“Thunderbolts*” partial movie poster featuring Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamin, Florence Pugh, … More
Thunderbolts* — Marvel’s antihero adventure starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour — is opening in theaters Friday. What do critics have to say about the new film?
The official summary for Thunderbolts* reads, “Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova (Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Stan), Red Guardian (Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell).
“After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”
Rated PG-13, Thunderbolts* is directed by Jake Scheier (Netflix’s Beef) and also stars Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Pierce.
The review embargo for Thunderbolts* was lifted on Tuesday afternoon.
Thunderbolts* so far has earned an 88% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 96 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus and Popcornmeter score is still pending.
What Do Individual Critics Have To Say About ‘Thunderbolts*’?
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter is among the top critics on RT who gives Thunderbolts* a fresh review, writing, “There’s a disarming freshness to this first-time assembly, not to mention something even more unexpected: heart. That’s due to an appealing ensemble cast but also to the new blood of a creative team with a distinctive take on the genre.”
Nicolas Barber of the BBC also praises Thunderbolts* in his “fresh” review on RT, noting that Thunderbolts* is so much better than most of Marvel’s post-Endgame films. It’s not just because it’s a rough-edged, big-hearted spy thriller about lovably clueless anti-heroes. It’s because it has an actor as charismatic as [Florence]
Pugh at its center.”
Alison Wilmore of New York Magazine/Vulture also praises Florence Pugh in her review on RT, writing, “Pugh, in particular, gives the movie an emotional tangibility that makes it feel realms more solid than the last few years of Marvel product.
William Bibbiani of The Wrap in one regard knocks Thunderbolts* but still gives the film a “fresh” review on RT, noting, “Although it’s hard to shake the sense that on a practical level this studio is just scraping the bottom of the barrel, desperately hoping their minor characters can be converted into headliners, they’ve done a damn good job of it.”
In his “fresh” review on RT, Peter Debruge of Variety compares the team members in Thunderbolts* to another famous band of MCU misfits, noting, “As with the Guardians of the Galaxy films, what works here is the uneasy tension within a team that comes together out of necessity, rather than any natural sense of affinity.”
Robbie Collin of the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph is the sole top critic on RT who gives Thunderbolts* a “rotten” review to date, writing, “Despite its notionally spiky tone, moroseness is the film’s root chord.”
Thunderbolts* plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/04/29/thunderbolts-reviews-do-critics-think-new-marvel-movie-has-zap/