Miss Flicks

Thor: Love and Thunder – Film Review

After smashing his MCU debut with Thor: Ragnarok, Taiki Waititi is back with the superhero’s latest standalone movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is fighting baddies and saving lives alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy. When a new villain, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), emerges and poses a threat to New Asgard, he returns home to fight the big bad. That’s very vague and for good reason!

If you liked what Waititi did with Thor: Ragnarok, then you’ll be a huge fan of Thor: Love and Thunder because they have the same tone and feel – it’s big on the comedy, sweet rockin’ riffs (a lot of Guns N’ Roses this time) and it’s very fun and entertaining. The script, co-written by Waititi, is littered with jokes and I laughed out loud constantly.

But it’s not just a light superhero comedy – it also unexpectedly tackles more serious and moving themes (I’ll say no more). Plus, the return of Thor’s old flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) gives the film a cute romance edge and makes Thor think about his love life – not just about saving the world. It was refreshing to see him like that.

I must admit that I tuned out at certain points in the action scenes. There were some cool fight choreography and stunt sequences but they just didn’t grab my attention like the other scenes. I just prefer watching Thor hanging out with his bro Korg (voiced by Waititi), New Asgard’s leader Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and, of course, Jane.

Jane wasn’t particularly well utilised in Thor and Thor: The Dark World and her appearance in Love and Thunder certainly makes up for that. She looked so damn cool as the Mjolnir-wielding Mighty Thor and I just loved watching her kick ass. This might be a Thor film by title but she is the heart and soul of it. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

The next standout for me was Bale. He is terrifying as Gorr. I genuinely think he would have given me nightmares as a kid! He is one of the creepiest and genuinely scary villains the MCU has ever had. While the hair and makeup do a lot of the work (the razor-sharp teeth and yellow eyes!), Bale still gives it his all and plays Gorr totally straight, delivering his lines in the most chilling way possible.

I also need to discuss Russell Crowe as Zeus. He speaks with the most bizarre accent that gives Borat a run for his money. But he’s obviously designed to be a comedy character and whatever he’s doing works. There’s not too much to say about Hemsworth and Thompson because they are as fun as ever (Thompson has v cool outfits). Keep your eyes peeled for the cameos – there are quite a few – and don’t miss the mid-credits scene.

Thor: Love and Thunder doesn’t have the most compelling story or attention-grabbing fight sequences but it’s a highly entertaining superhero comedy with an amazing turn from Portman!

In cinemas from Thursday 7th July