For all of the talk about how irreverent some MCU films can be, Marvel Studios certainly does have its poignant side, and both aspects are on display in Thor: Love and Thunder. Our favorite big-muscled and even bigger-hearted Norse god has been with the Guardians of the Galaxy for the past couple of years since Endgame. His latest escapade isn’t the most groundbreaking MCU entry or as gaspingly hilarious as his last starring movie, as some of the jokes sometimes feels like they’re reaching for a laugh track. And don[‘t get me twisted, there are parts in Love and Thunder that made me laugh pretty hard. But this is a Marvel movie that got much better the more serious it became, oddly enough.
How that’d happen? In this film, Thor gets sent to the SnyderVerse.
No, I’m not talking about the heated fan discourse, I mean in terms of Zack Snyder’s visual style. Taika Waititi’s back as director and co-writer with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and he’s snuck in a villain with a specific flair that felt as if it was straight out of a DC picture. That’d be Gorr the God Butcher, and Nolan Bat-trilogy star Christian Bale plays him with a vengeance.
Now I love the bright and rich tones of many Marvel films and Waititi’s specific approach, but Gorr is a nice addition to the series canon and he helps make this movie a lot more interesting to me. Following the death of his daughter and discovering the Necrosword, he’s slashing his way through the cosmos, kidnapping a handful of Asgardian children and holding them hostage.
So Thor’s travels with the Guardians (who get some strong laughs in their brief screen time, particularly Rocket’s interactions with two magical screaming goats, along with Thor’s screwups in the midst of battle) comes to a halt, and he’s coming to the rescue with Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), now appointed the king of Asgard (who’s probably happy to hop back into a nice battle after the business end of running the community dragging on her), and the rock-like and sweet hulking alien Korg (voiced by Waititi).
The fourth member of their band is the Mighty Thor- who’s actually Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who gained the powers of the gods after coming in contact with Mjolnir in hope of a form of cancer treatment.
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Now as a character, Mighty Thor is awesome, not taking anything away from the general idea or Portman’s performance. But the use of Jane’s cancer diagnosis as a key part of her of origin story was pretty controversial even when she debuted in the comics. I mean, it’s a real-world condition, of course, that’s going to hit some readers and viewer close to home. So that’s something one may have to be prepared for going into this film, your mileage may vary on that. But simply within the structure of this film, I thought it was handled as tastefully as something like this possibly could be.
To rescue the kids, Thor proposes they need an army of the greatest gods in the universe, sending him and his friends to an elaborate god council, led by Russell Crowe’s hedonistic Zeus. The accent Crowe gives him kills me, him stating “I am a-Zeus!” made me snort out my drink. Not “the Zeus”, like he’s one of them. Can’t be confused with the Zeus from Disney’s Hercules or the late Tiny Lister Jr., or Zeus from All Japan Pro Wrestling.
This new adventure does retain quite a bit of Ragnarok’s fun and plenty of the more epic aspects of Dark World, but this felt to me like one of the more poignant Marvel movies, and there were some nice standout performances from the main cast here. Bale is having a grand time sneering and creeping as Gorr, with some nice CGI effects that make him feel something like a Castlevania last boss. When our heroes track him down in his black-and-white lair, here’s where those DC vibes I talked about kick into Love and Thunder- it’s as if the characters have walked into a totally different movie.
Hemsworth as Thor is still as much of a lunkhead and a himbo as ever, but he’s picked his swagger back up somewhat while traveling with the Guardians. He’s a loveable dope who’s dealt with a lot of heartache, and I felt Hemsworth pulled off a good balancing act between getting the audience to laugh at his antics while also tugging on their feelings.
The affection and performances in Love and thunder made me enjoy this probably more than most critics. Even though I can see the flaws, I found enough to like where I’d put it in the middle of the MCU pack- not necessarily a must-see, but if you’re a Thor fan or just don’t mind a little wacky comic book action now and then I’d recommend it. But what was your take on it? If you’ve seen it, let us know your take on it at FAN’s social media hubs!