THUNDERBOLTS* : Tuesday 13th May 2025

I saw the PG Rated 'THUNDERBOLTS*' earlier this week, and this American Superhero film is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and serves as the final instalment in Phase Five of the MCU. This film is Directed by Jake Schreier who made his Directorial debut with 'Robot & Frank' in 2012 and would follow this up with 'Paper Towns' in 2015. Since then he has helmed numerous TV series including multiple episodes of  'Lodge 49', 'Kidding', 'Brand New Cherry Flavour' and 'Beef' as well as music videos for the likes of Benny Blanco, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Kendrick Lamar. This film saw its World Premiere screening in London on 22nd April and was released in all major markets from 1st May. The film has generated positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$280M from a production budget of US$180M. 

The film opens with Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of a tall skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She stands and promptly launches herself off the top, parachuting down about half the length of the tower before gliding inwards and stepping gently off about fifteen stories from the bottom. Once inside, she sets about destroying a laboratory on behalf of CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to cover up her involvement with the O.X.E. Group's 'Sentry' superhuman experimentation project. 

As de Fontaine faces imminent impeachment for her work with O.X.E. Group, she separately sends Yelena, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) to a secret O.X.E. facility buried a mile underground atop a remote mountain, under the pretense of killing a thief. In the ensuing confrontation, Ava kills Taskmaster and a mysterious man named Bob (Lewis Pullman) is released from a suspended animation pod in the room. 

After coming to the realisation that they were sent by de Fontaine to be incinerated along with any evidence of her misconduct, they put their differences aside and work together to escape from the deadly trap. De Fontaine learns from her Assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan) that the group has survived, including Bob, who was presumed dead during the Sentry trials. When she arrives at the site, the team have made it to the surface, and so Bob creates a diversion by drawing fire from de Fontaine's small but heavily tooled up army, allowing Yelena, Walker, and Ava to escape, only to sustain no injuries despite being shot at close range multiple times. Bob then uncontrollably ascends high into the air before passing out and crash-landing back at the compound, where he is captured and helicoptered back to the former Avengers Tower in Manhattan, which is mid-way through a serious make over and is now renamed the 'Watchtower'. 

De Fontaine intends to introduce Bob to the press as a super-powered protector akin to the Avengers, hoping the PR stunt will avert her impeachment. Meanwhile, Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour), who had overheard details of de Fontaine's plot while working as a freelance chauffeur, rescues Yelena, Walker, and Ava. Referencing Yelena's childhood soccer team, Shostakov refers to the group as the 'Thunderbolts'. 

De Fontaine's agents chase after the Thunderbolts before they are ultimately caught and tied up by Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), whose intention it is to have them testify at de Fontaine's impeachment hearing. Learning that Bob was a subject of one of de Fontaine's top-secret experiments, Barnes joins the group to head to New York to infiltrate the Watchtower. The Thunderbolts discover that de Fontaine has convinced Bob to join her side as a new superhero she plans to pitch to the media as a replacement for the Avengers called the Sentry. 

After easily overpowering the team and forcing them to retreat, Sentry develops a god-like delusion of superiority, turning on de Fontaine. However, Mel, incapacitates him with a failsafe kill switch. This triggers the emergence of the Void, Bob's destructive alter ego and the embodiment of his depression and insecurities created as a result of the procedure and his fractured psyche, who begins engulfing New York City in supernatural darkness, trapping its citizens in pocket dimensions based on their worst memories and fears.

Yelena realises that the only way to stop the Void is from within, and so she enters the darkness to reach Bob's consciousness. There, she faces her haunted past as a Black Widow and finds Bob hiding in a recreation of his childhood bedroom, where his father abused him. The other Thunderbolts join them, and together they travel back through various 'rooms' ultimately to the memory of Bob's initial experimentation in Malaysia, where he volunteered for the procedure, hoping to improve himself after becoming an aimless drug addict. The Thunderbolts confront the Void, but are quickly overpowered. As the struggle threatens to fully consume Bob, the team intervenes, affirming their belief in him. Their solidarity empowers Bob to regain control, overcoming the Void as light and normality return to the city.

With the threat now past, the Thunderbolts are all set to apprehend de Fontaine. However, she manipulates public perception by staging a press conference in which she introduces them to the public as the 'New Avengers'. The Thunderbolts go along with this, but Yelena threatens de Fontaine if she betrays them again. Remain in your seat for a mid-credits sequence which really is something and nothing, and for the end credits sequence which gives a nod to 'The Fantastic Four : First Steps' the upcoming 37th entry in the MCU and the start of Phase Six, and set for release at the end of July this year.

I was pleasantly surprised by 'Thunderbolts*' with its rag tag bunch of ne'er do wells that are all damaged, traumatised and emotionally scarred in some way that makes them vulnerable and more relatable than some of the other characters we have seen in more recent MCU offerings. It was also somewhat reassuring to see an MCU film grounded in the present day NYC rather than going off on some tangent and taking us deep into the multiverse as has been the want lately, or at least so it seems. Florence Pugh holds the team together and hers is the standout performance in what Director Jake Schreier has pulled together as a coherent, concise and controlled entry into the MCU, while setting up Phase Six of the MCU. The action sequences are well realised and don't overstay their welcome, and there is enough emotional heft and well delivered humour here to make this a well balanced film. 

