“Thunderbolts*.” The 2 hour and 6 minute adventure, action, crime and drama movie. What more could you want? It’s a movie about friendship in tough situations, trust, criminals, and amazing stunts.

The movie takes fans on a rollercoaster of emotions as they watch Yelena find her way in a lonely world after just having lost her sister, and attempt to reconnect with her adopted father. With friends found in unexpected places, she starts a team in hopes to overthrow a manipulative soon-to-be congress woman, and finally connects plot lines that had been hinted at for while in the Marvel Universe.

If the story itself doesn’t compel you to watch the movie, how about the stunts? 

In the opening scene of the movie, Yelena (played by Florence Pugh) jumps off the second tallest building in the world, located in Malaysia. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: “that’s fake,”, “she didn’t really do that.” She did… look it up, it’s real. It was very important to Pugh that she do this stunt for the movie’s promotion. Even though she had a stunt double, she still wanted to do it herself. After Marvel Studios had decided it was too dangerous of a stunt, Pugh made many calls to make sure it happened. She said while being interviewed on “Good Morning America,” “Yeah, it was terrifying, but I think that knowing that I could control my mind in that way was scarier.” In total, Florence Pugh ended up jumping off the building 9 times over the course of 2 days.

Action aside, I personally love this movie because I think it focuses on some important things like mental health. Not only does Yelena struggle with feelings, but so does the rest of her team. They have all had dark pasts, but are there for each other at the end of the day. That’s the beautiful thing about this movie. 

If you’re not currently a Marvel fan, but you are looking to get into it, “Thunderbolts*” could be a great way to start. 

“*New Avengers.” New beginnings. Go to the movies and watch “Thunderbolts*.” At AMC CLASSIC Bloomington 12 theatre.