Thor: Love and Thunder Movie Review

 by Karl W.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Directed by: Taika Watiti
Written by: Taika Watiti, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    Back to the MCU yet again, and this time, we take a look at quite possibly the most changed and, dare I say, upgraded superhero in the MCU, Thor. After two average to mediocre movies at the beginning of the MCU, Thor was never really the favorite hero of the MCU. Then, "Thor: Ragnarok" came out in 2017, helmed by "What We Do in the Shadows" director Taika Watiti and created one of the most enjoyable and fun movies of the MCU right before the Infinity War Saga. It was definitely a change of pace for the character of Thor, but man was it a welcome one, reinvigorating a rather stagnant character with a stylish and entertaining movie. I've mentioned before with "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" that some of my favorite Marvel movies are the ones that are creator driven, where the director is given the reigns of the creative license, and Taika Watiti was able to truly make this movie his own. It made me excited to see what he would bring with the newest Thor movie "Thor: Love and Thunder".

    Ugh...this one was disappointing. I'm not going to outright say it was bad, as there is still enough charm, wit, and strong emotional beats to make it a pretty decent movie, but man, somewhere somehow, it feels like a lot of what made "Thor: Ragnarok" good feels lost here and what we get is...a mess, and honestly the first real dud of Taika Watiti's otherwise pretty great catalogue. It really does feel like a downgrade from "Ragnarok" on most to all regards, including on pacing and special effects. This is one of the shorter Marvel movies at just under 2 hours, which I typically wouldn't mind, except it feels like this film doesn't really convey everything it needs to in such a short time. Some scenes feel rushed, feeling like they lack the weight that they should have. The special effects are also a downgrade from "Ragnarok". Admittedly, some of the action scenes are a lot of fun with some good choreography, and the monochrome filter over the negative zone fight scene is a good touch, but the CGI seems pretty lousy for MCU standards, with Korg looking considerably worse than he did in "Ragnarok" or "Avengers: Endgame". 

    However, I think the writing took a bit of a step down too, namely in the dialogue and the humor. I'm not always the biggest fan of MCU humor, but I expected a humorous director and writer like Taika Watiti to be competent in this field, but a lot of these jokes either run on too long or just don't land. The rushed pacing of this movie also impacts the writing as a whole as it's trying to juggle the threat of the God Butcher, Thor needing to rescue the children of New Asgard, and the return of Jane Foster, Thor's old girlfriend, who receives powers from Mjolnir and is now suffering from terminal cancer. That's not to say you can't balance these things, but the shorter runtime means some things are kinda left on the backburner, including not really following up on Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy as set up in "Endgame" (and given Starlord's experience with a love one suffering from terminal cancer, it feels like a missed opportunity). Also, as a bit of a side tangent, I'm getting really tired of fake out deaths in the MCU. After "Endgame", you think the MCU would have a little more balls with their characters, but I suppose that's too much to ask.

    Now, I know I did a lot of complaining, but I think that there is still plenty to like about this movie. The performances are overall pretty solid, with the most noteworthy being Christian Bale's role as Gorr the God Butcher, who is equal parts intimidating and intriguing. I also have to give some much needed praise to the last third of this movie, which is not only a fun change of pace for a finale, but also fulfills on its emotional core. Also, as mentioned briefly before, I do enjoy the fight scenes, where the choreography and the effects are at their best (for the most part). 

    At the end of the day though...I don't know...it feels like my enjoyment of the MCU is dropping more and more with each passing minute. It's not like this movie is especially boring or anything, but it feels increasingly like the MCU is becoming messier with no real cohesion anymore, and if visionaries like Taika Watiti can't salvage it, then I'm not sure how much I can truly anticipate the MCU anymore. "Thor: Love and Thunder" has some spark in it, but it doesn't really have the impact that it should.

Strong 5/10 (Average)