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Thunder Force brings together Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as superheroes… yeah, exactly.
Early on, we learn how, in March 1983, cosmic rays struck the Earth, etc. and affected a ton of people who became known as the miscreants. Then, in Chicago, 1988, Emily’s parents were taken out by them, and she made it her life’s mission to deal with them. Soon after which, she and Lydia became best friends at school.
Fast-forward 33 years, and McCarthy, as Lydia, plays the usual waster she plays in every film, while Emily (Spencer) is the rich and successful businesswoman, and while the former goes to visit the latter’s business… she’s been told NOT to touch anything, so what does she do? Touches everything… and ends up turned into a superhero, with her cardiovascular process going up to 1000%, so she has super strength. Yep, that’s what Emily’s business is about.
In creating her treatments, she has to be stabbed with tons of injections, leading to very non-comedic screaming from McCarthy.
Despite both being the size they are, they wear special suits that make them even bigger. Couple that with a car so low down to the ground that any regular person would struggle to exit, and it’s even worse for them…
Jason Bateman takes the quick buck for a very lazy peformance as store robber and miscreant The Crab. Well, he describes himself as a “half-creant”, which gets mistaken twice, and in very dull fashion, as “half-Korean”.
Bobby Cannavale, as The King, is trying to get elected as Mayor, or something… I didn’t really care, while Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Mantis, Pom Klementieff, is another super-duper baddie known as Laser. Cue big helping of bad CGI, such as when McCarthy does a backflip while standing on a car, and later throws a bus.
There’s some double-crossing, plus some dull bonding stuff between Emiy and her daughter, Tracy (Taylor Mosby), who’s meant to be 15, but looks at least 20. Apparently, she’s now 19.
Thunder Force does absolutely nothing you’ve never seen before from a Melissa McCarthy film, and there’s no reason to watch it, unless you like completely wasting almost two hours. I’ll give it a mere half-point for an ’80s fantasy dance between McCarthy and Bateman to Glenn Frey’s You Belong To The City, as they have an unlikely thing for each other (albeit very likely in a ridiculous film like this).
Overall, Thunder Force makes Coming 2 America look like a work of genius. Still, as bad as it is, they’re probably working on a sequel as I post this.
Thunder Force is on Netflix from today, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 105 minutes
Release date: April 9th 2021
Studio: Netflix
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Rating: 0.5/10
Director: Ben Falcone
Producers: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
Screenpaly: Ben Falcone
Music: Fil Eisler
Cast:
Lydia Berman: Melissa McCarthy
Emily Stanton: Octavia Spencer
The Crab: Jason Bateman
The King: Bobby Cannavale
Laser: Pom Klementieff
Allie: Melissa Leo
Tracy: Taylor Mosby
Grandma Norma: Marcella Lowery
Rachel Gonzales: Melissa Ponzio
Kenny: Ben Falcone
Walter: Nate Hitpas
Robber 1: Jevon White
Andrew (Robber 2): David Storrs
Frank: Kevin Dunn
Emily’s Father: Henry Bazemore Jr
Emily’s Mother: Mikia Adrielle Jeter
Mr. Emerson: Steve Mallory
Young Emily; Bria D Singleton
Teen Emily: Tai Leshaun
Young Lydia: Vivian Falcone
Teen Lydia: Mia Kaplan
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.