1,025 reviews
This was like a blah Disney movie but with curse words and sexual innuendos so I'm confused as to who the target audience is. Melissa McCarthy's (whom I love) husband wrote and directed the movie and once again he just doesn't have what it takes. All of his films have been stinkers. I also love Octavia Spencer but she isn't a comedic actress so her performance fell very flat for me. Overall, I'd say skip it. It was boring and brought nothing at all original to the table.
Stupid movie. Yup. Predictable and nothing new here. This movie has been made about 30 times but hey.. there's a few chuckles and it kills some time.
If you go into this thinking your gonna be surprised or impressed. You're gonna hate it. I say, lighten up and have some fun. Because that's all this silly film is. Fun and empty calories.
If you go into this thinking your gonna be surprised or impressed. You're gonna hate it. I say, lighten up and have some fun. Because that's all this silly film is. Fun and empty calories.
- mrwilson-41297
- Aug 24, 2022
- Permalink
By any yardstick that you choose to compare "Thunder Force" too... it's pretty terrible. That said, I just couldn't generate any genuine hatred for it. It's essentially just a group of friends and family messing about.
In a world where enhanced supervillains exist, two school friends drift apart. Decades later, Emily (Octavia Spencer) is a successful scientist working on a way to give powers to the right people, and fight back. Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) has been less successful, but wishes her friendship with Emily had been maintained. On the night of a school reunion, Lydia goes to see Emily at her lab and is accidentally injected with a serum that gives her superhuman strength and resilience. Emily had always planned to be a hero too, so takes the serum also and becomes invisible at will. The pair form a team, THUNDER FORCE, and start to fight back against the villainous forces.
I mean, it's rubbish. It's full of performers who can do a lot better, who seemingly agreed to do this so they could hang around with their friends, which is fine. It's not funny or I should say, it's hardly ever funny - occasionally there's some business with Jason Bateman that made me chuckle. His crab based supporting villain turned love interest is, at least, knowing.
There's a persuasive awkwardness to the whole endeavour though, never quite sure how deep into parody it's going - but again, I couldn't really come to actively hate it. It doesn't really care that deeply, and neither did I. Never again though.
In a world where enhanced supervillains exist, two school friends drift apart. Decades later, Emily (Octavia Spencer) is a successful scientist working on a way to give powers to the right people, and fight back. Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) has been less successful, but wishes her friendship with Emily had been maintained. On the night of a school reunion, Lydia goes to see Emily at her lab and is accidentally injected with a serum that gives her superhuman strength and resilience. Emily had always planned to be a hero too, so takes the serum also and becomes invisible at will. The pair form a team, THUNDER FORCE, and start to fight back against the villainous forces.
I mean, it's rubbish. It's full of performers who can do a lot better, who seemingly agreed to do this so they could hang around with their friends, which is fine. It's not funny or I should say, it's hardly ever funny - occasionally there's some business with Jason Bateman that made me chuckle. His crab based supporting villain turned love interest is, at least, knowing.
There's a persuasive awkwardness to the whole endeavour though, never quite sure how deep into parody it's going - but again, I couldn't really come to actively hate it. It doesn't really care that deeply, and neither did I. Never again though.
- southdavid
- Jul 8, 2021
- Permalink
Again, Netflix what's up with you? What is this silly, sleepy superhero movie that you produced? Wouldn't it be better spending money in something meaningful or at least entertaining? Luckily the cast is not all bad and Jason Bateman steals the show playing the crab...! His parts are very funny. So I m not entirely upset that I have spent time watching this. But looking back to it, yes I can conclude to the fact that it's one of the most unnecessary films I have ever watched. 2,7/10 just for these small moments, which were funny.
While Melissa McCarthy can be funny (I enjoyed The Heat and Spy), it's obvious no matter the studio, everything McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, offer up is immediately greenlit. That has to stop. This is the umpeeth unfunny movie by the married duo.
After the first 30 minutes, I simply had the movie on in the background, but could still hear McCarthy's ad-libs which were excruciatingly awful.
If this is the best an immensely talented actress like Octavia Spencer has to pick from, that's a sad commentary on the state of comedic films. Let's hope she got a big, upfront payday.
After the first 30 minutes, I simply had the movie on in the background, but could still hear McCarthy's ad-libs which were excruciatingly awful.
