Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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© Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Written by: Taika Waititi, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman
Runtime: 119 min
Synopsis: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced - a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who - to Thor's surprise - inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.
© Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Firstshowing. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
Thor: Love and Thunder boasts a bittersweet story about finding peace and love in suffering and pain, without forgetting the necessary thunderous action that reaches its best level in a long sequence surrounded by a breathtaking black-and-white color palette. Christian Bale stands out with a terrifying performance as one of MCU's best villains in recent years, while Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman share excellent chemistry. Visually distinct and with a unique soundtrack, the formulaic screenplay benefits immensely when focusing on the complex arcs of each character. Still, the continuous comedy bits - far from the hilarious creativity of the past - deny further exploration, removing emotional value from the third act. The action featuring generic CGI shadow monsters holds predictable issues, and an irrelevant plot deviation only serves as a teaser for future content. Overall, Taika Waititi succeeds yet again, but this time, he fails to reach the full potential of the premise.
