Thor: Love and Thunder

"All gods will die!"

When I left the theater, I was riding on a high. I loved the experience of watching this film, and for the most part I was very pleased with how it turned out. That being said, the more I thought about it, the more I was able to poke at its flaws.

Let's start out with the negatives. I think I have the same sense of humor as Taika Waititi because I laughed at pretty much every joke. That being said, some of it was a bit too absurd. There were three running gags that pushed things a bit too far at times. This is especially problematic for one character because it undercuts the dramatic side of their story a little too much. At least these minor plot points were not so distracting that they pulled me out of the film, plus two of those gags paid off in a way that made their inclusion more palatable.

There is also a dramatic undertone that doesn’t always jive with the light-hearted atmosphere of the storytelling. So with that lighter tone and almost rom-com level of silliness, it is strange to say that the emotional side of this one was perhaps some of the best we’ve seen in an MCU film. The highlight of that side is the romantic plot that weaves through the film between Jane and Thor.

Natalie Portman shines as Jane Foster. Her return is not only welcome, it feels earned. We get some fun backstory showing how Jane and Thor split up in the first place, and her new role in the film is probably the best thing about it. I would go so far as to say she is basically the MVP of the entire movie, with Thor placing a close second. The actress is clearly having fun with her return too, despite the more demanding stuff she has to do on screen.

Chris Hemsworth is a delight as always, although I think his character lost a bit of focus through most of the movie. Thankfully that lack of focus is resolved by the end, and is probably the entire point of this entry. He also has great chemistry with everyone on screen, from the Guardians who have a relatively light presence to Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Taika Waititi’s Korg. The latter two share a bulk of the screen time with Thor and Jane, creating a lovely new group that I would like to see more of.

Christian Bale has major screen presence as well, with a layered and oddly sympathetic villain. He is one of the creepiest and possibly scariest villains the MCU has put on screen. He oozes menace, and the visual effects they used for him really sell his threat. Unfortunately, he is a bit under utilized, mostly killing off screen. So in a sense we are mostly told about his exploits instead of being shown the atrocities he has committed. This blunts him a little, but not enough to really detract from the character overall.

The visuals are stunning as always, and we get to see some absolutely incredible imagery that shows off the amazing talent and creativity behind this franchise. But what really impressed me was the final act of the film. They end things with some pretty hefty changes to the status quo and I’m excited to see where the story takes Thor next. I also loved the interpretation of the title of this film, as it wasn’t what I expected it to be. This really ended up being a tale of Love and Thunder.

Bits:

There are a number of cameos and returning players, most notably Lady Sif and the Asgardian comedy troupe from Thor: Ragnarok played by Sam Neill, Matt Damon and one of the Hemsworth brothers.

There is a mid-credits and end credits scene. The first one is mostly just set up, but the one at the end of the credits is important to the story and has huge implications.

Thor's weight is addressed, and perhaps a bit too quickly. However, it isn't a dropped plot point.

So there are screaming goats in this film for some reason. I sort of chuckled when they showed up and one other time they appeared. They are kind of emblematic of the flaws with the tone; fun in moderation but used a bit too much.

I didn't love this one, but it was a lot of fun and quite a bit better than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (you can read our very spoilery conversation on that movie here.)

2.5 out of 4 Screaming Goats

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

• Back to Movie Reviews home