If this is the best an immensely talented actress like Octavia Spencer has to pick from, that's a sad commentary on the state of comedic films. Let's hope she got a big, upfront payday.
- sareed1971
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
I watched this thinking Melissa, Octavia and Jason wouldn't betray me with some crappy, predictable comedy. I was wrong. I mean, it's not unwatchable but it's definitely not worth a rewatch. Just put it on to play when you go out so the dogs have some background noise to distract them from chewing your furniture.
- michellepitiris
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
Actually a good movie if you don't take it too seriously. Extremely surprised that this was rated a 4! Sure, it's cheesy, but heartfelt and fun. Reminds of the "The Mask" with Jim Carrey, " My Super Ex-Girlfriend" with Uma Thurman, or Will Smith's "Hancock". Not going to win any awards but definitely deserved far more credit than it's been given!
This film has almost no redeeming qualities. In particular the "humour" is forced, juvenile, and universally falls flat. Epic fail.
- dean-901-579106
- May 2, 2021
- Permalink
Last movie I saw was Minari, it was great, but sometimes watching something silly that doesn't invoke a lot of emotion is good for the soul too. After a long week of work and being tired and needing to unwind I watched this and found it really entertaining. Laughed out loud throughout the whole movie. If you like Melissa McCarthy then you'll enjoy this. Especially with her teamed up with Jason Bateman again. If you are looking for something to stimulate you intellectually this isn't the movie but it isn't intended to be either.
3 words that best describe this movie are: bland, predictable and unnecessary. I really don't get it. To build this kind of film it costs millions of dollars and how no one saw that this isn't hit just a flop. They had great cast, acting was really on point but plot is just terrible. Nothing unique in this movie, no jokes, comedy is in such a low level. Imdb have put this film in most waited spring movies and I believed in that. Now I'm just disappointed and angry. I wouldn't recommend to watch this film because it doesn't worth your time.
- Edvis-1997
- Apr 9, 2021
- Permalink
Ok... this is not a movie I would want to see in the cinema, but it is a light and silly comedy with enjoyable characters and not much to digest mentally or emotionally. It's one of those movies you watch on a plane or when you want something light and goofy. Don't try to read too much into it or you will be disappointed. Take it for what it is and have fun.
- hollyheat-38962
- May 21, 2022
- Permalink
It's not as bad as the majority is claiming, it definitely has it moments. It could be better, it made me laugh a few times but it's not a gut buster. It's not your typical superhero movie, so I don't know why anyone would think it is. I chose to watch it because I knew that it would make me laugh.
- chicart-14503
- Apr 9, 2021
- Permalink
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Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy, husband and wife, have been making movies together since the former began his filmmaking career. Literally, every film directed, written, and/or produced by Falcone has the famous actress in the lead role, all exploring subgenres of comedy. From romance (Superintelligence) to crime (The Happytime Murders), without forgetting a road trip (Tammy), now comes the time for Thunder Force, a dive into the highly profitable superhero circle. However, I don't believe the couple's real goal is to deliver a globally liked movie. Actually, I firmly defend that their purpose is to provide the most nonsensical piece of storytelling possible, hoping that viewers find it entertaining enough.
Directors, screenwriters, actors, and every other crew member... a vast majority aspire to deliver a groundbreaking masterpiece. A film recognized by everyone as "remarkable cinema". Something worthy of many Oscars, Golden Globes, and much more. Movies like Thunder Force aren't made to receive regular nominations, but instead, to try and be present at the Razzies - both Falcone and McCarthy have been quite successful in this achievement. While the actress continuously shows her undeniable talent that would be better employed in other films - such as Can You Ever Forgive Me? And Bridesmaids - the writer-director continues to put together awfully dull movies.
To be completely honest, the first act of Thunder Force is surprisingly decent. The setup to the main narrative is interesting enough, and the comedy peak is reached during the first half-hour. The massive problem is that this peak offers no more than a couple of chuckles occasionally. From the start of the second act until the very end, Falcone embarrassingly fails to offer genuine laughs. The tone is ridiculously out-of-balance, with almost every scene being a forced attempt at humor, even when the moment doesn't ask for it. Incredibly flat - and some disgusting - jokes are repeated throughout the film, which ends up dragging an already stretched out runtime.
