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  5. Thunderbolts

Hideo Kojima gives his verdict on Thunderbolts – and he liked it more than Captain America: Brave New World

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By Megan Garside published 12 May 2025

Social media's best film critic has spoken!

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Florence Pugh as Yelena in Marvel's Thunderbolts
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
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The internet’s favorite film reviewer, Hideo Kojima, has finally shared his thoughts on Marvel’s newest movie, Thunderbolts*, and it's his most positive MCU review of the year.

The game developer took to Twitter on May 11 to let his followers know just what he thinks of Thunderbolts. "I watched Thunderbolts*," said Kojima. "It’s not about eliminating a powerful external enemy to save the world. It’s about embracing lonely individuals and rescuing the audience from their own inner enemies. A truly kind-hearted MCU film."

However, it seems as though star Florence Pugh, who plays Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow’s rebellious younger sister Yelena Belova, seems to have stolen the show for Kojima, as he wrote, "...above all, Florence Pugh was phenomenal." Check out the full post below.

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I watched “Thunderbolts*.” It’s not about eliminating a powerful “external enemy” to save the “world.” It’s about embracing lonely “individuals” and rescuing the “audience” from their own “inner enemies.” A truly “kind-hearted” MCU film. Jake Schreier’s sense of humor strikes a… pic.twitter.com/uwyViSwdO7May 11, 2025

Kojima’s Thunderbolts review is vastly different from what he had to say about Marvel’s first 2025 release, Captain America: Brave New World, which left the game designer in utter confusion. "I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in [Avengers: Endgame], but when did he officially become Cap?" asked Kojima via Twitter. "...I’m also getting it mixed up with the Thunderbolts trailer."

Of course, it is important to note that Kojima’s confusion over the fourth Captain America movie was probably due to him not having seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson officially donned the suit. However, this does reinforce the biggest problem with Marvel at the moment, in that you cannot watch a new MCU movie without having seen previous projects first.

Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts follows Marvel’s most unconventional group of antiheroes as they embark on a dangerous mission to save the world in the absence of The Avengers. Alongside Pugh, the movie stars Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster), Wyatt Russell (John Walker), and Lewis Pullman (Bob).

Thunderbolts* is out now. For more, check out our guide to the other upcoming Marvel movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.

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TOPICS
Hideo Kojima
Megan Garside
Megan Garside
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Junior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

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