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.
I have been a fan of Taika Waititi before the Marvel film “Thor: Ragnarok” made him a household name. I love his sense of humor and how he instills a lot of heart into his characters. And although I enjoyed this Thor film, it feels too messy and unnecessary.
Chris Hemsworth has been charming as Thor since “Ragnarok” and is delightful to watch here. Natalie Portman is finally given her proper due in the MCU by fleshing out her character, Jane Foster. Valkyrie and Korg are still fun but ultimately underutilized. The standout performance to me here, though, was Christian Bale. He is terrifying at times as Gorr, which is refreshing. He is also a villain with a motive that I agree with.
The movie rushes through its plot, leaving vital character moments in the dust. I needed more time to sit with Jane and how she feels about her newfound health condition that comes with the possibility of her death. Valkryie is not given much screentime to disclose how she likes being King of New Asgard and the responsibilities that come with that. The Guardians similarly feel wasted. They are only for the film for the first seven minutes and hardly contribute to the story.
The jokes in the film are also unrelenting. And while there is some funny stuff that I audibly laughed at, I think “Ragnarok” is the more humorous movie with more jokes that land. I just found the jokes in “Love and Thunder” to be more forgettable. There is a gag about screaming goats that get annoying really quick. One joke I must highlight, though, is the running rag of Thor trying to win his hammer Mjölnir back, who is now sided with Jane. Every time he tried to sneak over and grab his old hammer, it was funny.
Despite the pacing of the film, there are two sequences that I really enjoyed. First is a montage of Thor and Jane’s relationship, which is very sweet and funny. We saw what they were like as a couple, not faced with potential world-ending events. The real standout scene, though, is a beautifully shot black and white fight scene with Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie against Gorr. I wished that was the actual climactic final act battle.
I like that Jane Foster gets to be more front and center here rather than just the love interest like she was in the first two “Thor” films. But I was still never invested in her as a character. The arc of her getting Thor’s powers is rushed, but she gets some incredible action moments. I was also disappointed in how quickly Gorr is quote, unquote, “redeemed by the end.” It feels really out of character how he essentially abandons his cause in the film’s climax.
This movie also does something different, and while I like it in theory, I think the execution of it could have been better. Waititi makes “Love and Thunder” a kid’s film in the third act. Though I liked how the ending centers around children, none of the kids in the movie are developed characters. Also, in hindsight, the three jokes about orgies earlier in the film do not feel appropriate.
Overall, “Thor: Love and Thunder” is a fast-paced, funny film with some heart but feels unnecessary, plot-wise. I still liked the film but only found it to be tolerable, which is not what I want out of a Taika Waititi-directed movie.
In Theaters Friday, July 8th