The superhero plot is as generic and predictable as it could be in a movie that makes no effort in trying to do something remotely different than what viewers have seen for the last couple of decades. The VFX look like they came from an amateur studio as if Netflix didn't even care about its own product. Story-wise, there's not even a proper way of analyzing such a silly screenplay. In one moment, it seems to be taking a specific scene seriously, but a couple of minutes later, everything is back to the annoyingly dumb environment. Don't get me wrong: if there's a type of humor I absolutely adore is absurd comedy, but it needs to be done properly, with the right people and the right story.
In the end, I usually tend to have a light hand in films like this. Thunder Force is just another addition to the never-ending list of "forgettable movies", which isn't something that really bothers me. It's exactly what everyone expects it to be, which can work as a compliment if people want to. The most frustrating aspect of all of this is watching McCarthy and Octavia Spencer - two outstanding actresses with five Oscar nominations combined, including a win for the latter in The Help - working on hopeless projects such as this one. It begs the famous question: why?
Thunder Force is yet another piece of pointless, absurd storytelling from Ben Falcone, featuring unbearably dry, forced humor, besides a forgettable story. A film that cross-checks every requirement for a Razzies contender, something quite familiar for the writer-director and his wife, Melissa McCarthy, who keeps doing favors. Despite an admittedly decent first act, the rest of the film goes downhill concerning its entertainment value. Honestly, I don't know what's worse: witnessing McCarthy and Octavia Spencer waste her exceptional talent in nonsensical movies or seeing major studios continue to give opportunities to filmmakers that have nothing important to say while necessary, significant voices are still out there waiting desperately for their shot. The best compliment I can give this Netflix product is that it doesn't mislead anyone: it's precisely what viewers expect it to be, whether that's nice or horrible.
Rating: D.
Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy, husband and wife, have been making movies together since the former began his filmmaking career. Literally, every film directed, written, and/or produced by Falcone has the famous actress in the lead role, all exploring subgenres of comedy. From romance (Superintelligence) to crime (The Happytime Murders), without forgetting a road trip (Tammy), now comes the time for Thunder Force, a dive into the highly profitable superhero circle. However, I don't believe the couple's real goal is to deliver a globally liked movie. Actually, I firmly defend that their purpose is to provide the most nonsensical piece of storytelling possible, hoping that viewers find it entertaining enough.
Directors, screenwriters, actors, and every other crew member... a vast majority aspire to deliver a groundbreaking masterpiece. A film recognized by everyone as "remarkable cinema". Something worthy of many Oscars, Golden Globes, and much more. Movies like Thunder Force aren't made to receive regular nominations, but instead, to try and be present at the Razzies - both Falcone and McCarthy have been quite successful in this achievement. While the actress continuously shows her undeniable talent that would be better employed in other films - such as Can You Ever Forgive Me? And Bridesmaids - the writer-director continues to put together awfully dull movies.
To be completely honest, the first act of Thunder Force is surprisingly decent. The setup to the main narrative is interesting enough, and the comedy peak is reached during the first half-hour. The massive problem is that this peak offers no more than a couple of chuckles occasionally. From the start of the second act until the very end, Falcone embarrassingly fails to offer genuine laughs. The tone is ridiculously out-of-balance, with almost every scene being a forced attempt at humor, even when the moment doesn't ask for it. Incredibly flat - and some disgusting - jokes are repeated throughout the film, which ends up dragging an already stretched out runtime.
The superhero plot is as generic and predictable as it could be in a movie that makes no effort in trying to do something remotely different than what viewers have seen for the last couple of decades. The VFX look like they came from an amateur studio as if Netflix didn't even care about its own product. Story-wise, there's not even a proper way of analyzing such a silly screenplay. In one moment, it seems to be taking a specific scene seriously, but a couple of minutes later, everything is back to the annoyingly dumb environment. Don't get me wrong: if there's a type of humor I absolutely adore is absurd comedy, but it needs to be done properly, with the right people and the right story.
In the end, I usually tend to have a light hand in films like this. Thunder Force is just another addition to the never-ending list of "forgettable movies", which isn't something that really bothers me. It's exactly what everyone expects it to be, which can work as a compliment if people want to. The most frustrating aspect of all of this is watching McCarthy and Octavia Spencer - two outstanding actresses with five Oscar nominations combined, including a win for the latter in The Help - working on hopeless projects such as this one. It begs the famous question: why?
