Reviews

Thor: Love and Thunder

Verdict: Thor: Love and Thunder is just as hilarious as Thor's previous standalone movie Ragnarok plus its got more heart and Natalie Portman!

  • Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman
  • July 7th 2022
  • Taika Waititi

Thor is reunited with his old flame Jane Foster in Taika Waititi’s second superhero movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Following on from his success at the helm of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returns to direct the Norse god’s latest standalone movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, we catch up with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) while he is saving the day with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew.

When they check their system to find calls for help, Thor spots a friend and splits off to assist – and while there, he learns of a new villain, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who possesses the Necrosword to help him kill gods.

Those who have seen Thor: Ragnarok should know exactly what to expect from this movie as Waititi hasn’t mixed it up much at all – Love and Thunder has the same feel as Ragnarok, is just as funny and entertaining, and once again has a soundtrack filled with rock classics (mostly by Guns N’ Roses).

Waititi is known for his comedy and he certainly delivers the goods on that front.

His script – which he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson – is filled with jokes and his voice work as Korg is as hilarious as ever.

But there’s more to this film than comedy – there is also a romance angle thanks to the return of Thor’s old love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and it has some unexpectedly poignant moments.

However, the movie isn’t a complete success.

The story takes quite a while to get going and the action sequences weren’t captivating enough.

But the soul of the film lies with Thor and Jane rediscovering their love for one another again and the fighting and stunts are secondary.

Jane never had a tonne to do outside of being “the love interest” in 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and that is finally rectified here.

She is a butt-kicking superhero called the Mighty Thor and she looks awesome!

Although it’s Thor’s name on the poster, she is the heart and soul of the film and she puts her Oscar-winning acting chops to good use.

The other highlight was Bale as Gorr. He’s actually quite scary and could potentially give some children nightmares.

Gorr is the most chilling villain the MCU has had for a good while and that’s thanks to his creepy performance and the terrific make-up and prosthetic work all over his body.

Then there is Russell Crowe as Zeus. He’s not the most obvious choice but it was clearly a comedy decision more than anything else.

And he is certainly funny – his Zeus is absolutely barmy and has a bizarre Borat-esque accent.

There are plenty of cameos in this too so keep your eyes peeled for familiar or returning faces and do not miss the mid-credits scene!

Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t have the strongest story or the most interesting of action scenes but it makes up for this in other ways – with its comedy, heart and performances by Portman and Bale.

In cinemas from Thursday 7th July.

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