Watch the trailer now.
Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer’s New Superhero Movie Looks Hilarious
Movies have been dominated—nay, saturated—by superhero flicks for the past decade, so it makes sense that comedians are trying to put their own spin on the genre. Enter Thunder Force, a new Netflix movie starring Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as their own kind of suited superheroes.
From the opening moments of the trailer, you can tell this isn't your typical caped-crusader joint. Spencer and McCarthy sing along to Seal's “Kiss From a Rose” for a moment before a blue explosion sends them hurtling through the air. Slam cut to a month earlier, and we get the premise: Emily and Lydia are childhood besties who reconnect and team up after the superhero machine Emily invents gives Lydia powers (strength, specifically). Then Emily somehow gets invisibility powers. Together they can take on Chicago's baddest villains to…you get it, you've seen [insert Marvel movie here].
The cast is stacked with familiar faces you'll recognize from other great comedies. Bobby Cannavale, who went toe to toe with McCarthy in 2015's Spy, plays a glowy-eyed bad guy, and Jason Bateman has crab hands (???). Also, did you catch the guy Spencer nearly tased to death at the store? That's Ben Falcone, the air marshal McCarthy seduced in Bridesmaids, and her real-life husband. He also directed Thunder Force!
Just as notable as what's in the trailer is what isn't: lazy jokes. Cannavale makes an earned crack at his goons' inability to stop “two chicks in their 40s,” but aside from that, there are no jokes about size, sex, or any other aspect of Lydia’s and Emily’s identities. In a world where most superhero stars look a certain way, watching these two kick ass is just refreshing. Frankly, I'd trust them with my life over Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman any day of the week.
Thunder Force will be on Netflix starting April 9.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Elizabeth Logan
