Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
The ticket window is open for the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Writer/director Taika Waititi continues with a similar approach he adopted for Thor: Ragnarok, so expect a lot of comedy integrated with sci-fi Marvel action and adventure.
Chris Hemsworth continues to show great comedic instincts and Christian Bale is menacing as the latest villain in the MCU.
NO
Regresses from Thor: Ragnarok by not having proper focus or balance between comedy, action, and melodrama. The film goes for everything, without pausing to make sure it’s doing the basics effectively.
Maybe Thor just shouldn’t really have any more movies of his own. I think we’ve reached the end here.
I have no doubt that everyone had fun making the movie. Just what were they aiming for? The final product looks great on paper, but lacks consistency in final form.
OUR REVIEW
After reinvigorating the Thor character with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi had a choice. Embrace the comedic approach or slide back towards the action-oriented storytelling that often dictates most Marvel movies. When given the choice of which path to take, it appears Waititi said, “Why not both?!”
Waititi seemed to understand that the more traditional science-fiction melodrama just was not a great fit for Thor after a couple tries. Framing him as a more traditional chiseled, blonde super-serious Asgardian king was underutilizing Chris Hemsworth's talented comic ability. Waititi, a wise and witty storyteller, saw the chance to reinvent Thor, and, in turn, steer the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) into a bit of a different direction.
What ultimately worked quite well in Ragnarok lands with diminishing returns in Thor: Love and Thunder; an equally raucous but disjointed film which fades from memory quite abruptly. It is a shame the film doesn’t quite work, with Waititi bringing three Oscar winning actors into the fold: Natalie Portman, back from the first film and turning into a female iteration of Thor; Russell Crowe, who plays a loutish and slovenly form of Zeus; and Christian Bale, who absorbs himself into the role of Gorr the God Butcher - looking like a late-90s member of Marilyn Manson’s touring band.
Bale opens the film reeling from personal tragedy, before encountering a weapon known as the Necrosword. Designed to eradicate all gods in the universe, Gorr becomes obsessed with the Necrosword’s power and takes possession of the blade, renouncing his faith with the belief that all gods must suffer because he has suffered. Though he blames gods for his tragedy, it turns out no one is really safe. And naturally he pinpoints New Asgard, Thor’s home, as his next target.
As Thor and the always available Guardians of the Galaxy wage a separate battle at the film’s opening, we see the narrative polarity that threatens to derail the film’s effectiveness. Blending action, violence, and comedy - both slapstick and punchline - we see a wildly ineffective Thor stumble around and the Guardians picking up the slack. He has no purpose, no direction. As Thor’s friend Korg (Waititi) shares with the audience, as if he’s narrating a children’s book, Thor has battled depression and weight gain and a general malaise at being the King of Asgard and a superhero.
As we recall, Thor abdicated the throne of New Asgard to Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and his meandering and shoegazing temperament gets a jolt when he learns that his home planet is Gorr’s next destination. When Gorr arrives there with shadowy monsters who take the form of rabid, vicious spider-like beasts, he successfully enslaves New Asgard’s children and forces Thor to save them.
Though much of the film has stellar visual effects, some scenes look less than polished, coupled with a story that never quite catches fire. We feel like we are careening from one scene to the next. Waititi’s approach of dry humor as a mechanism to build to a zinger of a punchline is amplified by co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
Both writers prove weak though when it comes to enhancing the stakes at play. As Bale whispers lines with a ghostly death-rattle, he utters the generalities reserved for most run-of-the-mill villains in comic book movies. Beyond his affecting back story, Bale isn’t really given much to do but vamp, preen, and be intense and frightening. Don’t get me wrong - he’s effective enough in the role - but when surrounded by scenes of comedy and lightheartedness, it makes his brooding savagery far less impactful.
With that said, Portman returning is a nice touch. Never truly falling out of love with Thor from the first film in 2013, her character, Dr. Jane Watson, faces a grim medical diagnosis. In an effort to reverse course and survive, she finds Mjölnir, Thor’s original mighty hammer. Though it could be said that Mjölnir finds her, the power from the broken device transfers to Jane and she becomes The Mighty Thor. Not only is this confusing to the original Thor, who cannot believe the two have inexplicably reunited, but Thor’s newly imprinted weapon, the Stormbreaker, becomes jealous of Thor pining over Mjölnir - now bound exclusively to Jane. Waititi has fun with all of this, but does any of this matter?
Even if you are laughing, nothing is ever really surprising. The dramatic outcomes prove obvious. The reliance on Guns ‘N’ Roses’ music catalog is a relatively odd choice given its discordance with Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad’s conventional score. And perhaps most disappointingly, Crowe overacts so much in his extended sequence, you simply stop being amused at his schtick and wonder if this is the kind of actor he has now become.
When you toss in a few other familiar faces, two comically bleating goats, and a half-hearted commentary on consumptive consumerism, we see Waititi wanting to jab and carefully mock the Marvel motif. It’s almost as if he is saying, “Guys, they let me make another one!”
However, with that exuberance came a failure to properly balance the laughter with the peril. Everything is turned up to 10. Thor: Love and Thunder looks good on paper, yet falls short in execution.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Jaimie Alexander, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Carly Rees, Kieron L. Dyer, Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone
Director: Taika Waititi
Written by: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (screenplay); Taika Waititi (story)
Based on the Marvel Comics series “Mighty Thor” by Stan Lee and Jason Aaron
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Walt Disney Pictures