Year of Release: 2021
Director: Ben Falcone
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman, Bobby Cannavale, Melissa Leo, Pom Klementieff, Taylor Mosby, Marcella Lowery, Ben Falcone, Kevin Dunn, Jevon White
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review:
Actor/writer/producer/director Ben Falcone continues his prolific streak, with another comedy he developed in collaboration with his partner, Melissa McCarthy, who once again is the lead of the film. The narrative focuses on two best friends, the energetic, earthy and somewhat no nonsense Lydia Berman, and the brainy, ambitious and driven Emily Stanton. The two bond in high school after a bizarre incident kills Emily's parents, while also generating a series of mutations in people. Their different views on life eventually drives them apart, and while Lydia matures and becomes a blue collar worker, Emily on her hand, becomes a celebrated scientist, with a company of her own. As Emily returns to Chicago to establish her growing initiatives, Lydia shows up to take her to their high school reunion. While their get together is somewhat awkward, things quickly take a different turn, when Lydia accidentally receives a super serum, which aims to make ordinary people into super beings, able to combat some of the mutant villains who have since emerged. Lydia and Emily eventually decide to unite their efforts, and protect the city from a super powered villain named Laser, and a much sinister force lurking in the shadows.
The premise of "Thunder Force" has some similarities with Paul Feig's "Spy", namely, a fish out of water situation, where someone has to learn to adjust to new situations and circumstances, and basically rise up to the occasion. However, whereas "Spy" toyed with the concepts of gender, body expectations, within a genre that is driven by male stereotypes, "Thunder Force" never really manages to find its tone and rhythm. The writer/director is seemingly trying to find the tone for the film as it goes along, and while sometimes it's very successful, particularly in the interactions between Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, for the most part the film fails to achieve the humor one comes to expect from a Melissa McCarthy vehicle. The issues with the feature rests essentially on the lacking of a tightly woven narrative, one where the humor arises from the differences between characters, of these new heroes trying to learn how to behave, and from the over the top foes, who sadly don't get much bandwidth. The cast for the most part is terrific, though Octavia Spencer feels a bit miscast. Even in her more lighthearted roles, she always manages to imbue a depth of feeling, interior life and resonance to her characters, which in this case, contrasts heavily with everyone's comic book/caricature approach to their characters. It's again one of those situations to a film that doesn't feel entirely well resolved. It had some potential, but it's a sadly wasted opportunity.
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