THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Released in 2011, Thor, which introduced audiences to the titular God of Thunder, was a box office success, making over $449 million, with critics praising the action-packed blockbuster. Unfortunately, the sequel, which was named The Dark World, was a disappointment in comparison as it told a predictable story and the villain was forgettable. However, in 2017, visionary filmmaker, Taika Waititi directed the third Thor film, Ragnarok, which was a significant improvement over both of its predecessors as it boasted a lighter and livelier tone and featured bright and colourful visuals. Although Ragnarok was successful at the box office, making $854 million, Waititi’s frequent use of comedy received a mixed response, with a lot of people being amused, however, others felt that it distracted from the main narrative. Personally, I belong in the latter category as, while I mostly enjoyed Ragnarok and found it to be the best Thor film, I think that Waititi relied too much on the comedy. Because of this, I was a little apprehensive about the latest Thor film, Love and Thunder, which is also directed by Waititi.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced -- a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who -- to Thor's surprise -- inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.

Those who enjoyed Ragnarok will, most likely, have a lot of fun watching Love and Thunder as it features more of the same, including a comedic tone, exciting action and vibrant visuals. However, there will be those who will be less than impressed with what Waititi has created as it’s still your typical Marvel Cinematic Universe film that sees the main protagonist (Thor) battling an evil villain (Gorr). What makes Love and Thunder better than the average superhero film is the lively direction by Waititi. With original films such as Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Jojo Rabbit, both of which were critically acclaimed with the latter receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Waititi established himself as an interesting director who could balance serious drama with laugh out loud comedy. Because of this, it’s easy to see why he was chosen to direct Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, as the first two Thor films were seen as too dark and serious, resulting in a boring watch. While I do think that Waititi continues to rely more on the comedy, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it results in one of the most entertaining films to be released in the MCU recently. Most of the comic relief is provided by Waititi himself, with his scene stealing performance as Korg, a Kronan warrior who made his first appearance in Ragnarok. What surprised me the most about Love and Thunder was how well Waititi handled the film’s more serious scenes, including Jane’s tragic battle with cancer, which is why she begins wielding the magic hammer, Mjolnir, which provides her with the power of strength and temporarily heals her, unfortunately, her mortal body struggles even more to fight the illness as a result. Getting the balance between drama and comedy was always going to be a challenge, however, I think that Waititi has mostly succeeded and, with Love and Thunder, he has created a fun yet flawed film.

The story for Love and Thunder picks up right when audiences last saw Thor, which was in Avengers: Endgame, which concluded with the God of Thunder teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), also known as Star Lord. Unfortunately, those hoping to see a lot more of the Guardians will be disappointed as they’re hardly seen in the film. Nevertheless, fans won’t have to wait long as the third Guardians film will be released in May next year. Shortly after parting ways with the Guardians, Thor discovers that a mysterious figure known as the “God Butcher” is disposing of Gods across the universe. This leads to Thor battling Gorr in a New Asgard, unfortunately, he is unsuccessful, with the latter kidnapping Asgardian children. Most of Love and Thunder focuses on Thor, along with King Valkyrie and Jane, as the Mighty Thor, teaming up to find and rescue the Asgardian children. The main plot is fairly predictable as it’s obvious early on that the film is going to conclude with a battle between Thor and Gorr. However, there are a few surprising twists that I didn’t see coming including Jane’s illness. In the first two Thor films, Jane was seen nothing more as Thor’s love interest and wasn’t given much to do. Fortunately, that flaw has been improved on in Love and Thunder which sees Jane wielding the powerful hammer, Mjolnir, and becomes known as the Mighty Thor. As a result, she becomes a more heroic character, with Portman delivering her best portrayal yet. As a female, I find it tiresome when women are written as love interests for the male protagonist so I loved seeing the Mighty Thor and King Valkyrie, two strong females, battling alongside Thor. 

Whilst Love and Thunder sees the return of familiar faces such as Hemsworth, Portman, Thompson and Waititi, it also introduces two famous actors to the MCU including Russell Crowe as the egotistical King of the Olympians, Zeus, and Christian Bale as the villainous Gorr the God Butcher. The former only briefly appears during one of the funniest scenes in the film where Thor, Jane, King Valkyrie and Korg, ask him and his team of powerful beings for help. However, the standout performance belongs to Bale. Obviously, because he is still known for his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, many people were surprised when Bale was cast as the villain in a Marvel film. With his creepy portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher, he beats expectations, however, he could have benefitted from more screen time. Unlike other villains, who simply want to destroy the world, Gorr’s actions are understandable, as in the opening scene, he’s simply a grieving father who blames the Gods for the death of his daughter and, as a result, seeks to kill them all using the Necrosword, a weapon designed to kill Gods.

Although it is a flawed follow-up to Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder is still a lot of fun and features what fans have come to expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that’s an entertaining film packed full of action.

7/10