Friday, July 8, 2022

Thor: Love and Thunder


Another week is under our belts and with it came the next big summer movie release. Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder. My excitement following the success of 2017 Thor: Ragnarök and the return of Taika Waititi as not only director but also co-writer has been palatable as well as guarded. With only an hour fifty-nine-minute runtime, the return of so many established characters, along with the introduction of new storylines, combined with the “late in the game” onslaught trailers, clips, and other hype I was more than a bit fearful we would’ve pretty much seen the entire film before it actually hit the screen.  

Both valid takes as it turns out.

Thor: Love and Thunder is indeed a fun, summer romp of a film that delights in many ways.  The light-hearted to downright silly comedic beats, plenty of expected as well as unexpected call backs, fast paced action, and a storyline with heart at its core for my time and money put Thor: Love and Thunder in the same realm as Thor: Ragnarök.  

Sweet.  

Same realm but not quite the same level, however.

The less is more runtime definitely keeps TLT from hitting the full Ragnarök level of enjoyment.  Not all the comedy is a solid hit, but more importantly the drama and the emotional elements aren’t given the time to sit/breathe making for a less impactful viewing experience that’s emptier than it should be.  

Christian Bale delivers as the “Big Bad”.  I just wish there had been more Gorr to feast upon.  The same can be said for Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster/Mighty Thor.  The chance to really delve into and expand on their characters never quite comes to fruition and while seeing them is enjoyable it’s also frustrating as a result. The character development remains only skin deep here. A truly squandered opportunity.

Then there’s Russell Crowe.  I can’t even begin to wrap my head around that one.  Better than his outing as Henry Jekyll in 2017 The Mummy but still...  If nothing else, what the hell was up with that accent?  I’ll leave it at that.

Moving on.

Good visuals.  Strong direction. Then there’s the soundtrack. Ahhh, the soundtrack.  An around the world and back snap for certain.  Guns N’ Roses takes me back, ABBA makes me happy, Mary J. Blige is never wrong. 

Thor: Love and Thunder as a whole is a bit of a mixed bag, not unlike all the Thor films.  Fortunately, there’s more good about it than bad.  

Did I want more from it overall?  Yes.  Did I enjoy seeing it on the big screen?  Yes, again.  Can I recommend you head to the theater to check it out?  Again, I’m going to say yes.  Go for the fun, go for the joy of catching up with the familiar characters and for a glance of seeing where they may head in the future.  Go with the right mind set for a summer movie experience but be sure to stay for the 2 end credit scenes.

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 7.5 for me.








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