So it’s Saturday night. You and the Missus are scrolling through Netflix, looking for something you can both agree on. You notice that Braveheart is available but her look says that’s not going to happen. Meanwhile, she’s intrigued by the “girls can’t play chess/that’ll show you Patriarchy” Queen’s Gambit.
Then you come across the perfect movie; the hilarious Melissa McCarthy who helped make Bridesmaids the classic it is piloting a goofy superhero comedy vehicle. It has potential – or at least something both of you can tolerate as you hang out together.
Melissa McCarthy may be in the process of becoming the next Adam Sandler of Netflix. I don’t mean that in a good way. But I also don’t mean it in a bad way. Both Sandler and McCarthy seem to be currently in the business of comedies which aren’t gut busters and leave you feeling like there’s some wasted potential of strong talent due to writing or directing. Their movies elicit a few laughs but nothing you’d be talking about on the Monday morning Zoom call before the meeting starts.
Thunder Force is in the superhero spoof genre occupied by Mystery Men and Kick Ass, but with none of the brutal violence. It’s written and directed by Ben Falcone, McCarthy’s real life husband and funny guy in his own right.
There’s an 80s soundtrack that doesn’t really make sense since that would mean our heroes are near or just past fifty years old. Perhaps that is to appeal to the intended demographic, Middle Age Movie Review reviewers.
The story opens in elementary school. McCarthy plays Lydia, the under achieving but fun and sassy-mouthed tomboy. She takes the nerdy Emily, played by Octavia Spencer, under her wing and pries her away from her books to have a little fun.
In the backdrop are the Miscreants – people whose DNA has been modifed by a genetic something happening. The virus, unfortunately, strongly affects people with socialpathic tendecies. Emily’s parents were killed my Miscreants and now her life’s goal is to complete her parent’s work in creating superpowers that can counter the powerful criminals running Chicago into the ground.
Common to this story line is the inevitable growing apart and falling out before a big time jump. It’s at least 10 years later and Lydia is a forklift driver living the Kevin James underacheiver lifestyle. There are many regrets and beers. When she finally reaches out to her estranged friend, she is welcomed to the wildly successful Emily’s new corporate headquarters in downtown Chicago. It even has her name on it. How Lydia never heard that her long lost friend has a shiny building with her name on it is never asked nor answered. Guess forklift drivers don’t watch the news.
Anyway, what was a slow first act gives way to a “zany” slob-in-the-henhouse don’t-touch-anything-while-I-leave-you-in-the-lab bit where, you guessed it, Lydia doesn’t have the sense to not touch anything. Boom bam! Lydia ruins the years long expermiment probably costing somewhere in the hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Oh well, at least she got injected with the serum for super strength!
“Oh gawd, it’s going to be that kind of movie,” you think to yourself as you reach for your smartphone to check TikTok.
“Cursing Cockatoos are trending,” you notice and watch a couple of hilarious vids.
The film gets slighly better when Emily starts taking the serum for invisibility and Lydia begins training to use her new abilities. There’s plenty of sight gags keep it moving.
We then get to the part where the two protagonists are ready to assume their role as crimefighting heroes. And the movie becomes much more enjoyable. Like the heroes, the movie itself finds its pace and rhythm.
We get to meet the arch villain. You know who it is because it’s telegraphed so strongly, they could have put a caption on the screen “THIS IS THE VILLAIN”. It’s supposed to be a big reveal, but were dealing with a silly comedy. The real delight is the villain’s henchman, The Crab. The Crab is Jason Bateman with crab legs for arms. It’s pure silliness, but in Bateman’s hands (see what I did there) it works.
You put your phone down and now are mildly interested where this is going.
Lydia and Bateman have a cute and funny love-at-first-sight moment while Thunderforce is foiling a robbery led by The Crab.
By this point, you are now enjoying the film.
There is nothing surprising in terms of the story so you can kick back and enjoy the ride.
Overall, I give this a “You will only feel like you lost a half hour of your life” Middle Age Movie Review rating. Check it out!