"Thor: Love and Thunder" Film Review
Rating: 4/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
The last time we saw the God of Thunder was in "Avengers: Endgame", where he was an overweight superhero that decides to join the Guardians of the Galaxy on their missions. Depressed and down on his luck, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is facing a sort of mid-life crisis when Taika Waititi's "Thor: Love and Thunder" opens up. Now trying to find the thing that makes him happy in life, Thor embarks on a journey of self-discovery, while also facing a major threat in this sequel to "Thor: Ragnarok".
The major threat he has to face is Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who is going around and murdering all the Gods he can get his hands on. When Gorr attacks New Asgard, Thor is forced to return to Earth to save them, where he finds that his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is now wielding Mjolnir and has the same powers as the God of Thunder. Teaming up with Jane, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and the lovable Korg (played by Waititi), our heroes must figure out a way to destroy the God killer and save Asgard for good.
This movie is as charming as Ragnarok, and seems like a victory lap for Waititi and the whole cast. With Ragnarok being such a major success when it came out, it opened the door for Waititi to do whatever he wants in this film, and I think he perfectly creates a goofy and fun superhero film around Thor and its main characters. With that being said, it is perhaps one of the most unique and different MCU movies, with the comedy falling more in the category of slap-stick; the movie relies more on the comedic pacing than the superhero plot.
The movie is surprisingly short for a Marvel movie, clocking in at just under two hours long. With that time limit, the movie moves at a very good pace, furthering the story on quickly and not lagging or leaving any room for fillers or scenes that lost pace with the rest of the plot. It is a very simple plot for an MCU movie, and it seems like one of those films you don't have to think very hard about and can just sit back and enjoy what is going on. Some people may absolutely hate that the movie is like this, but I honestly enjoyed just sitting there and watching our characters have fun with one another and just being as goofy as they possibly can be.
With that being said, the actors in this film do an excellent job. Hemsworth is as charming as ever, and gives such a fun and bright performance as this character that he has been portraying for eleven years now. I really adore the character growth and change that Thor has gone through, and he is such a different character from when we first saw him in his first solo outing. At the same time, it was awesome to see him back with Jane, and watching Portman and Hemsworth interact on the screen together. They have great on-screen chemistry together, and share some very memorable and hilarious scenes.
The side characters are also great and hilarious. Thompson and Waititi are great sidekicks, and they deliver the same amount of funny and charm that they had in the previous films. We are also introduced to Zeus (Russell Crowe), who is just as cruel and outrageous you would imagine this God to be. From constantly talking about orgies and taking Thor's clothes off, he is definitely a fun and interesting character to watch, even if he is evil and selfish.
On the flip side, Bale does such a fantastic job as this movie's antagonist. From seeing his introduction to this, it's obvious that he isn't necessarily a "bad guy" so to speak, but this just makes us emphasize with this character more than we can with other villains in the MCU. However, Bale gives such a great and terrifying performance as Gorr. From his look to the way he acts around certain characters, it definitely gives you a sickening feeling in your stomach, which is what a villain like this should be able to do.
Is this film better than Ragnarok? Definitely not. However, there is no denying that this is a fun and fresh movie that furthers the character of Thor and gives the audience another fun and fast-paced MCU film from Waititi. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, I certainly had a great time and enjoyed myself throughout the entire movie, and I certainly can't wait to see what adventures Thor and his crew go on next.
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