Episode 24 – Thunder Force

In Episode 24, the Boomtron Crew examines Thunder Force starring Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, and Jason Bateman. In Thunder Force McCarthy and Spencer become chemically created superheroes trying to stop the villainous “miscreants,” who were formed by interstellar cosmic rays hitting Earth and transforming sociopaths into sociopaths with powers, from taking over the city of Chicago. Thunder Force also stars Bobby Cannavale and Taylor Mosby.

Amy held high hopes for Thunder Force as she is a big fan of Melissa McCarthy and her brand of comedy in movies. She was excited by the comic book opening of the film and enjoyed the scenes of the younger years of the stars, particularly the lines of the actress playing a young Melissa McCarthy, who was, in fact, McCarthy’s daughter. The whole crew thought that the way the story of the “Miscreants” was told was a great introduction to the villains who were sociopaths that were affected by cosmic rays hitting Earth, but Damon was disappointed with the fact that when the film fast forwarded to the present, there was no mention of what had been happening with the Miscreants over the ensuing years. Were they quiet and now just becoming an issue? Were there constant attacks? Who had been intervening and saving the city over the past 30 years?

Once the main characters hit adulthood, the Boomtron crew felt that the storyline simply evolved too quickly. The movie moves us to the night of their high school reunion, where the women haven’t seen each other since they had a fight in high school, and then, over the course of a day, McCarthy texts Spencer, goes to the reunion, goes to Spencer’s laboratory, and boom, winds up getting super powers when she accidentally touches something she wasn’t supposed to touch. The lack of backstory on the Miscreants coupled with the speed at which McCarthy and Spencer get their powers left Amy, Diego and Damon wanting more.

Damon was embarrassed for Jason Bateman who played someone who was only half-Miscreant after a run-in with a radioactive crab which caused him to develop crab parts. Amy thought he was the funniest part of the movie, with his normal deadpan humor, playing the perfect partner for McCarthy in a way that Spencer’s character didn’t allow. While Bateman and McCarthy did share some great scenes, they also shared the most cringeworthy scene in the film, an 80’s dance dream sequence, which almost made the movie jump the crab…er…shark.

The film unfolded in a very predictable manner, with McCarthy and Spencer ultimately taking down Cannavale’s “The King” character. One bright spot in the movie was Taylor Mosby, who played Spencer’s daughter. The relationship she shared with McCarthy was really lovely, and it is she, in the end, who really saves the day.

Overall, Damon was a two thumbs down for this film while Diego and Amy were more in the middle, but not quite a thumbs up. The predictability of the story was the largest factor, which was a shame, because the actors were their usual brilliant selves.