Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe
Intro:
...a rollicking, hard-rocking slab of pure, unadulterated entertainment...
Of all Marvel Studios’ dwindling roster of OG superheroes, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has undoubtedly gone through the most radical narrative upheavals. Sure, he hasn’t been recast like The Hulk, or died like Iron Man and Black Widow, but no other character has been put through the stylistic wringer like The God Of Thunder. Ingeniously engineered by director Kenneth Branagh as a savvy meld of ancient mythology and gleaming sci-fi in 2011 with Thor, and then taken deeper into sci-fi fantasy territory by Alan Taylor with 2013’s now apparently maligned Thor: The Dark World (frequently “hailed” as The MCU’s worst entry, perhaps by people who haven’t seen Iron Man 3), the character was imaginatively reimagined by director Taika Waititi with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.
And if you thought the Oscar winning New Zealand writer/director’s erasure of the first two films’ mythology was harsh even while enjoying the vivid, wildly funny, highly engaging film that Thor: Ragnarok truly was, then you’ll be further conflicted by Thor: Love And Thunder. While virtually mocking the more serious tone of the first two films (an admittedly very funny opening recap narration makes light of the game-changing deaths of Thor’s parents, and refers to vital fallen allies such as Hogan and Volstagg as “this guy” and “that guy”), Waititi’s second journey into the realm of the gods is another ridiculously enjoyable cosmic adventure jammed not just with humour and spectacle but also with genuine pathos and emotional heft.
After bailing on the brilliantly guesting Guardians Of The Galaxy (who feature in a fantastic – and utterly hilarious – opening battle sequence), a thankfully once again trim, taut and terrific Thor (who had really let himself go in Avengers: Endgame) muscles up against new bad guy Gorr The God Butcher (a wonderfully menacing but also sympathetic Christian Bale), a mass killer of galactic deities with a more than acceptable motivation. Possibly outgunned, Thor is aided not just by his mate Korg (Waititi doing more stellar voice work after Pixar’s Lightyear) and King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), but also by his ex, Jane Foster (a very welcome return from Natalie Portman), who now wields Thor’s hammer and powers, and has also “stolen his look”.
Stating in interviews that he was influenced by 1970s panel van fantasy art and formative 1980s flicks like The Beastmaster (Seen it? No? Well, you should), Taika Waititi hilariously pushes the boat very, very far out from shore with Thor: Love And Thunder. Big, bold and colourful, the film really ramps up the comedy (a running subplot about a warrior’s fidelity to his weapons is inspired and very, very funny, while a newly introduced pair of screaming space goats will divide audiences Jar Jar Binks-style with their noisy absurdity), while also finely threading in some very serious storytelling too. Though initially playing out in warm-and-fuzzy rom-com style, Thor and Jane’s relationship instead eventually mirrors another 1970s cinema classic (no spoiler to comic book fans) and welcomely takes the narrative into much darker waters. So too does Christian Bale’s Gorr, a very nasty bad guy who also rates as one of The MCU’s most relatable villains.
But it’s the chaotic humour (an extended sequence involving Russell Crowe’s hilariously Greek-accented Zeus tiptoes toward Monty Python) and mad spectacle (much of it rousingly and brilliantly scored to tracks by – yes! – Guns’N’Roses) that really sticks here, with the action sequences as breathtaking as they often are funny. Though something of an affront to hardcore, old-school, comic-book and early-MCU Thor fans, Taika Waititi’s approach to the character and his worlds is so much fun that it’s near impossible to argue with. Thor: Love And Thunder (which stands totally alone from recent MCU adventures and features two essential post-credits sequences) is a rollicking, hard-rocking slab of pure, unadulterated entertainment.
