Thunderbolts has its wins, even if it doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel.

Full Review | Jul 29, 2025

The result is an ensemble film that, for the most part, digs into emotional wounds without abandoning the genre’s necessary spectacle.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 27, 2025

Thunderbolts* is acknowledging something we’ve been begging the MCU to clue in to for some time — the glitzy combat is nothing more than frosting for the superhero.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2025

A shaggy, soulful espionage thriller about people finding the good in themselves and each other and coming together to save the day, this is a step in the right direction that promises exciting things to come. Simply put: it’s the MCU’s best in years.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 23, 2025

When it comes to goofy Marvel anti-hero teams, I’ll take Guardians of the Galaxy any day. ... But this group should do OK moving forward, even if its first entry lacks a wow factor.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 22, 2025

Thunderbolts* is messy, funny, and occasionally brilliant. The movie shines when it leans into its weirdest characters and lets the chaos unfold. It may not be revolutionary or bold, but it proves Marvel’s B-team still knows how to suit up...

Full Review | Original Score: 7.7/10 | Jul 19, 2025

“Thunderbolts” feels closer to 2012’s “The Avengers” than any of the more recent offerings, albeit with a slightly nastier crew. And, by God, it kind of works!

Full Review | Jul 18, 2025

Thunderbolts* is an exciting entry in the MCU, eschewing formula for a deeper dive into the mental wellbeing of some of its characters. Though the film is afraid to go too far in to the darkness, it makes up for it through stunning special effects.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jul 17, 2025

Thunderbolts* is an enjoyable romp. It’s got all the humor and the characters banter with each other relentlessly. Which is great because the comedic timing of the cast is out of this world... You will fall out of your chair laughing.

Full Review | Jul 17, 2025

“Thunderbolts*” reroutes itself as another cog in the wheel of the machine rather than allowing the compelling flaws of this antihero group to really linger.

Full Review | Jul 17, 2025

Thunderbolts arrives like a defibrillator: a convulsive jolt, painful in its familiarity — and yet, somehow, a flutter of life returns.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 15, 2025

Superhero movies can still say something, and “Thunderbolts*” reminds us that when they do, when they’re able to operate outside the machine and not be forced to keep the cogs moving, something special happens: we actually get a good movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 15, 2025

Thunderbolts* is a movie about coming to grips with the painful aspects of your past. But it is also a reminder that while you can fight the darkness alone, the only hope you have of winning is with a team.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 15, 2025

A truly well-balanced ensemble film...

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jul 14, 2025

Not everything is fixed, but everything feels slightly patched up. Is it fun? Yeah, sort of. But still not especially memorable.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 14, 2025

The credits tell us Thunderbolts* is "based on the Marvel comics," and that much is true, inasmuch as there was a comic book called Thunderbolts, and it was published by Marvel.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 12, 2025

...this is the best entry in all of Phase Five. It does a better job of making me care about its characters, ones that are familiar to audiences and even one that is brand new for this story. The action strangely feels more grounded and more engaging.

Full Review | Jul 12, 2025

Yet, if you’re able to get on Thunderbolts*’s wavelength and remember who’s who, you’re in for a treat. It’s a rare Marvel film in that it’s a movie about something.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 9, 2025

Thunderbolts* isn't the most fun or thrilling MCU outing ever. But the best and most well-considered of the last several years? I think so.

Full Review | Jul 3, 2025

Schreier has gone for a muted look to reflect the ambivalence and trauma of his characters. However, he also produces a deft balance of action, spectacle, character-driven interplay and bluff repartee...

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 2, 2025