Even the action sequences are treated like a chore. They rush in with CG blasts and uninspired stunts, cut with all the care of a blindfolded kid making confetti. It seems Falcone has no interest whatsoever in superhero movies and lazily uses their iconography as a shaky setting for some bland buddy comedy.The heart of this story is about the strange couple of Lydia and Emily. The first is a frizzy-haired goofball with a heart of gold, who loves a party as much as a good fight. The latter is an intelligent and always button-up perfectionist, whose solemn ambition trumps every part of her life. Of course, they will learn to look a bit alike to become a great team and better people. But as with the superhero tale, it’s painfully predictable and insufficient. The points of the intrigue of meeting, bonding and breaking up are covered in a tedious first act which takes place in their common childhood. (However, props are deserved for child actresses Bria Danielle and McCarthy’s daughter Vivian Falcone, who convincingly capture Spencer’s grace and McCarthy’s loose-limbed clown.) Their reunion is brief and awkward, doing little for establish comedic chemistry before embarking on the inciting incident. that throws the superhero stuff.
The schtick buddy-comedy and the superhero show are artfully shattered together to allow for both grounded and conceptual silliness. But most jokes just stink. There are childish insults. (“Go in the trash because that’s where the trash goes!”) There are puns that don’t play. (“They were both Doctors of Female Pieces?” “No. Geneticists.”) Then there are boring tracks that spin around over and over with awkward punchlines, mediocre impressions, confusing hints out of nothing. hand and toothless slapstick. It doesn’t feel as much written down as it is spat, as if Falcone had urged his cast to throw away whatever crossed their minds. But instead of only including what was stuck, he just left a lot of sweet, sloppy lobs.
The only thing that works in this terribly wacky comedy is a subplot between Lydia and a half-man / half-crab, played by McCarthy Identity Thief co-star Jason Bateman. These two have a chaotic chemistry that elicits a sense of spontaneity. Here, the film plays around with the superhero concept by usurping the hero / villain romance line with a very unsexy mutation treated like he’s a supreme pervert. Things get weird with Butter, Old Bay, and a glittery dance number. Throwing themselves into it all with abandon, McCarthy and Bateman are downright hilarious. In these moments of madness, Thunder Force shows promise by digging into places with mystery men parody and weirdness precision. Sadly, these wacky pieces of glory are rare.