'Thunderbolts*' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st May 2025

The IndieLisboa International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday 1st May and runs through until Sunday 11th May, in Lisbon, Portugal. The Festival focuses on the exhibition of works that fill the void of film circulation shaped by the mainstream production and exhibition dominating the market. Every year, showing more than 270 films, IndieLisboa attracts audiences and film professionals from all over the globe by giving them the opportunity to discover recent films from emerging talents and to rediscover reputed authors. The festival's sections also comprise themed programmes, shining a light on relevant affairs, aiming for a conceptually and geographically diverse selection. It is also a festival that focuses on a programme designed specifically for the industry (audience of film professionals, filmmakers, producers, sales agents, programmers, critics, etc.). This industry core, parallel to the screenings programme, is composed of workshops, masterclasses, debates, a script-writing lab, a film fund, a pitching forum, screenings of works in progress and also several networking events, among other activities, so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Film presentation is 'Universal Language' from Canada and is Co-Written, Directed and starring Matthew Rankin. A comedy that imagines a Canada (minus Quebec) that is culturally intertwined with Iran. The film follows disparate stories with seemingly no points of contact: two girls trying to withdraw money that has frozen in the ground to help a schoolmate; a group of tourists on a unique guided tour and a man who quit his job and travels to reunite with his mother. The Closing Night Film is 'Caught by the Tides' from China and Co-Written and Directed by Jia Zhang-Ke. This film tells the story of a failed romance that unfolds over twenty years, with an evolving China in the background. But the focus is on Qiao, a singer and dancer who gets involved with a dubious music producer, Bin, who leaves her to try his luck in another city, promising to send for her when he has money. Qiao, waiting, writes to him and, receiving no reply, decides to go searching for Bin.

This years International Competition, highlights new voices and looks into the future. Features and shorts that cross the boundaries of genre, form, geography, and also the human body and gaze, in a search of a dialogue – about the world and with the world. In the feature length category, the following titles are presented, all competing for The Feature Film Grand Prize of €15K :-

* 'Bluish' - from Austria and Directed by Lilith Kraxner and Milena Czernovsky and Co-Written by Lileth Kraxner. National Premiere.

* 'Brought with the Storm' - from Argentina and Co-Written and Directed by Miguel de Zuviria. World Premiere.

* 'Downriver a Tiger' - from Spain and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Victor Diago. World Premiere.

* 'No Sleep Till' - from the USA and Switzerland and Written, Directed and Edited by Alexandra Simpson. National Premiere.

* 'Olivia & the Clouds' - from the Dominican Republic and Written and Directed by Tomas Pichardo-Espaillat. National Premiere.

* 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl' - from Zambia, the UK and Ireland and Written and Directed by Rungano Nyoni. National Premiere.

* 'She Boars' - from France and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Elsa Bres. International Premiere.

* 'The Sparrow in the Chimney' - from Switzerland and Co-Written, Directed and Edited by Ramon Zurcher. National Premiere.

* 'Vitrival - The Most Beautiful Village in the World' - from Belgium and Written, Directed and Edited by Baptiste Bogaert and Noelle Bastin and Co-Photographed by Baptiste Bogaert. National Premiere.

* 'Wind, Talk to Me' - from Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Starring Stefan Djordjevic. National Premiere.

For the summaries of the above named feature films, plus the other competitive strands being showcased and a whole lot more good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://indielisboa.com/en/

This week we have no fewer than eight new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon picture house close to home, kicking off with the 36th instalment in the MCU that sees a rag tag bunch of unconventional antiheroes become ensnared in a death trap, as they embark on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Then we have a tale set in 19th-century Ireland, where an orphaned teenage heiress finds herself forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle who's determined to marry her off. Next up is a New Zealand horror story of redemption in a world gone dark. Following on we have an Aussie comedy crime film in which two cousins embark on a high-energy race against the clock to find AU$50K when the mob discover one of them has been skimming from their Gold Coast workshop. This is followed by a New Zealand drama offering about a dissatisfied substitute teacher, who recently bereaved after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake killed her daughter, begins to work at an elite private school and starts a student choir. Next is a French drama film about a man who joins a secret group tracking Syrian regime leaders on the run, with his mission taking him to France, in the pursuit of his former torturer for a fateful confrontation. Then we turn to a docufiction about a film crew who return to Wuhan in early 2020 to resume the shooting of a film halted ten years previously, only to share the unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown; and closing out the week we have a Thai drama about how two teenage Police daughters' bond is tested in a heartfelt coming-of-age tale of love, friendship, and life's complexities.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the eight latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'THUNDERBOLTS*' (Rated PG) - is an American Superhero film and is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and serves as the final instalment in Phase Five of the MCU. This film is Directed by Jake Schreier who made his Directorial debut with 'Robot & Frank' in 2012 and would follow this up with 'Paper Towns' in 2015. Since then he has helmed numerous TV series including multiple episodes of  'Lodge 49', 'Kidding', 'Brand New Cherry Flavour' and 'Beef' as well as music videos for the likes of Benny Blanco, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Kendrick Lamar. This film saw its World Premiere screening in London on 22nd April and is released in all major markets from this week. 

