IN BRIEF: Too many missed comic opportunities in this superhero comedy, despite the charms of Ms. McCarthy.
JIM'S REVIEW: (MILDLY RECOMMENDED) Thunder Force is a superhero comedy that is not super. What it does have going for it is the immeasurable talents of Melissa McCarthy as Lydia Berman, a misfit who accidentally acquires superpowers and then needs to adapt to those life-altering changes. The first half of the film is the most promising, but as the movie progresses, it misses so many comic possibilities in its storytelling. The central plot about evil super-villains known as Miscreants interferes with the comic momentum. Some needed rewrites were in order to blend action and comedy successfully. Writer / director / husband Ben Falcone sets up his premise well, but never provides enough comic ingenuity and follows formulaic guidelines. The movie has too many inside jokes and unfunny asides while it belabors the superhero action scenes and plot. Many of those jokes fall flat.
The super-strength of the movie is, once again, Ms. McCarthy no-holds-barred approach at physical comedy. Her likability and screen persona make her highly watchable. This performer's main weakness remains in choosing film scripts. As her sidekick who is endowed with the invisibility factor, Olivia Spencer never comes near Mrs. McCarthy comic genius, but the actress does make her character, Emily Stanton, a brainiac and childhood friend, quite an interesting counterpoint.
Providing much needed comic support are the reliable Jason Bateman as Jerry the Crab and Bobby Cannavale as The King, a cartoonish gangster/ politician. That he plays to the hilt. Veteran actors Melissa Leo and Kevin Dunn are essentially given throwaway roles and , in the action sequences, Pom Klementieff makes a determined villainess as Laser.
Despite McCarthy's forceful comic presence, Thunder Force is, dare I say, weak. (GRADE: C)
JIM'S REVIEW: (MILDLY RECOMMENDED) Thunder Force is a superhero comedy that is not super. What it does have going for it is the immeasurable talents of Melissa McCarthy as Lydia Berman, a misfit who accidentally acquires superpowers and then needs to adapt to those life-altering changes. The first half of the film is the most promising, but as the movie progresses, it misses so many comic possibilities in its storytelling. The central plot about evil super-villains known as Miscreants interferes with the comic momentum. Some needed rewrites were in order to blend action and comedy successfully. Writer / director / husband Ben Falcone sets up his premise well, but never provides enough comic ingenuity and follows formulaic guidelines. The movie has too many inside jokes and unfunny asides while it belabors the superhero action scenes and plot. Many of those jokes fall flat.
The super-strength of the movie is, once again, Ms. McCarthy no-holds-barred approach at physical comedy. Her likability and screen persona make her highly watchable. This performer's main weakness remains in choosing film scripts. As her sidekick who is endowed with the invisibility factor, Olivia Spencer never comes near Mrs. McCarthy comic genius, but the actress does make her character, Emily Stanton, a brainiac and childhood friend, quite an interesting counterpoint.
Providing much needed comic support are the reliable Jason Bateman as Jerry the Crab and Bobby Cannavale as The King, a cartoonish gangster/ politician. That he plays to the hilt. Veteran actors Melissa Leo and Kevin Dunn are essentially given throwaway roles and , in the action sequences, Pom Klementieff makes a determined villainess as Laser.
Despite McCarthy's forceful comic presence, Thunder Force is, dare I say, weak. (GRADE: C)