Movie Review: ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

Review by James Lindorf

Between Disney+ and the big screen, the MCU is expanding at a blinding pace, and the latest entry, “Thor: Love and Thunder,” storms into theaters on July 7th. This is the fourth installment to focus on the God of Thunder, and it brings back some old faces and a brand new villain. Director Taika Waititi has also returned with even greater control now that he developed the story and partnered with “Hawkeye” producer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson on the script.

After the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Thor (Chris Hemsworth) left Earth with Korg (Waititi) and the Guardians of the Galaxy in an attempt to find himself among the stars. Even after getting back his god-bod and going on several classic Thor adventures, his quest for inner peace remains unsuccessful. His journey to enlightenment is cut short when thousands of distress calls from around the universe reach The Benatar crying out for protection against the galactic serial killer Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). To take on his deadliest foe, Thor enlists the help of Korg, King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. The team will have to risk everything as they travel from Earth to the planet of the gods, to the center of the universe, to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance.

The first two Thor films are often listed towards the bottom when ranking all of the MCU movies. When “Ragnarok” was released, Taika was viewed as a hero who single-handedly pulled the franchise out of the basement. So it may shock many readers that giving him even more control was the worst decision in the production of this movie. The worst part of “Ragnarok” was the overreliance on humor. They asked the audience to start laughing before they even processed the previous event, like the destruction of Asgard. In “Love and Thunder,” they push the jokes even further, even incorporating nearly five-year-old jokes from the internet. Between that and the exaggerated himbo brodog with a heart of gold personality of Thor, I might fast forward through the first 15 minutes if I ever rewatch the movie at home. Thankfully as Gorr becomes a serious threat and Jane and Valkyrie join in the story, things start to even out.

It should come as no surprise that Bale is fantastic as Gorr. He takes a heartbroken father and turns him into the most terrifying villain of any MCU property. Gorr has an exciting look like a cross between Kratos from the God of War games and Bale’s character from “The Machinist.” His fighting style is unique to the MCU, and a big round of applause should go out to Bale, his stunt team, and the action choreographers because I would happily watch any fight with Gorr. The way he creates creatures and moves through shadows is exciting enough, but the sword work is exquisite. I wish we got more time with Gorr before he becomes the God Butcher to see the kind of man he was and how far he is being pushed by his hatred and the influence of the Necrosword.

While I was excited to see what Bale would do, I was a bit tentative about the return of Portman. She is undoubtedly an outstanding actress, but if she isn’t committed to a role, the result is less than stellar. However small they were, any fears I had were quickly squashed because Portman is all in doing some of her best work since “Jackie.” She also got into great shape to play The Mighty Thor, giving her a more significant presence than her regular diminutive 5’3” frame. She gets to have a couple of good moments with Hemsworth but again, the severity of the situation is drowned out by Taika begging the audience to laugh. Even “the moment” when they have to confront their failed relationship and how it may impact their mission and teamwork is played for laughs.

“Love and Thunder” is far from a bad movie, but it is a highly disappointing film. I was hoping that after the success and complaints associated with “Ragnarok,” that Taika would have delivered a more balanced movie. Instead, he steered into the skid and almost derailed the franchise he helped rescue. “Love and Thunder” opens up a new corner of the MCU, making it a must-watch for any fan, but it will continue the divisive nature that has plagued phase 4 to date. “Thor: Love and Thunder” has a Great villain and some fantastic and inventive fights, but the tone is cheesy and distracts from what should be an emotional tale of love and self-discovery and only scores a 3.5 out of 5

Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Director: Taika Waititi
Producer: Kevin Feige
Writer: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Release Date (Theaters): July 8th, 2022
Runtime: 2h 5m
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures