Could Thunderbolts be a surprising hit? David Harbour hypes up the upcoming film after he watched a recent cut of Marvel’s underdog project.

Fans weren’t exactly impressed when Marvel first unveiled Thunderbolts. Many saw it as a franchise checklist item meant to cash in on the hype of the Suicide Squad movies that were massive hits with fans, while also recycling characters like David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaskter from failed projects like Black Widow.

However, it seems the project may not be as soulless as many people may have expected. David Harbour recently spoke on his experience viewing Thunderbolts following Marvel finalizing their most recent cut of the film. The screening managed to impress the Red Guardian actor, with Harbour calling it a “real movie,” even if certain people’s mileage may vary when it comes to their enjoyment.

“I’m very excited for you guys to see Thunderbolts*,” Harbour explained in a recent chat with Cinemablend. “Because I’m impressed with the direction they took that. And it’s surprising. It’s a real movie. I mean, whether you like it or not, who knows? But I saw a cut of it, and it’s very impressive.”

The Thunderbolts Have Lots Of Chemistry

This may leave some fans scratching their head about how such a rote idea could be so subversive. The answer seems to come down to the word that defines any good team-up film: Chemistry. David Harbour explained that Thunderbolts manages to tell a story about people who are connected by circumstances, which is something he claims is key to movies like it.

“They’re paying attention to chemistry. And I think there’s something about this group that’s special. That to me felt like when you watch Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. When you watch these chemistries of people that – not to say that there’s romantic ties, but just the chemistry of human beings interrelated. I think that’s what we need in these movies.”