Taika Waititi was never going to live up to the extremely high standards he established with “Thor: Ragnarok” in 2017. With “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth movie in the series that resurrects Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, he does fall woefully short. But the movie isn’t simply unimpressive; it’s a total catastrophe. For instance, there is frequently a lack of harmony between scenes, making it seem as though they are from separate movies. Was it fun for me? Yes, but only mildly. I’m not excited to see it again. Maybe it could have been better. Absolutely.
Thor is now helping lives all throughout the universe, where he was last seen with the Guardians of the Galaxy. A creature known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), whose next target is New Asgard, the community in Norway where the remaining Asgardians settled in the wake of their realm’s devastation, is described to the boy as having slaughtered gods all throughout the universe.
In addition to Gorr, Thor receives the surprise of a lifetime there. His ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, is now a Thor (more specifically, Mighty Thor), wields the rebuilt Mjolnir, and is eliminating Gorr’s evil guys with a lot more style than Odinson ever could. Regarding her newly discovered power—her illness, which is clearly lifted from the Mighty Thor storyline—there is an underlying sadness.
To save Gorr from destroying all gods, Thor, Mighty Thor, King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson, woefully underused), and the rocky Kronan warrior Korg (Waititi) band together.
Now, Gorr has his reasons, just like any other admirable bad guy. Gorr, portrayed by Bale, resided on a planet that the gods had forgotten. He had bleached skin, burning eyes, and an appropriately malevolent attitude. His cries for his loved ones and fellow citizens were ignored. In the movie’s prologue, we see him holding his small daughter as she passes away. He promises to destroy every god in the cosmos after finding the Necrosword, the only weapon capable of killing any deity in the universe.
Naturally, Gorr runs into Thor while on his god-killing campaign. Thor and his companions seek assistance from Zeus, who is portrayed by Russell Crowe as the pompous, haughty, and hedonistic Zeus from Greek mythology. I want to see more of Crowe, who seemed to enjoy the job. The heroes discover that Gorr must be defeated alone after a brief but stunning battle scene.
Of sure, there are moments of greatness. Waititi has a keen sense of aesthetics. Like “Ragnarok,” “Love and Thunder” features stunning imagery that is impossible to forget, and the action is never anything less than captivating. It is challenging to entirely despise a movie that features an action-packed finale set to Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Additionally, all of the activities are excellent. Hemsworth could continue to portray Thor without bothering me. An otherwise light narrative is given much-needed poignancy and a sense of stakes by Portman. But Bale also appears in “Love and Thunder,” and he virtually steals the show.
The Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson script, like many other aspects of this movie, does not give Bale’s character enough to work with. Then again, it’s Bale. He practically vanishes into the part and creates a strong and morally-sound foe for the two Thors.
However, the movie is unable to duplicate the magic that we have seen in action in the last movie. The issue, in my opinion, is that the movie lacks the perfect blend of clever storytelling and meticulously designed set pieces that made “Ragnarok” one of the best MCU entries.
Although Waititi was allowed greater creative freedom this time (I presume), the film still has a traditionally Marvel vibe to it. It follows the tried-and-true formula that Kevin Feige and the company have honed over the past 1.5 years. In other words, the movie plays out like a regular MCU film.
And I understand why Feige and the team continue to use the strategy. Even moments that are serious and heartbreaking have a humorous undertone as if the writers are concerned that viewers won’t be able to handle all that emotion.
since they are accurate. The formula is beloved by the audience since it ensures a relaxing and undemanding moviegoing experience. There were cheers in the theater where I saw the movie even at the slightest humor, but what about when the characters were quietly expressing their emotions? Everyone appeared uneasy, and there were tense whispers asking when the barrage of “feels,” as the slang goes, will stop.
