Your mum’s soon-to-be-favourite superhero movie is coming to Netflix.
It’s called Thunder Force and stars Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as former best friends who reunite and gain superpowers. That may sound like basic comic book fare until you realise those best friends are middle-aged women, a distinction that’s sorely underrepresented when it comes to superhero movies.
The official description of the film is “In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city.” In the first trailer, the focus is more on that second sentiment, leaving this apparently supervillain-filled world a bit on the sidelines. Make sure to stick around to the end to see the absolutely ridiculous image of Jason Bateman as one of the more fantastical supervillains they go up against…
Thunder Force looks very silly but with an Oscar winner (Spencer) and a multiple Oscar-nominee (McCarthy) anchoring a fairly impressive cast (Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff, Kevin Dunn, Melissa Leo, and Bateman), there’s a very good chance it could go beyond that. You have to imagine the danger here is finding that right balance between being a big superhero action movie, a goofy comedy, and a story of strained friendship. If Thunder Force threads that needle, it could be another big breakout for Netflix.
The film was written and directed by Ben Falcone, who is seen in the trailer as the patron Spencer’s character roasts with a taser. You know him from many McCarthy movies because he’s her husband and frequent collaborator. Together they’ve made Tammy, Life of the Party, The Boss, Superintelligence, and now, Thunder Force.
It comes to Netflix April 9.