Thor: Love and Thunder

 

Thor: Love and Thunder is the fourth instalment of the franchise and picks up after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Thor, still looking for a sense of contentment and trying to cope with the large amount loss he has stuffed at the hands of Thanos, must put his feelings aside to team up with Valkyrie, Korg and Jane Foster to try to defeat a new enemy, Gorr the God Butcher. A villain who will stop at nothing to make all Gods extinct.

Taika Waititi came back as the writer, director and cast member of this film. He did a great job picking up where he left off after Thor: Ragnarok, which were some big shoes to fill. Love and Thunder had more heart and depth than any of the previous Thor films. It was entertaining and more serious while including bits of comedy, which I thought was a great mix. The costumes, cinematography and action sequences were put together flawlessly. The themes around choosing love over destruction and figuring out who you are as a person were all prevalent throughout.

I enjoyed the conscious effort to bring back the cast from previous films. Not only did Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Taika Waititi reprise their roles as Thor, King Valkyrie and Korg respectively, but they also got Natalie Portman back as Jane Foster. I particularly enjoyed seeing Matt Damon and Luke Hemsworth again in their minor yet hilarious roles. The guest appearances of the Guardians of the Galaxy were hilarious, I wish we had more time with them. They all play so well off of each other, I could easily see an entire movie with them and Thor.

Regarding the main cast Christian Bale played a superb villain. He was someone that was complex and had a backstory you could empathize with. I thought Portman looked great in the role as a Mighty Thor. I criticized her role in prior Thor films but I must say I liked her so much more in this film. She gave great range, had strong chemistry with Hemsworth and Thompson and was likeable. Speaking of Tessa Thompson, she is my favorite, she can do no wrong in my book and was great, once again, as King Valkyrie. Her dry, deadpan sense of humor works so well off of Thor’s more childlike humor. Hemsworth brought the same energy and comedic timing to Thor that we now know and love. I also thought it was sweet that he had his daughter in this movie.

I am such a fan of this new direction of Thor, and I know Chris Hemsworth has been on record saying he’d do this role as long as Disney and the fans wanted him to, so I am on board for however much longer he and Taika want make these fun, character driven, action fantasies.