As I sat down in the Palace Cinema to watch the latest Marvel movie, I really didn’t know what to expect.

I had seen a positive reaction for Thunderbolts and many positive reviews, but I still had a sense of skepticism due to the fact that 80% of Marvel movies since 2019 have been incredibly underwhelming.

However, Thunderbolts is a noticeable return to form for not just the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for the comic-book movie genre in general.

The movie sees an unconventional team of antiheroes - who have all featured in Marvel projects before - coming together to embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

The dark nature of this film and its overriding theme of the struggles of mental health is a breath of fresh air for the MCU, and something completely different to what we’ve been getting for a number of years now.

The main villain of the movie is an allegory for depression and loneliness, which means that the importance of togetherness and the feeling of having others that you can rely on and cherish is also a prevalent theme.

Of course, this isn’t a brand new concept - but the way it was handled in this movie was particularly impressive.

This is two hours with so much emotional depth that sometimes I wanted more action scenes just to take a breath, and that’s not a slight on the movie - it’s absolutely a complement.

Numerous action sequences and humorous moments (mostly through David Harbour’s brilliant comedic timing) act as the perfect counterweight to the films’ heavy themes to create a very satisfactory and balanced story.

The cast is led by the outstanding Florence Pugh, who is now without doubt one of the very best actresses in the movie industry.

Her previous Marvel appearance in ‘Black Widow’ was a bit of a career breakthrough for her, and I wasn’t sure if she would’ve liked to carry on portraying the character of Yelena because she is capable of much bigger things in her career than superhero blockbusters.

My concerns were misplaced, as this movie was perfect for her.

You could tell that Pugh was revelling in exploring the depth and complexity of Yelena’s past, and her current struggles with loneliness.

Her chemistry with her on-screen dad David Harbour was also one of the stand-out aspects of the film, and she was excellent throughout.

Since the release of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019, there is no doubt that the MCU has taken a large hit in quality and adoration.

However, the post-credit scenes after Thunderbolts teases a new Avengers team that includes the likes of Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and Pedro Pascal.

If Marvel continues the blueprint of its latest film and adds some much-needed emotional depth to its movies as well as a strong storyline, there is nothing to stop the MCU from getting back to what it once was.

Thunderbolts is now showing at the Palace Cinema in Douglas.