Thunder Force Review: McCarthy, Spencer Comedy Uneven But Enjoyable

In the Thunder Force world, only villains (known as Miscreants) are born with superpowers. When Emily (Octavia Spencer) invents a serum to manufacture superpowers, her estranged childhood friend Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) accidentally takes it. The pair then become an unlikely crime-fighting duo.

Check out our spoiler-free review below.

Thunder Force Review

The opening act of Thunder Force is a little hit-or-miss.

You start with a glimpse into Lydia and Emily’s childhood friendship. It’s cute and funny, and a pretty decent start to the movie. You get a good feel for their different personalities and their bond with each other. We learn that Emily’s parents were geneticists killed by Miscreants because they were working on a formula to turn normal people into superheroes. This leads Emily to work extra hard in school, intent on completing her parents’ mission.

When the friendship dissolves, it’s a bit clunky. But then we fast forward to modern-day Lydia and Emily (McCarthy and Spencer), so you let that go. Unfortunately their reunion is also a bit awkward. (And not in a funny way. In a “I’m worried this movie won’t be good” way.)

But stick with this one, because after a somewhat rocky start, things do start to get good.

A classic McCarthy comedy

Once Lydia accidentally takes the super serum, both the pacing and the humor in Thunder Force fall into place.

Unsurprisingly, the movie has the McCarthy stamp all over it. So if you tuned in to this one because you love her comedic style, you won’t be disappointed. Lydia falls into a character type McCarthy plays well – rough around the edges, but with a heart of gold. Not everyone can make just sitting in a chair or eating a bowl of cereal funny, but McCarthy makes pulling laughs easy.

Spencer’s Emily isn’t without her comedic moments, and her bond with Lydia feels easy and believable. (Spencer and McCarthy are real-life friends, which never hurts.) Unfortunately, Thunder Force is set up as a buddy comedy, and it doesn’t quite get there. I’m not sure if it’s because Spencer’s character often takes on the straight man role, or because McCarthy is such a big comedic presence on screen. But the movie does often feel like a McCarthy comedy first, a buddy comedy second.

Oh, and a crab!Jason Bateman movie third. No spoilers, but the bizarre parts with the Crab really help Thunder Force stand out. A lot of Crab scenes provide the biggest laughs (at least for me, a fan of the weird and absurd).

Is it worth watching?

Yeah, give it a go.

Is this the best comedy out there? No. The premise runs thin and the plot tends to start and stall.

But Thunder Force also has enough weird bits and laughs to make the viewing experience enjoyable. Again, it’s very much a Melissa McCarthy vehicle, so if you enjoy her comedy, chances are you’ll enjoy this film.

Thunder Force hits Netflix April 9.