*Premise spoilers.*
I was able to get to the latest MCU release over the weekend and am now catching up on some of the chatter about it. Love and Thunder is proving very divisive, with lots of fans online either dragging it or caping for it. Personally, I haven’t quite made up my mind on everything yet and am still sorting through it.
Since Endgame, Thor has been traveling with the Guardians and helping them out, but he’s feeling a bit directionless, not sure what he wants anymore from his very long life. However, when he discovers a zealot known as Gorr the God Butcher has been murdering deities across the galaxy, he’s moved to action. With news that Gorr has set his sights on New Asgard next, Thor returns to Earth to back up his old friend Valkyrie. When he gets there, he sees that he’s no longer the only Thor around. Someone new is wielding Mjölnir: Jane Foster.
We’ll start with what’s probably the most divisive aspect of the film, the humor. I’ve seen plenty of complaints that the humor is too forced, too jarring, that there’s too many jokes and it undermines the more serious parts of the story. Now, one thing I love about Taika Waititi films is how deftly he can move between ridiculous comedy and heartbreaking drama—Jojo Rabbit has my heart for all time. As such, I don’t think Waititi’s brand of comedy in the film is an immediate knock against it. And there’s stuff in the movie that I found hilarious. Honestly, those damn goats just killed me, and I love the reaction to Zeus stripping Thor of his disguise (and the rest of his clothes) in the city of the gods. I do think some of the humor falls flat, but I also remember feeling jarred by some of the humor the first time I saw Ragnarok. By the time I saw it again, the tonal shifts of the film “settled” for me and I now consider it top-tier Marvel. I might have a similar reaction the next time I watch Love and Thunder.
The story is pretty stuffed, and while the various elements mostly all work well, it can make the movie feel at odds with itself sometimes. Just a little too hectic to capture everything it’s trying to do. But in the scenes where it’s firing on all cylinders, this movie has something special. I pretty much love Jane’s Mighty Thor storyline from start to finish—the film gives Natalie Portman excellent material to work with, and Jane gets to be every bit as complex as Thor. Similarly, the love story between her and Thor is so good it retroactively improves their relationship from the first two Thor movies. I also really like what’s done with the titular god of thunder himself. Waititi’s version of Thor is a loyal meathead with a huge heart, and I love the film’s exploration of all the losses Thor has suffered in recent years, asking whether he has it in him to keep caring about people who get ripped away from him. Chris Hemsworth does excellent work throughout, handling the comedy and emotion with equal aplomb.
Another strong element of the film is Christian Bale’s Gorr. I doubt anyone will ever unseat Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s phenomenal Wenwu in the Marvel Villain rankings of my heart, but Gorr is an excellent antagonist. His motives are tragic and understandable, even if his actions are not, and Bale plays him like this haunted wraith of a creature who’s only able to keep going by the fuel of rage and vengeance. Gorr is at times frightening, at times almost campy, and at times a picture of grief, and it’s all really effective. In truth, the film could’ve used even more of him.
As for the rest of the cast, the Guardians have little more than cameos, which I was pretty much expecting. Not nearly enough, though, of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie—not that I think she’s badly used, but Thompson rocks it in this role and I’m greedy. On this first viewing, I wasn’t altogether vibing with Waititi’s Korg. To me, his humor doesn’t work as well here as it does in Ragnarok, but I do like the narration he provides throughout the film. Russell Crowe serves up a hammy Zeus, and there are some welcome appearances from a few other characters, including a surprise debut of a new bit of MCU casting that had me over the moon.
Warnings
Comic-book violence, thematic elements, mild sexual references, language, and drinking.
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