Overall Thoughts: Interesting superhero parody is too ridiculous to be worthwhile.
I don't think I've seen any superhero movie like Thunder Force. That's not a terrible thing, but it's not high praise either.
Yes, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have delivered a superhero comedy that does deliver a fairly unique (and simple) premise. The idea of two superheroes in a mid-life crisis learning to fight crime does have its' winning moments. Some jokes involving classic movies and some slapstick situations surprisingly work. The character dynamics feel different than usual for a superhero film. And, the lead actors have their moments. McCarthy shows a nice heart of gold underneath a tough, sassy and crude exterior as Lydia. And Spencer is a solid foil for her, with moments of heart interwoven in as Emily. As Emily's daughter Tracy, Taylor Mosby delivers a sweet, solid performance.
And, the film does have decent production quality. The superhero action and McCarthy-style pratfalls prove to be a decent combination. The visual effects are alright. And the film's various nods to comic book style storytelling are alright. Meanwhile, the film's backstories of Lydia and Emily are nicely-done, with the right amount of development.
However, despite some genuinely good moments, the film is poorly-scripted. There's too much self-aware, dry and sarcastic humor in the dialogue. Some scenes that had the potential to be hilarious or heartfelt were ruined by very odd storytelling choices. And, some moments are so out-of-place and ridiculous that it's shocking they didn't end up on the cutting room floor.
Also, the villain is also absolutely ridiculous. It's mostly not Bobby Cannavale's fault (though he's super over-the-top), as the writing is mostly to blame. Cannavale's character is too Saturday morning cartoon and too obviously political. He and his sidekick (Laser) are both very annoying and come across as more of school bullies with superpowers than anything else. Cannavale, Oscar-winner Melissa Leo and Jason Bateman are all not utilized well in their supporting roles, with the latter having the most outrageous situations.
In the end, you watch this movie thinking the creative team definitely could have done better here. Because it's the ridiculous, mindless, and out-of-place elements that almost outnumber all of the good and unique moments Thunder Force has to offer. And it's this that keeps it from being a watchable movie.
Grade: C-
Is this movie family-friendly? Thunder Force is rated PG-13 for "some action/violence, language and mild suggestive material." I would not recommend this movie for anyone under the age of 13 or 14. Not so much because of the superhero violence (which is relatively bloodless, with one person choke-hugged to death being the only real disturbing element here), but because of the language and adult situations. Despite being corrected for language, Lydia (and others) have a bit of a mouth. In the movie, we hear the s-word about 10 times, along with "h***", "d***", "b**ch", "p*** off", "G-d***" and "J***s". We hear several suggestive jokes, including a couple of anatomy jokes, one "ovulating" joke, and a couple of sequences where Lydia attempts (bizarrely) to make-out with a man-crab suggestively. Lydia drinks beer repeatedly. We see her get injected in the face a few times. One character double-crosses another. Some characters lie and manipulate. And Lydia develops a craving for....raw chicken (we see her disgustingly eat it a few times).
Is this movie family-friendly? Thunder Force is rated PG-13 for "some action/violence, language and mild suggestive material." I would not recommend this movie for anyone under the age of 13 or 14. Not so much because of the superhero violence (which is relatively bloodless, with one person choke-hugged to death being the only real disturbing element here), but because of the language and adult situations. Despite being corrected for language, Lydia (and others) have a bit of a mouth. In the movie, we hear the s-word about 10 times, along with "h***", "d***", "b**ch", "p*** off", "G-d***" and "J***s". We hear several suggestive jokes, including a couple of anatomy jokes, one "ovulating" joke, and a couple of sequences where Lydia attempts (bizarrely) to make-out with a man-crab suggestively. Lydia drinks beer repeatedly. We see her get injected in the face a few times. One character double-crosses another. Some characters lie and manipulate. And Lydia develops a craving for....raw chicken (we see her disgustingly eat it a few times).
