In a world terrorized by super-villains, one woman has developed the process to give superpowers to regular people. But when scientist Emily Stanton accidentally imbues her estranged best-friend with incredible abilities, the two women must become the first superhero team. Now, it is up to Thunder Force to battle the super-powered Miscreants and save Chicago from the clutches of The King.
In a world where superhero saviors come around as often as the next day, Netflix has decided to join the party once again with their newest film Thunder Force. It just goes to show that anyone can fill the roles of such characters in this genre given the right talent, and the two leads here accomplish this with flying colors. With Melissa McCarthy as Lydia and Octavia Spencer as Emily, their onscreen presence was a delightful fun ride filled with comedy, silly randomness, and sprinkles of butt-kicking that will leave you smiling.
What I loved most about the film is that it’s completely self-aware of what it is, just random silliness from a cast that’s all on the same page and just trying to have fun. This is apparent from the dialogue from most of the characters just winging it and adlibbing their lines. It’s abundantly clear from the start of the film to not take it too seriously and to just sit back and laugh. If you just want to see a simple comedy shrouded in comic book action your expectations are exactly where they need to be for optimal enjoyment.
Now Lydia’s character isn’t the textbook role model to aspire to, but you can still relate in some fashion, or you may know someone in your life that’s similar to her and all her characteristics. She’s not the most responsible, and the film shows what the consequences can be if this life is chosen. On the other hand, Emily is the polar opposite, taking advantage of every opportunity that comes her way and being driven to succeed no matter the cost. While these two are the exact opposites of one another there’s something about them being together that is hilarious even if they never would be friends in the first place.
Going back to the film being self-aware, the villains are cartoonish, all the henchmen are morons, and the plot is filled with every superhero trope that casual fans may get exhausted from. However, this film takes its time to dissect those elements, making fun of itself as if it was an SNL sketch show. The film is in on itself being over the top silly, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. Surprisingly, when events get a little more serious for the characters the situation is no longer a joke. There are well-edited montages of empowerment. Seeing these women train was a real treat and just the underlying message that being educated in most walks of life is a triumph to be celebrated. I loved this representation displayed by Octavia Spencer’s character and want more of it.
I was even impressed with the action that was pulled off with great precision and choreography, seeing as it’s a satire comedy. There’s a level of respect that I have for this film. It knows what it is and the audience it’s targeting. Even though some of Lydia’s performances were forced to push the story forward, as she at times came off as an incompetent goof, it still worked overall making me laugh, and that’s all I wanted from the beginning.
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