Film Review – Thunderbolts

Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been rocky for the comic book corporation. Fans haven’t necessarily loved the releases in this cycle, and the last picture, “Captain America: Brave New World,” struggled for editorial consistency and heroic urgency as the storyline follows an Avenger-less world that still needs saving. “Thunderbolts” is the final release of Phase Five, and it attempts to set things in a more superhero-y direction, going the “Suicide Squad” route as a team of misfits tentatively come together to take on evil. The formula is there, as is a curious choice for a director, putting indie helmer Jake Schreier (“Paper Towns,” “Robot & Frank”) in charge of a major endeavor with an enormous amount of tonal shifts from screenwriters Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. “Thunderbolts” is intermittently exciting, and some casting here really works, but it remains an uneven film that takes broad swings of silliness and sadness, which often disrupts the flow of the offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com