Thunder Force

What do Tammy, The Boss, The Life Of The Party, Happy Time Murders, Superintelligence and Thunder Force have in common? All were films directed by Ben Falcone and all starred the wonderful Melissa McCarthy, two halves of a married couple who've turned into a formidable force in Hollywood in the last few years. What else do these films have in common? Well that's easy, they're all bad and the latest, Thunder Force, carries on the tradition in admirable fashion.

Melissa McCarthy is a force to be reckoned with. A brilliant physical comedian with a talent for a killer one liner. 7 years in The Gilmore Girls put her on the map, 2011's Bridesmaids gave her an Academy award nomination and made Hollywood stand up and take notice and 2015's Spy cemented her status as one of the funniest women in films today. But all that good work is being undone by the absolute dross she's appeared in over the last few years (Can You Ever Forgive Me? aside). Thunder Force, out now on Netflix isn't the worst of her husband's film she's starred in but it's not far off. It's annoying because it's a film you'll want to like, a new entry into a genre that's ridiculously over represented onscreen at the moment that shakes things up a little, with two women, over 40, one of colour, headlining proceedings instead of the usual array of musclebound hunks. You'd assume it would be worth your time wouldn't you....

Spring 1983. A comet strikes Earth and a lucky few are granted superpowers as a result. Unfortunately only those with sociopathic tendencies are affected and before long supervillains are running amok and ordinary citizens are dying in their droves. Among them are the Stanton's, a pair of scientists working on ways to give these powers to law abiding folk, in the hope they can fight back. Before their work is done they are killed and their daughter Emily (Tai Leshaun/Octavia Spencer) is orphaned. As an adult she's become a scientist and is on the verge of creating a superhero serum that she plans to use on herself. Until Lydia Berman (Melissa McCarthy), an estranged friend from childhood comes bumbling back into her life and messes up all her plans.

You might laugh once, maybe twice during this if you're feeling particularly charitable but mostly you'll be cringing and feeling as embarrassed as some of the actors onscreen look. Octavia Spencer especially looks mortified as lazy dialogue spills out of her and lazier action scenes fall apart around her. Jason Bateman as bad guy henchman The Crab is clearly having an out of bad experience throughout and Bobby Cannavale as big bad The King has just given up altogether and pieced together a character out of the worst bits of his past performances. Add these to an unlikable lead character played by McCarthy on cruise control and you have a genuinely shoddy watch. To top it off it's build around a script that consists of half developed setpieces that really add up to nothing and go nowhere. 

To it's credit it doesn't finish with the usual city destroying climax we see in superhero films, instead going for a more personal confrontation in an office building but you get that feeling that's built around Falcone's directorial limitations instead of going for a more novel ending. That sounds mean but it's a fierce shame to waste the talents of McCarthy and Spencer in a story that could have used it's position to take potshots at genre tropes and societal views of women but gives us pratfalls and painful improvised mugging instead.

Thunder Force is available on Netflix from today. Don't watch it.