Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer) is not a nerd; she is smart. There's a difference.
She is actually so smart that she was able to establish her own company/laboratory. She also developed a process that will give her superpowers to defeat miscreants.
Miscreants is the term given to people with superpowers who use it for bad purposes. Emily's parents died at the hands of a miscreant when she was younger and what she got left from them is their research about giving normal people superpowers. It is why she is so determined to finish her parents' work.
She is successful, though. She can even make herself invisible, now. But she still needs a lot of training and maintenance to do before she can defeat a miscreant.
One day, Emily's estranged best friend Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) visited her to invite her to their school reunion.
Back when they were kids, Lydia is the only person that stood up by Emily's side when she was getting bullied for being smart. Even if they have opposite characteristics, they got along so fast. But their different priorities in life put an end to their friendship.
Lydia now works as a forklift operator, but that hardly matters anymore. Because Lydia accidentally injected herself with a superpower serum that will give her super-strength.
With no way of undoing the process, Emily decided to team up with Lydia to defeat Miscreants. They call themselves Thunder Force, and it is up to them now to defeat the supervillain who calls himself, The King (Bobby Cannavale).
"Thunder Force" is a raw superhero movie. It has surprisingly bright and fun moments, but it is still flawed and cheap.
Ben Falcone's comedy films are definitely crazy. But "Thunder Force" is a lot less ridiculous than expected. There are warm and grounded moments like Emily and Lydia's heart-to-heart talk about Emily's daughter and their fight about Lydia's recklessness as a superhero. There are also scenes and nods to social issues such as bullying and poverty that are hard to miss.
"Thunder Force" draws its strength from its ability to make fun of itself. This movie follows an outrageous premise. It is about two superhumans who are clearly not fit for the job as superheroes. They fight, and they don't even know how to use their powers. At some points in the film, all of these are funny. Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer can both sell the idea that they are unfit to be Chicago's new superheroes.
But the jokes they tell are forgettable. In fact, most of them are bland, repetitive, and lazy. There are bright moments, though, such as Crab Man and Lydia's date. But that's just it. Anything that follows that scene are cheap attempts to conjure laughter from the audience. On the positive, however, most of the gags are not offensive.
"Thunder Force" does little to nothing to subvert the superhero genre. There is nothing in the story that can change how people see heroes and villains. Its most notable contribution, maybe, is that it sets up ladies as individuals who can run their own superhero team. But Cathy Yan's "Birds of Prey" understood that assignment more than this film.
If you are a fan of Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, this movie is for you. They are terrific actresses, and they deserve recognition for their acting prowess. But if you're not, better to look elsewhere for your next watch. "Thunder Force" lacks the punch and tickle to be superhero satire. It tries to hop into the Marvel hype without offering something new to improve or break the genre. In essence, this is a typical comedy film not worth your time and energy.
