Phase 5 of the Marvel Universe films hasn’t produced many highlights. Thankfully the phase comes to an end with arguably the most entertaining Marvel film for a considerable time. Plus, it’s a bit of a bonus that you don’t have to sit through hours of content on Disney+ to work out what’s going on. It helps but it’s not a deal breaker if you don’t know your Winter Soldier from your Captain America

Thunderbolts* bears a lot of similarities to Suicide Squad (2016) in that a motley crew of not so honest and good superheroes band together on a mission. The mission in question sees Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh reprising her role from 2021’s Black Widow), John Walker AKA Captain America (Wyatt Russell) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen being sent to a secret base by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) on the pretence that there is evidence in the base that will incriminate her in her upcoming impeachment.

Unfortunately, when they turn up at the base, which turns out to be a giant incinerator, the evidence in question is them and a strange character called Bob who’s also been sent there by Valentina.

Unsurprisingly the four of them manage to escape. They then team up with Yelena’s father Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sabastian Stan) and set out to bring down Valentina.

Thunderbolts* ultimately turns out to be a very expensive road movie as the squabbling superheroes’ (there’s a lot of squabbling in-between the action) lurch from one set piece to the next.

Thunderbolts* might not hit the hits of the early Marvel films but it at least promises that things are on an upwards trajectory in term of quality. If you can be bothered to stay until after the credits there’s even an extended post credit sequence that hints of what’s to come in phase 6.