THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
When director Taika Waititi entered the MCU with "Thor: Ragnarok," we all got a kick out of the fresh fun he bought to the Superhero genre. We like a god who doesn't take himself too seriously, and has there ever been better casting?!
Chris Hemsworth (also an executive producer here) is now playing the God of Thunder for the fifth time, and this installment makes it feel like he has nowhere else to go. I don't blame him and Waititi for wanting to have more fun, but it seems like they're just going for laughs, and most of them land flat.
Hemsworth deserves to be more than a pretty boy at the center of campy sketch bits with little cohesion. Shot in Australia, the movie also brings the long-awaited reunion of Thor and his mortal lady love, Jane Foster, who, we find out, is battling a serious illness. Speaking of battling, she's thrown right into a major one transitioning to 'Mighty Thor,' the new holder of the hammer, with little setup and little heat between her and strongman.
Thor also pops in on the Guardians of the Galaxy in what seems like a cameo for that group with no real reason. Oh, yeah, and Tessa Thompson is still holding down Asgard as King Valkyrie with her fake British accent. Speaking of accents, Russell Crowe plays a pompous Zeus with a Greek accent that sounds more like Italian in an embarrassing role for the Oscar winner. Thor and the ladies visit him because they want his help forming an army to get rid of a villain who's kidnapped the children of Asgard. This brings us to the best thing in the movie: another Oscar winner, Christian Bale, as that villain, Gorr, with a heartbreaking back story. He's the only one taking anything seriously here.
If only someone else cared to step up to the plate.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" brought back soul to the MCU. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" was a step down from there. "Love and Thunder" is a complete miss.
As the mid-credit scene perked up fans at "Doctor Strange," the same goes for this one. In fact, I laughed out loud at the latest casting coup. It was the only real laugh out of me during the entire film. There is an end credit scene, too. And, oh yes, Thor will return.
(Disney/Marvel. Rated PG-13. Running Time 2 hrs. 13 mins. In Theaters Only.)
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