Marvel Studios and Marvel Entertainment
Thunderbolts are the counterpart to DC’s The Suicide Squad and consist of lesser-known villains of Marvel Comics. This is a bad sign because, without a star-studded team of supervillains, they cannot draw enough attention to attract a crowd to watch their live-screen adaptation.
I have seen the leaked trailer for Thunderbolts, and I can’t bring myself to get excited about it because it features predominantly bland, boring, and generic-looking villains. Even Taskmaster’s new costume looks worse than the one she had in “Black Widow,” while Ghost from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” has a far simpler costume that appears to have been designed by non-comic fans. Certainly, the costume designers have either not seen the comic book versions of these villains or have chosen to do whatever they wanted with their costumes. The results are disappointing.
One bright aspect of the movie trailer was the reveal of The Sentry. Despite being shown in his prison attire, he has not yet transformed into the psychotic, super-serum-powered villain he will become. This caught my attention because, unlike the Thunderbolts, none of the members pose a real, true, and legitimate threat to mankind nor can single-handedly save it from the demented hands of The Sentry.
I want to discuss something else within the MCU, specifically “Captain America: Brave New World.” In this movie, the Red Hulk resembles Harrison Ford, even in his CGI form. Naturally, his facial features have been incorporated into this CGI form as the Red Hulk, resulting in a convincing and realistic portrayal. I have to say, this is the best iteration of any Hulk-like onscreen character to date.
There is a blend of genres in “Captain America: A Brave New World,” including action, suspense, and adventurous cinematic vibes. It reminds me of the Tom Cruise-starring and producing “Mission Impossible” movies. This is due to the obvious inclusion and representation of the different security branches in the United States, such as the CIA, FBI, and others. “Captain America: Brave New World” continues the theme, tone, and setting of previous movies such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in its official movie teaser and trailer presentation.
Honestly, I do not know how well the Thunderbolts movie will fare with moviegoers who have come to appreciate the excellence that can be achieved in a superhero movie, thanks to the global record-setting and breaking successes of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Unless you are a devoted fan and follower of the toned-down, simplified, and more realistic superheroes of the MCU, there may not be much heroism, marvel, or excitement in “Thunderbolts” and “Captain America: Brave New World” aside from its action set pieces.
It has become necessary to focus on clear-cut reasons, which ironically should not be the main reason for watching “Thunderbolts” or “Captain America: Brave New World.” In “Thunderbolts,” you have The Sentry; in “Captain America: Brave New World,” you have the Red Hulk. Do you see any glaring similarity? These are the respective supervillains from the two movies mentioned. More people want to see these comic-based characters come to life on the big screen, rather than the lackluster superheroes themselves.
It is worth reiterating that if the draw for moviegoers to watch these two movies focuses more on the villains rather than the superheroes, it is evident that the protagonists in these films lack anything interesting or remotely impressive. I hate to say it, but these two movies are a downgrade or a step backward because Deadpool & Wolverine have set the bar so high. Rightfully so, it has done this by fulfilling everyone’s wishes, desires, and long-awaited expectations. “Deadpool & Wolverine” have become the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, earning $1.143 billion as of this writing. This is proof of what happens when you give people what they want.
Indeed, “Thunderbolts” and “Captain America: Brave New World” have a tough act to follow, as there are some expectations for the “Thunderbolts” and “Captain America: Brave New World” to be entertaining and worth watching in theaters.
I don’t know; it doesn’t feel like these two upcoming movies will be winners, especially “Thunderbolts.” Don’t get me wrong, both have excellent production value, on-point casting choices, and big budgets behind them. Additionally, the cinematography and trailer shots look interesting. However, the excitement factor is lacking aside from seeing The Sentry and the Red Hulk in action, doing what they do best: causing havoc, mayhem, and chaos.
Anyway, there is no other way to put it – it’s like trying to make chicken salad out of chicken ****!