The MCU’s most powerful character, Thor Odinson, has the most effective glow-up. When irreverent Kiwi Taika Waititi freed Chris Hemsworth’s sadly underutilised comic abilities, the God of Thunder rediscovered his groove, moving him from the boring low point of The Dark World to Ragnarok’s cosmic romp. Their most recent cooperation was more of an extension than a reinvention. Though it’s a more memorable reunion, it’s also more emotional and crazy. It’s hard to believe that Marvel hasn’t been soaring to new heights since the end of the Infinity Saga if Love and Thunder is any indication.
For four years after Endgame, Thor has gone from “daddy fat to god fat,” as rock star Korg (Waititi) puts it in an amusing review, while the Guardians of the Galaxy are still reluctant allies (a treat during a brief but satisfying appearance). Although Thor is still invincible physically after a wonderfully ludicrous opening set-piece in which he handily rescues the day with JCVD-homaging splits and roundhouse kicks, his setbacks have taken a toll on his emotions. Thor needs to rediscover the meaning of his existence. A transmission from beyond the stars reveals Gorr, the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a demonic monster on a one-man mission to slay every living deity with his deadly Necrosword.
In New Asgard, which has become a famous tourist attraction under the rule of King Valkyrie, Thor is reunited with his ex-girlfriend Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who has transformed into The Mighty Thor after being declared deserving by a reformed Mjolnir (Tessa Thompson). Portman’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe lends Love and Thunder the air of a romcom, similar to how Multiverse of Madness dabbled with horror (her cameo in Endgame was put together from leftover Dark World footage). The character is obviously played by Portman, who puts on a gun display worthy of a superhero on the big screen. This is partly on the design since Portman spends a lot of the movie polishing her own catchphrase and getting acclimated to life as a monster-stomping deity rather than the off-kilter humour which has come to distinguish Waititi’s aesthetic.
In Love and Thunder, Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie visit the Omnipotent City of the gods, which is controlled by Russell Crowe’s funny Zeus. This is an increasingly unusual event in a sea of bloated superhero spectacles and miniseries. There are parallels between Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster in Ragnarok and this egotistical b*tch in Waititi’s Hollywood superstar, who is more worried about the specifics of his next orgy than the well-being of his adoring followers. Gorr, played by Christian Bale, is also rather amusing. With a delightfully insane portrayal that regularly flips between horrifying and belly-laugh-inducing hilarity, the character transcends a clichéd retribution origin story. It’s the CBeebies Bedtime Story from Hell that Gorr tells a group of preteens imprisoned in a dungeon. His incredible abilities—including the capacity to summon weird shadow creatures—make him a serious threat to a whole pantheon of gods. In sharp contrast to the Shadow Realm, Gorr’s home, which is so cut off from the life that even colour does not exist, the Omnipotent City and the cosmic section of the MCU are brilliantly luminous and have a kaleidoscopic colour pallet.
Another example of how this film may appear to be a live-action animation is in the Shadow Realm, where the laws of the Super Mario Galaxy apply. Love and Thunder aren’t trying to be as realistic as Top Gun: Maverick, therefore there won’t be as many shrieking goats. Mjolnir’s reintroduction makes Valkyrie feel a little out of place as a “third wheel” (or perhaps fifth, depending on how you look at it) in this setting. It’s also awkwardly back-loaded so that you don’t feel like you spend enough time with Jane and Thor until the movie is nearly over. Dramatic tension suffers in the same way it does in Ragnarok when the laughs come thick and fast. This is the well-known approach of Waititi and the director has once again given a Marvel film a distinct flavour, challenging even seasoned and well-known filmmakers like Sam Raimi to bend the MCU house style.
In spite of the picture’s evident shortcomings, it careens from one terrifically enjoyable action to the next, including a late showdown featuring a bunch of adolescent actors that ranks among the most outrageously joyous passages Marvel has ever committed to film. Four Guns N’ Roses anthems are used in an extraordinary way in this video. The first Avenger to do this is the God of Thunder, who has starred in four solo films. Whether or not there will be the fifth picture is uncertain, but Waititi and his mighty Thors deserve a sequel based on Love and Thunder alone. Thor: Love and Thunder will be released on July 7 in the United States and July 8 in the United Kingdom.