILM

Title: Thunderbolts*

Director: Jack Schreier

Starring: Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman

It was the combination of Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena in Black Widow along with this article on ABC that swayed the decision to invest in another Marvel outing. Fortunately, the promise was delivered, in a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the superhero line-up. Yelena is the axis around which her fellow misfit heroes and mercenaries revolve as they are caught up in a plot to fill the overt gap left by the Avengers, with, of course, the generous serve of self-interest. While New York City again lives under a cloud as things go very wrong, the movie manages to keep the stakes at a personal level, forging loners into a team, and managing to strike that ideal balance of drama and humour along the way. While Yelena is the epitome of a dour, pessimistic Russian, her father (aka Red Guardian) sees a chance for resurgence. It was so good to see Hannah John-Kamen (Killjoys) back in action, too. I’d line up for another Thunderbirds.