Thunder Force is yet another piece of pointless, absurd storytelling from Ben Falcone, featuring unbearably dry, forced humor, besides a forgettable story. A film that cross-checks every requirement for a Razzies contender, something quite familiar for the writer-director and his wife, Melissa McCarthy, who keeps doing favors. Despite an admittedly decent first act, the rest of the film goes downhill concerning its entertainment value. Honestly, I don't know what's worse: witnessing McCarthy and Octavia Spencer waste her exceptional talent in nonsensical movies or seeing major studios continue to give opportunities to filmmakers that have nothing important to say while necessary, significant voices are still out there waiting desperately for their shot. The best compliment I can give this Netflix product is that it doesn't mislead anyone: it's precisely what viewers expect it to be, whether that's nice or horrible.
Rating: D.
- msbreviews
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
Probably the worst Melissa McCarthy movie so far. Really bad, boring and looks cheap. McCarthy is OK in this but Octavia Spencer is dreadful.
- krzysiektom
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
If you really, really want to see this movie, just watch the trailer. It's all there. I've made it to an half an hour mark and couldn't watch anymore. Not a single laugh!!! No humor, stupid plot, no humor, draging, no freaking humor! Trailer is just missleading, you are not getting all that fun and humor throughout this movie...
- jasammarijo
- May 1, 2021
- Permalink
Boring, I couldn't continue watching it.
Dont wast ur time.
Dont wast ur time.
- jujunabeel
- May 1, 2021
- Permalink
- lisafordeay
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
"I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. I'm doing this for my parents, for my city."
Believe it or not, Ben Falcone may have made his worst movie yet. In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city. Thunder Force has Octavia Spencer and (who would've thought) Melissa McCarthy leading this comedic take on superheroes. We all know that his movies aren't meant to be taken too seriously with how silly they are. Nothing about this movie is funny. I didn't laugh once even with the comedic genius that is McCarthy. The movie is so boring. We thought Superintelligence was awful but this is even more intolerable. First off, it's so prolonged to the point where it runs out of ideas. It's so predictable that it gets annoying. I will reiterate that this is not funny at all. There are so many forced moments to make a joke but they're too forced to even get a smirk out. I feel so bad for Octavia Spencer because she is genuinely a great actress and has a fairly good track record. Melissa McCarthy has fallen off the radar shortly after her Oscar nominated performance for Can You Ever Forgive Me? And it's not surprising. She's also finding horrible projects to be attached to, mainly being her husband (Ben Falcone), and gets an even worse reputation. Maybe someday she'll find a glimmer of hope again. I don't like ripping on movies so I'll end it here. A select few might like this. As for me I'll forget about it until I'm reminded of it again at the end of the year.
Believe it or not, Ben Falcone may have made his worst movie yet. In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city. Thunder Force has Octavia Spencer and (who would've thought) Melissa McCarthy leading this comedic take on superheroes. We all know that his movies aren't meant to be taken too seriously with how silly they are. Nothing about this movie is funny. I didn't laugh once even with the comedic genius that is McCarthy. The movie is so boring. We thought Superintelligence was awful but this is even more intolerable. First off, it's so prolonged to the point where it runs out of ideas. It's so predictable that it gets annoying. I will reiterate that this is not funny at all. There are so many forced moments to make a joke but they're too forced to even get a smirk out. I feel so bad for Octavia Spencer because she is genuinely a great actress and has a fairly good track record. Melissa McCarthy has fallen off the radar shortly after her Oscar nominated performance for Can You Ever Forgive Me? And it's not surprising. She's also finding horrible projects to be attached to, mainly being her husband (Ben Falcone), and gets an even worse reputation. Maybe someday she'll find a glimmer of hope again. I don't like ripping on movies so I'll end it here. A select few might like this. As for me I'll forget about it until I'm reminded of it again at the end of the year.
- sweidman-28016
- Apr 18, 2021
- Permalink
People are being ridiculous...it's a cute movie man very watchable and family friendly...what did these low raters want? Who cares? Anywho only critique...the camp or the action needed to be punched up just a hair...also the crabs backstory would have been awesome.
