Rating of
3/4
Thor Brings It Both
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/12/22
Taika Waititi rescued the Thor series with Ragnarok and while Love and Thunder is not quite as fresh, it's still wildly entertaining, peppered with plenty of humor but also a lot of heart - and plenty of Guns 'N Roses for good measure.
Before we even hit the 80s era guitar Marvel theme intro, we get introduced to Christian Bale's Gorr, who is walking in desolate wasteland with his young daughter - both look near death. It isn't long before death does indeed come, even as he begs his local god to save him and his daughter. When he finds himself in an oasis - and comes face-to-face with his god her has followed his life - and has witnessed every other follower die - he realizes his god is kind of a dick. But lucky for him, he is granted the ability to wield - and is thusly cursed - by the nearby Necrosword, and the ability to kill the gods themselves. Thus Gorr is transformed into the god-slayer and merrily goes on his way in bringing them all down.
Meanwhile, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been spending his time still helping out the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff and Sean Gunn all have a little part to play) while getting back into fighting shape. He his joined by the rock-being Korg (Waititi again) who also helps narrate the tale as the film goes along. Thor seems to be tolerated if not exactly loved by his crew - who doesn't waste any time in leaving the Asgardian to his own devices when he receives a distress call from Sif (Jaimie Alexander also in a cameo role). It is soon revealed that Gorr has been on the warpath and that New Asgard is his next target.
Speaking of New Asgard, the town has become a major tourist destination with King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) presiding over things as best she can. While Thor has been gone, his old flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been busy being a world-class scientist but her life is one the line when she is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Seeing no option in science, she turns to Asgardian magic and thanks to a promise made years before, finds she still has a connection to Thor's old hammer, Mjölnir. Thor arrives just in time as Gorr, and his shadow-monster army, attacks the town. Thor is reunited with Jane - who is now Mighty Thor and together with Valkyrie, manage to hold off the creatures, but Gorr has the last word as he kidnaps all the children in the town, including Heimdal's son who goes by Axl (Kieron L. Dyer). Thus, the film becomes a huge rescue mission while also stopping Gorr in his demented quest. This includes a trip to Omnipotent City to recruit some other gods, including the god of gods Zeus (Russel Crowe).
Love and Thunder is an extension of Ragnarok, keeping the same smart banter and humor while providing some deeper emotion - especially concerning Portman's character. It turns out the hammer she wields may temporarily give her Thor's strength but at the same time it's draining her ability to fight off the cancer and this comes into play in a big way. Meanwhile, Thor himself must deal with his relationship with Jane and, as stupid as it sounds - with his old and new weapons, which may not be able to speak, but seem to react to how they are treated.
But the film doesn't take everything seriously - from screaming goats (inspired by a Taylor Swift meme) to naked Thor to the fake actors portraying Thor and Loki (amongst others) to Korg getting Jane's name wrong more than once - the film has plenty of laughs. And for fans of 90s rock, yes, it has a major Guns N Roses theme going on - from "Welcome to the Jungle" to "November Rain" the film truly rocks when given the chance.
While the film hasn't been the biggest hit with critics or even audiences compared to other MCU films, I would still say this is a solid entry - firmly in the middle - not the greatest but not one of the worst, either. Certainly still improves upon both the original Thor and Dark World. The only thing the film - and recent MCU films in general - doesn't do is really lay out a path for where the next phase of the MCU is going. Obviously with all the multiverse stuff, anything goes and while Love and Thunder is a fun ride, it doesn't really advance things.
