On a $180 million budget, Thor: Ragnarok grossed over $850 million worldwide, becoming the 9th highest-grossing film of 2017. On top of that, the film earned the series’ highest ratings, earning a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the overwhelming success, the executives at Marvel approached filmmaker Taika Waititi to direct the next installment. Though his contract stated he would retire after Avengers: Endgame, Chris Hemsworth stayed on so long as Waititi stuck around. At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel president Kevin Feige announced the fourth film planned for a release in November 2021. Along with Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman agreed to return after leaving the series following Thor: The Dark World. They planned to start filming in late 2020 but pushed it back to early 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. After premiering in June 2022, Thor: Love and Thunder hit theaters nationwide that July.
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Synopsis
After palling around with the Guardians of the Galaxy for a while, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) feels empty and alone. However, he learns that someone called Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) has been killing various gods. His old friend Sif (Jamie Alexander) warns Thor that Gorr’s next target will be New Asgard, so he flies off. Upon his arrival, he and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) battle with shadow monsters summoned by Gorr’s Necrosword. During the fight, Thor sees his old hammer, Mjolnir, being wielded by his ex-girlfriend Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). After Gorr kidnaps several Asgardian children, Thor and co travel to Omnipotence City to recruit other gods for help. Unfortunately, Zeus (Russell Crowe) rejects their plea, so our heroes steal his thunderbolt and head out to save the children. Will they successfully defeat Gorr and rescue the children, or will they be the God Butcher’s next victims?
Review
Unfortunately, Thor: Love and Thunder is a step down in quality compared to the last movie though not without merits. For one, Chris Hemsworth offers the same level of charm and charisma we’ve come to expect as Thor. Also, Christian Bale makes for one of the better MCU villains, playing Gorr as a tragic yet terrifying figure. Surprisingly, Natalie Portman seems to be enjoying her time here, at least compared to Thor: The Dark World. While she appeared to be waiting for the check to clear in that movie, she seems much more lively here. Portman has excellent chemistry with Hemsworth, and she manages to be both all-powerful and vulnerable as a character. Like any great Marvel movie, this one has plenty of fun action sequences that get more exciting. The soundtrack is a solid blend of synth and 80s rock, particularly some of Guns N’ Roses’ best hits.
Sadly, just like most MCU movies in recent years, this one doubles down on the humor to its detriment. Thor: Ragnarok had plenty of jokes, but Taika Waititi balanced the comedy with the more dramatic scenes. But here, it feels like five minutes of screentime can’t go by without some gag or quip sprinkled in. Admittedly, some jokes stick the landing, but even the best jokes get dragged to the ground after a while. The worst is when the heroes go to Omnipotence City, where they try cramming as many sight gags as possible. It’s another instance of tonal inconsistency plaguing many MCU movies, and I hope it gets resolved soon. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for its humor, I hope they get better at balancing the tone. Overall, Thor: Love and Thunder is enjoyable enough, but it feels like a step in the wrong direction.
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