‘Thor: Love And Thunder’ Review: Dir. Taika Waititi (2022)

Of all the colourful characters in the original Avengers roster that Marvel have managed to hang onto, Thor has undoubtedly had the most interesting journey both on and off screen. Beginning his narrative as a spoilt, arrogant, and short-tempered man-child, Thor then grew into a slightly less arrogant, short-tempered hero. After 2 solo entires and 2 team-up films in this mould, something was definitely wrong. Audiences quickly realised that the character lacked a certain charisma when stood side-by-side with the likes of Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man. Enter Taika Waititi. The brainchild behind What We Do in The Shadows revitalised the character, and entire franchise, with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. In the blink of an eye the son of Odin was transformed from the somber Viking, to a comedy powerhouse cloaked in Chris Hemsworth’s trademark charm and chiselled exterior. Thor was reborn. Now, after the dazzling climax of Avengers: Endgame, Taika is back behind the camera for a second round with Thor: Love and Thunder. 

We pick up chronologically fairly soon after Thor left earth with the Guardians of The Galaxy, still sporting his ‘dad bod’ look. Despite being heavily featured in promotional materials, the Guardians’ role is actually disappointingly minimal. This is understandable in another characters solo outing though. It does also continue a Phase 4 trend of keeping crossovers to a minimum, with characters largely relegated to their own corners of the MCU. This makes narrative sense, but without any idea of the grander plan for interconnected stories and crossover events, it does all seem slightly directionless.

As can be expected from Taika’s previous body of work, this film is undoubtedly hilarious. The comedic gold of Ragnarok has been heavily leaned into this time, with some outrageously silly moments of humour. The problem is, unlike Ragnarok, the narrative is less stream-lined and more convoluted. Clocking in at just under 2 hours, this film has a lot of characters and plot threads to do justice, and the manner in which some storylines are dealt with might rub fans up the wrong way. That being said, Chris Hemsworth ties it all together so wonderfully that these issues are a lot less noticeable than they would be in the hands of a less capable leading man. Make no mistake, this is Hemsworth’s film through and through. Over a decade spent playing this character, and he appears more comfortable and at ease playing him than ever before. Indeed, Thor has become the glue of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe it seems.

In terms of supporting cast, much of the films excitement surrounds the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster…who is now the Mighty Thor. This storyline is ripped straight from the pages of the comics, with some slight adaptations made for the big screen. Portman is fantastic in her new role as a full blown superhero, and begs the question of why she was left out of this franchise for almost a decade. Portman and the-always-superb Tessa Thompson also display some brilliant chemistry together. Christian Bale makes his Marvel debut as Gorr the God Butcher, a delightfully creepy antagonist who, well….does what he says on the tin. Bale elevates the material he’s given masterfully here, and transforms a potentially weak motivated villain into the franchises best since Thanos. 

This might disappoint fans of Ragnarok hoping for an adventure on the same level of quality. But, despite its slightly messy narrative, and surprising lack of standout action sequences, it’s an incredibly fun ride with bucketloads of humour and heart. Expect laughs, tears, surprise returns, a side-splitting extended cameo from Russell Crowe, and an ending that forwards Thor’s story in a very meaningful way. We can only hope that Hemsworth sticks around for many more Marvel adventures to come.

Thor: Love and Thunder is released on 7th July 2022.