The MCU won’t officially be back until they can string together several hits in a row, but this is a step in the right direction.

“Thunderbolts*” is the 36th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and follows a group of villains (Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen) that must work together after getting caught in a botched mission. Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus also star as Jake Schreier directs.

It’s no secret that the MCU has been in a bit of a slump in the post-COVID era. While I think people exaggerate just how bad things have been (“No Way Home,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Multiverse of Madness,” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” are all great fun), there’s no denying the consistency of quality has dipped (all the worst films of the franchise, “Thor 4,” “Eternals,” “Ant-Man 3,” have come out post-2020). “Thunderbolts”i s a bit of a make-or-break for some people leading up to next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” and while it isn’t top-tier MCU material it has enough fun action and entertaining characters to keep my and others’ faith in the franchise alive.

I’ve been a Florence Pugh fan since her breakout in 2019, and think her joining the MCU is one of Marvel’s luckier breaks in recent years. As a tortured assassin, Pugh has some deadpan comedic lines as well as moments of vulnerability, and shares some tender moments with Lewis Pullman’s Bob, a civilian the group comes across on a mission. Fan favorite David Harbour also has some funny lines as the Red Guardian, Soviet Russia’s answer to Captain America, as he also struggles to find his place in a changing world.

Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, and Hannah John-Kamen were all good in their respective introductions to the MCU, and they all add their own elements to the film (Russell, especially; he’s officially become a clone of his father). I’ve also liked Geraldine Viswanathan since first seeing her in 2018’s “Blockers” and she has some fun, light moments as Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ assistant.

One of the biggest complaints about recent Marvel films is how lazy and ugly they look, especially when these are $200, sometimes $250 million blockbusters that are coming out after the likes of “Avatar,” “Mad Max,” “The Batman” and other well-constructed films. “Thunderbolts” (for the most part) looks like it was shot on-location and not in front of a blue screen, and since all our main characters punch and shoot instead of flying and blasting lasers, it makes the action sequences feel more grounded.

I recently rewatched “Age of Ultron” and “Endgame,” and they left me with two thoughts. First, we had it so good and we didn’t even know it; each Marvel film felt like an event that you had to be part of opening weekend or you’d catch FOMO. The second is, that was such a lightning in a bottle moment in time that I don’t think it’s fair to compare any contemporary MCU release to that era. Of course we will never get the “oh my god, they actually managed to do it” feeling of the first “Avengers,” the “it’s so cool to see this person join the MCU” of a “Civil War,” or the sheer epic hype and scope of “Endgame.” But “Thunderbolts” manages to try and push things forward, offering commentary and metaphors for things like mental health and chosen family (even if sometimes done a bit too heavy-handedly), and I think the less we call for things to be like they were in 2017 and do more embracing when these big budget films at least try to be more than just colorful guys and gals in tights, we’ll one day get something truly special.

“Thunderbolts*” is, if nothing else, in-the-moment fun that buys Marvel a little more time and faith before “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” (so long as “Fantastic Four” isn’t a colossal misfire). There are some slower points and the film itself lacks a sense of energy or urgency after the first hour, but as I was watching it I was mostly entertained, and think it shows that the MCU ain’t dead yet.

Critics Rating: 7/10