Thunderbolts*

What’s it about?

After finding themselves caught in a death trap, an unlikely team of antiheroes are led on a dangerous mission, forcing them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

The facts 

• Directed by Jake Schreier
• Starring Florence Pugh (Black Widow), Sebastian Stan (Captain America), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), David Harbour (Stranger Things), Wyatt Russell (Overlord), Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and The Wasp)
• English language
• Runtime: 126 minutes

Why did it get this rating? 

 This film game was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence

This film contains frequent superhero action violence where characters are shot, stabbed, and impaled with minimal blood.

Thunderbolts* has a different, darker, style than some of the other marvel films due to the main characters being trained assassins with varying understanding of what is morally right or wrong. For example, they kill some soldiers and security guards as if it is no big deal.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• During a flashback scene, a young girl is shot and killed. Though it happens offscreen, the blood splatter is shown and disturbing. The event repeats over and over as a woman stuck in a time loop tries to escape and prevent it but fails.
• One woman is nearly choked to death with a cord, and a man is punched in the face repeatedly and excessively.
• A character accidentally shoots himself in the head and dies, with a little bit of blood spurting out. It mostly happens offscreen, but a character says that his face is no longer useful for a face scanner, implying his face is badly messed up.

Content that may disturb

There are references to depression, including how darkness can consume people with no way out.

This film contains implied domestic violence. Though it is not shown directly, we hear sounds and see character reactions that imply it.

There are various scenes where a villain uses their powers to force people to confront their trauma. Young girls training to be assassins are shown being whipped on their wrists for not prevailing during a training exercise. There is also a flashback scene where a woman forcibly shoves a bottle of vodka down the throat of another version of herself.

Offensive language

This film contains the use of offensive language with the F-word used once and words like “d*ck,” “a*s,” and “b*tch.”

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters