Thunderbolts* - MOVIE REVIEW (Spoiler-Free)

The second MCU film of the year - Thunderbolts* - has now arrived theaters globally. To be perfectly frank, I was never super excited about this movie prior to the marketing. I was excited by the initial announcement of a Thunderbolts film and Jake Schreier's involvement as director but was quite thrown off by the initial cast announcement. While the Thunderbolts were never really Marvel Comics team that I gravitated towards, I did like a lot of the usual characters included... and seemingly almost none of them were going to be a part of the movie squad. This choice continued a very awkward trend of the MCU trying to distance itself from the very media that allowed it to exist in the first place. I have to say though, props to the marketing team. By the time I was stepping into the theater, I was PUMPED to finally be seeing Thunderbolts*. The trailers have been fantastic, with a few awesome parodies, and even the product tie-ins have been creative (not that tie-ins are exactly a good indication of quality). Did the movie live up to the marketing, or was it as bland as I initially feared?Thunderbolts*Directed by: Jake SchreierStory by: Eric PearsonScreenplay by: Eric Pearson, Joanna CaloProduced by: Kevin FeigeExecutive Producers: Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason TamezMusic by: Son LuxDirector of Photography: Andrew Droz PalermoEdited by: Angela M. Catanzaro, Harry YoonCasting by: Sarah FinnProduction Design by: Grace SunCostume Design by: Sanja Milkovic HaysCast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-DreyfusSynopsis: After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.