Thor: Love and Thunder

If there are two words to describe this Phase Four installment of our favorite God of Thunder’s adventure, it would be ‘underwhelming’ and ‘too simplistic’.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has lost everything he has ever had since we tagged along his journey eleven years ago. While his ideal arc should have concluded in Endgame, the film manages to convince us through Korg’s (Taika Waititi) narration at the start, that there is another resolution at the end of the tunnel for the titular character; one that involves love and he does find love at the end, quite damn literally! But did we find love for the end product that is Love and Thunder? Let’s find out.

There is a huge, consistent complaint about one aspect in all of the Marvel films ever since Disney took over, but the way the aspect has been overused to a point where it has truly, severely damage the film itself is a result seen here, and that is the forced, incessant jokes. Sif (Jaimie Alexander) losing her arm on the brink of death is treated as a joke. The imposing introduction and presence of Zeus in the MCU is treated as a joke. Even the legendary weapon of Zeus known as the Thunderbolt / Master Bolt looks goofy! God of Dumpling is cute, but in what way, shape or form is it necessary? The only time Disney is serious is when Gorr calls Jane Foster “Lady Thor”, because we all know calling a lady a lady is a mighty offense, especially for Mighty Thor. One wishes they would have shown this same seriousness towards every other facet of these MCU features. The parody stage play performed by Matt Damon (feels amazing to see him again by the way) has some weight and seriousness to it compared to the actual picture! However, the constantly bleating mystical goats Toothgrinder and Toothgnashe plus Korg’s mere presence are genuinely hilarious. Him tied to the back of Valkyrie’s (Tessa Thompson) hair giving him a mustache is a damn good idea!

Many directorial choices could have been made to increase the impact of the motion picture storytelling that we experienced. For example, the absence of background music would have been a stronger punch to the gut when Gorr’s daughter dies. The duration we know him and his daughter is too minuscule thus we are not going to feel anything major for anything that happens to them. But if the filmmaking compensates for that the best it can, many wondrous changes could have happened. Another example is the way the kiss both Thors share is filmed, which makes you wonder why couldn’t have they done it in one unbroken take without cutting it few many times, killing its intended intensity.

The cramped up duration, whether it is the director’s or the studio’s choice, is a major trouble here. Most of the scenes that were allowed to be canned freely as it unfolds on set has been snuffed through and through on the editing table to a point where the scenes could no longer breathe, thus losing its potency. The proceedings in the beginning especially has been sped up rapidly to show Gorr’s transformation became unbelievable / unconvincing due to this factor alone. And when he announces his ultimate purpose that “All Gods will die”, we could only wish for more duration for the character’s arc to stretch its limbs and allow us to believe this magnitude of a goal.

Many instances where the ideas, or rather the expectations of the ideas are truly cool, but the eventual result is tepid. Thor sharing his powers to a bunch of Asgardian kids is a nice notion, but it renders the entire climactic battle a joke when you see a bunch of small kids defeating scary, large monsters with a flick of a finger, taking away any anticipation or fear that the climax could muster up. The idea of Thor taking care of Gorr’s daughter aka literal Love (India Rose Hemsworth) reincarnated itself to cure his severe lack of love in life is once again, a nice idea, but there isn’t any emotional nor logical resonance as to why Thor has to take care of Gorr’s daughter. These character didn’t meet, let alone know each other at all from A all the way to Z, therefore it doesn’t have any emotional necessity, let alone emotional heft here for these two to complement each other’s life. Mjolnir-Stormbreaker jealousy is another example. The one thing that the MCU management does and does so well every single time is grounding every aspect of their storytelling to the real world. In this movie for example, the New Asgard on Earth has become a hot tourist spot.

Yes, we do get kind-of-a-closure to what happened between Thor and Jane before they’ve decided to break it off, but the reason why she becomes a Thor herself due to a simple vow Thor whispers to Mjolnir is again… too simplistic. And the rules in this universe are contradictory. So now anyone can wield the Stormbreaker and instruct it to do anything? What happened to the clear rules in the MCU universe and lore that used to be established in the past, for example, where only the worthy ones could wield the Mjolnir? Anyone can pick up Zeus’ weapon and all one has to do is steal it? Why do the protagonists need this weapon in the first place for the final mission? Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr the God Butcher, for however little duration he’s in the movie, is magnificent. The one sequence where his skills shine like the moonrock is during the ransom negotiation at the black-and-white Shadow Realm! The very fact that the filmmakers went for it and allowed it to be a whole black-and-white sequence is commendable! However, it doesn’t make sense for Gorr, a father who’s gone rogue because he lost his own child, to kidnap hundreds of kids and use them as bargaining chip.

You could easily spot the void that isn’t filled by the full potential of this story. Jane Foster’s return, played by the talented gorgeous Natalie Portman is ever so refreshing to see! She truly looked like a cancer-stricken patient when she needed to, while appearing like a complete badass when she needs to kick some ass, therefore clearly she has done some serious preparation for the role. The sad fact is that the character has cancer and she passes away by the end of the show. It would have been enthralling to see her continue the role of Mighty Thor, but oh well, may the end-credits Valhalla present some opportunity in the future. After all that teasing throughout the runtime, we do get to see Valhalla at the end after all. The second time we see this full potential being robbed right under our nose is the inclusion of The Guardians of the Galaxy, or rather the lack thereof. When we saw Thor joining them for an adventure at the end of Endgame, the expectation was one that is unexpected but wildly exciting. But when it turns out that the oddball superheroes are bid farewell ten minutes in, this is another disappointment indeed. Thankfully the film didn’t eradicate Zeus, played by the legendary Russell Crowe, that easily. He is very much alive as shown in the mid-credits and we can’t wait to see Ted Lasso-fame Roy Kent actor Brett Goldstein to kill it as Hercules!

The visual effects work is inconsistent. While some like the Flower Gods and dead Falligar the Behemoth are well done, Rapu (Jonathan Brugh) appeared… rough. The immediate costume change when Thor stomps the Stormbreaker gives you the chills for sure! On the other hand, the high-budget makeup and prosthetics are outstanding. Production designers truly went out there with their talent to showcase only the best they had, with the Omnipotence City and glass temple serving as examples. It’s a mixed bag when it comes to the action sequences too. You do receive a fantastic opening battle where Thor rams through a set of enemies with Guns N’ Roses ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ raising your adrenaline levels! But then you are also thrown into a lackluster, half-assed encounter in a rectangular neighborhood that is supposed to mark the first meeting between the protagonist and antagonist! The escapade against Zeus’ armymen is awesome with Korg’s supposed demise providing some real consequences. Shattered Mjolnir has been used creatively in combat, so there’s a deserved credit!