A group of antiheroes comprising Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), Robert Reynolds (Lewis Pullman) and Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), are caught in a deadly trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the Director of the CIA, and are forced into a dangerous mission that could bring them redemption if they unite as a team.

'LIES WE TELL' (Rated MA15+) - this Irish mystery crime drama film is Directed by Lisa Mulcahy whose prior feature film making credits take in 'Situations Vacant' in 2008, 'The Legend of Longwood' in 2014 and 'Wasteland' in 2018. Here she adapts Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic 1864 novel 'Uncle Silas' into a modern reimagining set in Ireland in 1864, as recently orphaned heiress Maud Ruthyn (Agnes O'Casey) becomes ward of her notorious uncle, Silas Ruthyn (David Wilmot). Maud, grief-struck and proud, rejects support from her two trustees, Dr. Bryerly and Captain Ilbury, and welcomes Silas, his children Emily (Holly Sturton) and Edward (Chris Walley), and governess Madame (Grainne Keenan) to her isolated manor. But the arrival of Maud's estranged family is in fact a malign home invasion. Silas plans to secure her inheritance for himself, and compel Maud to forfeit her position by marrying her cousin Edward, or dying. Threatened, betrayed, and outnumbered by Silas and his allies, teenaged Maud now has to fight for her birthright. Instead of breaking her, the escalating danger sparks gambit after gambit against her charming, dangerous uncle, and a final, murderous showdown. The film was released in mid-July 2023 at the Galway Film Festival, and only now is it released here in Australia, having garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'FORGIVE US ALL' (Rated MA15+) - this New Zealand and Australian Co-Produced neo-Western horror film is Co-Written and Directed by Jordana Stott in her feature film making debut. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a biotech virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals, the film follows Rory (Lily Sullivan), a bereaved mother who has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope. Also starring Richard Roxburgh and Callan Mulvey. 

'DOUBLE OR NOTHING' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian comedy crime film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Dru Brown whose previous feature film offerings take in 'Sleeper' in 2012 and 'The Suicide Theory' in 2014. Nick (Rowan Howard) and Turbo (Andrew Ian Pope) are a couple of ex-con cousins who work in a Mob-run Gold Coast workshop. While they’re trying to keep their noses clean, their boss Col (Jon Jarratt) isn’t - going head to head with a violent rival. When the dangerous people take control of the workshop, Nick and Turbo find themselves with no job and no way to keep supporting Nick's sick sister Mel (Nicole Payten-Betts). It gets worse when the Mob discovers that the AU$50k in the safe that Turbo has been skimming from is disturbingly short. They give the hapless cousins 72 hours to find it and deliver it. Also starring Vince Colosimo.

'TINA' (Rated M) - this New Zealand drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Miki Magasiva in his feature film making debut. Here, set in 2014 three years after the devastating earthquake hit Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island, in which 185 people lost their lives, a woman, Mareta Percival (Anapela Polataivao) originally from Samoa, grieving her daughter's death in the quakes, becomes a substitute teacher at an exclusive elite private school. Unexpectedly, she discovers students lacking guidance and care, prompting her to provide inspiration and support.

'GHOST TRAIL' (Rated M) - is a French drama film Co-Written and Directed by Jonathan Millet in his feature Directorial debut. Two years after being released from Sednaya Prison in Syria, Hamid (Adam Bessa) is making ends meet as a construction worker in the French city of Strasbourg, where, haunted by the memory of his imprisonment, the young man searches tirelessly for the man who tortured him, determined to get his revenge, but what's the real price of vengeance for the person seeking it? The film saw its World Premiere in mid-May last year in the Critics' Week section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Camera d'Or. It has so far grossed US$1.2M and has generated critical acclaim picking up six award wins and another fifteen nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. 

'AN UNFINISHED FILM' (Rated M) - this Chinese hybrid part documentary part fictional feature film is Co-Written and Directed by Lou Ye. The film had its World Premiere showcasing in mid-May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival, in the Special Screenings section, and it won both Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at China's Golden Horse Awards in late November last year. Here then, in January 2020, a film crew reunites near Wuhan, the alleged epi-centre of the COVID-19 pandemic to resume the shooting of a film halted ten years earlier, only to share the unexpected challenges as cities are placed under strict lockdown. Confronted with the challenges of the pandemic, Director Xiaorui (Xiaorui Mao) and his crew are forced to determine how to move forward in a rapidly changing world. 

'FLAT GIRLS' (Rated PG) - is a Thai coming of age teen drama film Written and Directed by Claire Jirassaya Wongsutin in her feature film making debut. As Jane (Kirana Pipityakorn) prepares to leave a Police flat where she was born and raised, she starts to reflect on old memories including a painful story of love and intimacy lost between a handsome young Policeman and Ann (Fatima Dechawaleekul), the ambitious older girl Jane once secretly loved. These memories bring to light past secrets Jane has never told anyone. 

With eight new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-