- starliteyes27
- Apr 9, 2021
- Permalink
I had high hopes for thunder force, but the reviews don't lie... it's unfunny and lacks chemistry. I only laughed a handful of times and even those were half hearted. The script was bland and the storyline predictable. I couldn't tell if it was serious or a spoof and either way it didn't work.
- Calicodreamin
- Apr 9, 2021
- Permalink
I just watched this and was shocked to see the bad reviews. In my opinion this movie was great! Melissa McCarthy is amazing as always and Octavia Spencer, although plays a rather downplayed character, is just as amazing. As a lover of marvel and DC films it was so interesting to see older, plus sized superhero's as well as more POC representation! I loved the story and the characters (apart from crab arms wtf 😂), the comedic timing was brilliant and I would love to see a sequel! I definitely recommend giving this movie a chance and judging it for yourself instead of going off of the negative reviews!
- purelyfortumblr
- Apr 9, 2021
- Permalink
Okay, I admit it might not be very very good but I had a lot of fun watching. Spencer and McCharty are two of my favorite actresses, and they have been such a fun crew. Although almost all of Melissa's movies are nonsense, she manages to make me laugh every time and I love her genuine sincerity. It was a geek movie full of easter eggs. Titans, West Side Story, Slayers...I really enjoyed watching. I guess it would be a good choice for a chill out and a fun weekend.
- simaltongo
- Apr 8, 2021
- Permalink
This could have been a good funny film but it was let down buy a terrible script and strange editing. The other issue is that many of the cultural references are so US focused that anyone outside that country would fail to get the humour...ergo a failure.
I really wanted to like this after seeing the two stars beings interviewed.
Its starts off well.
It has an interesting premise.
Most of the jokes fall flat - McCarthy is just not funny, mostly, in this.
What starts out as reasonably original soon transcends into "seen something very similar to this before, I know whats going to happen next" territory, which would be fine if most of the jokes landed. They don't.
Special effects are pretty good.
Around the halfway point I realised it wasn't going to go anywhere and I started to get bored.
For me, the big saving grace and the reason for my 5 star rating is Jason Bateman. He is fantastic in this and funny - love scenes with McCarthy aside (I didn't get the "jokes").
If I had paid anything to see this I would have felt short changed.
Its starts off well.
It has an interesting premise.
Most of the jokes fall flat - McCarthy is just not funny, mostly, in this.
What starts out as reasonably original soon transcends into "seen something very similar to this before, I know whats going to happen next" territory, which would be fine if most of the jokes landed. They don't.
Special effects are pretty good.
Around the halfway point I realised it wasn't going to go anywhere and I started to get bored.
For me, the big saving grace and the reason for my 5 star rating is Jason Bateman. He is fantastic in this and funny - love scenes with McCarthy aside (I didn't get the "jokes").
If I had paid anything to see this I would have felt short changed.
1 out of 5 stars.
Thunder Force is a bad comedy superhero film that fails to deliver laughs. Boring cast ensemble. And the plot is another waste of time. Melissa McCarthy and Husband Ben Falcone who also directed and wrote the film have been on another track record of making atrocious comedy films. Which the humor has been the same in all there films. Boring cheesy dialogue. Terrible humor that delivers more eye rolls than laughs. Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer were unfunny. Jason Bateman playing a Crab handed character also seemed bored with the role.
The plot following people having superhero powers. A corrupt mayor who has his hidden agenda. While Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer team up with super strength to stop the bad guys.
Terrible cgi. Cheesy dialogue. Boring action. And the humor is terrible. It is one comedy film that is best to miss.
Thunder Force is a bad comedy superhero film that fails to deliver laughs. Boring cast ensemble. And the plot is another waste of time. Melissa McCarthy and Husband Ben Falcone who also directed and wrote the film have been on another track record of making atrocious comedy films. Which the humor has been the same in all there films. Boring cheesy dialogue. Terrible humor that delivers more eye rolls than laughs. Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer were unfunny. Jason Bateman playing a Crab handed character also seemed bored with the role.
The plot following people having superhero powers. A corrupt mayor who has his hidden agenda. While Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer team up with super strength to stop the bad guys.
Terrible cgi. Cheesy dialogue. Boring action. And the humor is terrible. It is one comedy film that is best to miss.