hereticjones

How strange that no matter how many upvotes & high ratings this excellent movie receives in the IMDB User Reviews, there seems to be a relentless campaign to match every upvote with more downvotes! They managed to drag the Overall Rating down from 7.7 to 7.3, so it seems that somebody really wants this movie to fail.

I wonder what their motive can be, because "Thunderbolts" was a wonderful surprise. Superb acting by the whole cast, especially the charismatic team of David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell and Lewis Pullman. They masterfully created warm, endearing characters that viewers really care about, including Wyatt Russell's cranky John Walker, and Lewis Pullman's triple portrayal of Sentry, Bob & The Void was an astonishing tour de force.

The cinematography, fight scenes and costumes were excellent, and most of the jokes were really funny (except for the gross ones), though I was a bit disappointed by the musical score.

The heart-wrenching final battle between Bob & the Void was a slow-motion masterpiece. I wish more movies would use slow-motion, because it is awesome.

I don't believe the film is about "mental health". There is a deeper meaning, another meaning of that noun "Void", not as a desolate blackness of space, but as an "opening", "gap", or "portal" between two spaces or worlds. In that interpretation, Sentry is a Captive Archangel struggling to remember his original mission: helping souls to leave their physical form behind as a mere shadow, in order to enter the portal to Heaven. Remember the way is very narrow, and there is a "life review". That's why he kept saying compassionately that he would "help" them. That's why he represents "The Golden Guardian of Good", and in that interpretation, he represents John the Baptist, whose non-identical twin brother Jesus is represented by John Walker, their father Yahweh is represented by the Red Guardian (Zuras/Zeus), and Yelena & Ghost (The Holy Ghost) represent two forms of The Holy Spirit. Remember who attacked them, bound them, and tricked them into helping him stop the Archangel Sentry from Rapturing any souls? He was named after the Stag, the antlered "Buck", and is now a replacement for Loki, part of the "New Avengers" team. Who does Bucky really represent, do you think?

That is an alternative interpretation of this splendid film, and I really hope the team will keep "The Thunderbolts" name (as in Zuras/Zeus) instead of being forced back into the tired old trope of "The New Avengers" with boring identikit uniforms, meekly under the control of The Vile Valentina.

As for all the unjust media sneering about Russell & Pullman as "Nepo Babies" in this film, most parents are happy if their children decide to follow them into their professions, and the current silly fashion for sneering about "Nepo Babies" is like sneering at Farmer's Sons who want to be Farmers, and are helped in their careers by their Farmer Parents! There's nothing wrong with that--- it's just normal, and I think people should just boycott the term "Nepo Babies" altogether.

What an outstanding adaptation of Norse mythology! All the Indigenous Norwegian actors did a marvellous job, even though they are perhaps unknown in the West, and it was fascinating to see this glimpse of real life in modern Norway, intertwined with the legends of their own ancient culture. The ending of Season 1 was superb, including the music, and the cinematography throughout. I was so impressed with the first season that I'm afraid to watch the next two, lest they be disappointing, as many reviewers have slated the ending of Season 3.

The only irksome thing was Netflix's insistence on shoehorning culturally inappropriate actors into every film out of Marxist political correctness, instead of letting each world culture proudly celebrate its own people. It was also odd that, apart from Thor, only females were "allowed" to be Scandinavian blondes, as if blondness were a feminine genetic trait, which is absurd.

But apart from that, this first season was a real gift from Norway. Remember what the seeress said: "People think Ragnarok is the end, but they are wrong. It is where it begins!"

Edit: After watching Series 2 & 3, I must disagree with those who say the ending was terrible. I thought the ending was brilliant, especially the cinematography of the slow-motion battle scenes. And no, it wasn't all in Magne's head---that was just what the humans thought. When the real Ragnarok comes, it will be Wotan/Odin who annihilates Loki/Satan, that justice shall be done. Just as Thanos/Odin destroyed Loki/Satan in the Marvel Thor films.

Well done, Norway!

As many others have said, Peter Jackson and his team have given a great gift to humanity, in making Tolkien's marvellous fantasy world come to life in the most spectacular manner.

The reason I liked these three Hobbit films even better than the splendid Lord of the Rings ones was something that is hard for me to define clearly: the "warmth" of the characters. As an Italian gentleman once said, "There are two kinds of beauty. There is a cold kind of beauty, and a warm kind."

It is not the fault of the individual actors in these two trilogies, but somehow Martin Freeman's portrayal of Bilbo had a richness and honest warmth lacking in Ian Holm's portrayal. Likewise, Richard Armitage's portrayal of a king had that same warmth, which was lacking in Viggo Mortensen's. Luke Evans and many other cast members also projected that same kind warmth, including the supposedly "cold" elves Lee Pace, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly. Benedict Cumberbatch even managed to make Smaug so interesting and likeable that I was sorry to see his demise.

I don't know how to describe what I mean. Perhaps "charisma" is the word.