Netflix's Thunder Force gained some attention with its debut and even slowly raised the ranks in the platform's Top 10 list. The movie started Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer in the lead roles of Lydia and Emily. This isn't the typical superhero movie, as Lydia and Emily are well into their years as middle-aged women.
Lydia and Emily are old friends who drifted apart, but Lydia accidentally activates the superhero serum at Emily's laboratory. Deciding to fight crime together, Lydia and Emily become superheroes to stop Miscreants in the city. The movie had a few good moments that made it a fun watch, but audiences couldn't help but notice that it was missing some flair and exaggerated certain plot elements.
Skip: Lack Of A Detailed Villain Story
Seeing as the movie is a superhero movie, the villains should have pizzaz and a worthwhile story to get invested in. Sadly, the movie didn't do a good job at convincing audiences of the central villains. From the start, audiences know that Miscreants are superhumans who wreak havoc over the city.
The story time jumps years into the future, and nothing much has changed. The movie only focuses on two miscreants with the ability to use massive energy bolts and a man with crab arms. There's also the 'head' villain which was given away in the trailer who has superstrength. Beyond this, the villains don't do justice.
Watch: The Friendship Complex
The movie isn't meant to be dark and palpable like Justice League or an MCU movie. It's not bad to see the friendship storyline between Lydia and Emily on screen. It makes for a lighthearted and approachable storyline to watch. Emily is the daughter of a scientist who gets killed in a Miscreant's attack.
She's bullied at school but develops a friendship with Lydia after she stands up for her. The friends drift apart as Emily focuses on her wish to make her parents proud in genetic research. Yeats later, Lydia visits Emily at her facility and accidentally activated the superhero serum injection. After rekindling their friendship, they become heroes.
Skip: The Predictable Story
From the trailer alone, it was easy to guess what the movie's storyline would be and how it would play out. Watching the movie only proves this correct. It was easy to guess that the two main characters have a fight and end their friendship. In a miraculous turn of events years later, Emily returns to her hometown pushing Lydia to see her.
Of course, seeing as Emily works in genetic research to find a way to stop the Miscreants, it was no surprise that Lydia would accidentally become the hero. Fast forward through the training montage, life lessons and audiences quickly realize who the villain is. It's a villain who wants to climb the ladder of control and take over political offices to become president.
Watch: The Unexpected Hero
Something is comforting about seeing an out-of-the-ordinary superhero. Movies and television are used to the ripped, muscular, righteous, and incredibly gorgeous heroes like Wonder Woman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel. Thunder Force deviated from this dynamic and made it a bit quirky and realistic.
Lydia and Emily are two women well into their years. Lydia's new powers don't change her physical appearance; they instead just give her superstrength. Emily also administers a treatment to get her powers, but her physicality stays the same. It's not the drastic change like Steve Rogers pre-serum to the tall and rock-solid Captain America.
Skip: Superhero Powers Were Subpar
It's sad to say that superhero powers seen in the movie weren't jaw-dropping or special in any way. Lydia gets incredible superhuman strength, and her body is much more impenetrable. Emily decides to join Lydia in becoming heroes and takes a regimen of pills that give her the ability to turn invisible.
Emily's powers were the more lackluster of the bunch. She really doesn't have anything else to do besides turn invisible. She's given a high voltage taser to defend herself, but, when using it, it renders her invisibly useless for a while. There's also the added surprise of a Speedster.
Watch: The Car Debacle
Thunder Force broke a couple of hero illusions that many superhero movies are known for. It's hard not to mention one movie that doesn't include a high-speed luxury sports car. A sports car is sleek, a bit of a showstopper, and can get anyone to their destination quickly. No hero would pull up to the scene of the crime in a Fiat.
The movie offered a humorous commentary about the use of sports cars. Lydia and Emily now have their powers and go on their first mission. They decide on a decked-out Lamborghini. The car proves impractical as Lydia and Emily barely fit in it and barely get out of it with ease.
Skip: Some Slow Dialogue
Dialogue can play a major role in how good a movie is. The movie wasn't full of intense action sequences like the MCU, but it also fell flat on its dialogue. Some moments were a bit too slow to get through and could have any viewer pressing the 10-second fast forward.
The slow moment sin dialogue happened on many occasions, even when the heroes are faces with their enemies. It's a scene that would be important in any other hero movie, but it fell flat in its delivery.
Watch: The Smart Character Appreciation
Some audience members would remember a time when being a quote-unquote "nerd" wasn't a good thing. The movie did a fun job at showcasing that nerds or highly intellectual people are powerful in their own way. Emily is picked on by her classmates for being smart, but she does stand up for her self, saying "I'm not a nerd. I'm smart. There's a difference."
Emily's dedication to her studies and making her parents proud leads her to be the top genetic scientist in the world. She even has multiple laboratories and a swanky new facility. The movie had Lydia and her daughter prove many times that their intellect is something to be proud of and shouldn't be made of fun by others.
Skip: Not Worth The Comedic Moments
Thunder Force is tagged as a superhero comedy, but there really aren't too many genuinely funny moments. Many comedic scenes feel forced or exaggerated. There's the scene where Lydia's new enhanced body can't take in normal food. The only food she can eat is raw chicken. The movie puts too much emphasis on her eating heaps of raw chicken to a point it gets uncomfortable to watch.
Audiences will also tilt their heads when the main villain decided to visit the two heroes at their facility. His main henchwoman, Laser (Pom Klementieff) walks incredibly slow and even Lydia remarks it. Laser also has a habit of constantly saying that she wants to kill someone.
Watch: Making Fun Of Superhero Movie Tropes
An aspect the movie does well is making fun of all the impractical concepts that make up a hero movie. It's no secret that many plot elements and tropes that are seen in this genre of movies can't actually exist in real life or be practical in any way. The sleek sports car is a good example.
There's also the trope that animal-like powers don't exactly work as well as one might think. The Crab (Jason Bateman) becomes a villain after being bit by a radioactive crab in the genitals, somehow leaving him with crab arms. The same goes for Emily's invisibly, and there's not much she can do with it. Audiences also can't forget the hero suit issue. Lydia remarked that her suit is getting ripe, but Emily explains that the suit's material can't be washed. This put into question how often other famous heroes get their suits dry cleaned.