Thor Love and Thunder – Movie Review ‘ A Marvel Mis-step’
Director: Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)
Writer: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Screenplay)
Writer: Stan Lee, Jason Aaron (Comic)
Cast
- Chris Hemsworth (Rush)
- Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
- Christian Bale (The Dark Knight)
- Tessa Thompson (Creed)
- Russell Crowe (Gladiator)
Plot: Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.
Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Thor Love and Thunder starts as Thor (Hemsworth) is still trying to discover himself, traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Learning of Gorr the God Butcher (Bale), who has been traveling to worlds, killing their gods. Travelling to save an old friend Sif (Alexander) learning Asgaard is now in danger.
Meanwhile, Jane Foster (Portman) is coming to terms with her own fate, desperately trying to find a solution. Turning to Asgaard for an answer, gaining a new power along the way. The pair team up with King Valkyrie (Thompson) in a battle to bring about the end of Gorr’s rampage through the universe.
Verdict on Thor Love and Thunder
Characters
Thor has been traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy, not feeling challenged with their missions. He learns his fellow Asgardians are in danger, returning to help. A nice heroic side to the character, trying to help the universe. On the other side of his character, we get the down-on-love guy. Wanting to find more, getting conflicted with the change in Jane, and wanting his hammer back, only upset his axe. This side of the character is almost painful to watch, a bumbling idiot throughout.
Jane Foster returns, only she has cancer and doesn’t have much time left. She turns to Asgaard for answers, getting a connection to Mjolnir, becoming the Almighty Thor. Helping in the battle against Gorr, looking back on what could have been with Thor. When it comes to the serious side of this character, everything works well, the comedy misses too much.
Gorr the God Butcher was a loyal follower of a God who let everyone, including Gorr’s daughter, die. Letting the Necromancer sword take over him, he gains control of the shadow realm. Swearing to kill every God in the universe, targeting Thor next. Gorr is easily the best part of the film, a dark villain with strong motivations about God figure’s involvement in life. Twisted with his tricks, determined and filled with unimaginable pain.
King Valkyrie is getting tired of running the holiday resort she calls home, Asgaard. Needing to make the big decisions, she is delighted to get back into an adventure with Thor. She is one of the better characters for the comedy in play here.
In the supporting characters, nobody really stands out that much. Korg gets the odd funny line, usually causing more trouble. Young Axel shows leadership qualities that are important for one side of the story.
Performances
Chris Hemsworth has always looked the part of Thor, there is never a question about that. When it comes to the action, everything usually works well. Surprisingly the comedy was a highlight in Ragnarok. Sadly, this time the comedy tends to miss a lot, with the fine line he has balanced, falling into the silly this time around.
Natalie Portman returning could have been a massive help for the movie. As previously mentioned, the serious side to Jane she is great with, but the comedy she struggles to hit. It also doesn’t seem to fit the character that much.
Christian Bale is the standout performance in the movie. From the opening sequences, we see elements of his ‘The Machinist’ performance here. Showing the slowly breaking man, the determination to get revenge and stop the suffering he went through. He is the character you want to see most of in this film.
Tessa Thompson was the biggest highlight of Ragnarok, she does fit the comical tone of the movie, but doesn’t have that much to do. She shows the frustrations of the new role but barely shows much of the new role happening.
Story
The story follows the latest adventure of Thor, where he must find himself after losing everything. Still trying to figure out his place in the universe, when he must step up to face Gorr the God Butcher. Catching up with an old love or two, as well as learning not every God is as heroic as he is.
When it comes to breaking down this story, we seem to get caught between two things. First, the serious side of the story, a villain that has strong motivation, a person facing their own fate and a person learning about themselves in the universe. These three factors would come off very well in this movie, we could have explored a lot more factors in these moments. The problems come from the second side of the film. Trying to keep the comical undertone, Ragnarok created, only for everything to come up short. It is almost sad to say this isn’t on the level of the previous film. The other big drawn back in this story is the painful narration, which clearly isn’t needed.
Themes
Thor Love and Thunder is the latest action-adventure sci-fi superhero movie. Following Thor on his fourth solo adventure. It does offer the big action sequences, we have come to expect that, despite nothing in battle looking too different. The locations however are unique, with the shadow realm location being especially interesting to see the characters fight through. The effects in the film work well, creating the bigger moments the film generates.
Where to Watch: Thor Love and Thunder is now in cinemas worldwide.
Final Thoughts – Thor Love and Thunder is one of the weakest outings from Marvel so far.