By Katy Philion
If you look online these days for the general discussion around the once-exciting Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ll most likely see fans expressing their disappointment over the franchise’s trajectory. However, after watching Marvel’s newest release, it’s apparent that Marvel is still capable of invoking that same excitement we all once knew.
Photo by Marvel Studios
Going into the movie, I was beyond excited. I had watched all the series and movies I needed to understand the characters at least twice. I had researched comics and storylines, watched every trailer to the point where I was wholly prepared, or so I thought. My initial expectations were that the movie would follow the common trajectory of any other story, the usual exposition, conflict, and resolution, with everything in between. I also knew that many other Marvel movies had tried to evoke emotions from an audience before, and failed, so I wasn’t expecting a sob story.
Turns out, this story did much more than evoke emotions. The concept of the villain, is that he is a Void, someone who represents real-life problems and experiences. Sadness, despair, disappointment, and insecurity are all shared emotions that we tend to bottle up, rather than express, and this movie does a fantastic job of showing that. There are several heartfelt scenes where the characters, who have all done terrible things in their lives, open up about themselves. In the beginning, we find out almost every character's mistakes through others, but by the end of the movie, they have no problem expressing their experiences themselves.
I think the overall message of this movie, without providing spoilers, is that everyone can overcome their worst moments. No matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you came from, everyone deserves a second chance. You don’t have to bottle up or shove down whatever is eating at you, because there will always be someone there to listen to you. Of course, this movie has the usual Marvel elements of action sequences and humor mixed in, but in a way that doesn’t overshadow the main theme of the movie. So, if you’re thinking about watching Thunderbolts*, then I don’t think I could recommend it enough, that you do.
Photo by Marvel Studios