Thor: Love and Thunder 
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale
Directed By: Taika Waititi
My Rating:
I finally saw the newest Thor movie (Thor Love and Thunder), but not in the theater, which I regret. Personally, I think Marvel movies are best when seen in the theater. Be that as it may, instead, we waited until it’s release on Disney+. I assume, by now, most people have seen this movie (if you’re an avid MCU fan). First a quick synopsis before I give my feedback.
Gorr (Bale) is besmirched by the gods. When he becomes in possession of the Necrosword he vows to seek revenge against all gods for their vanity and hubris. Thor comes out of retirement to battle Gorr with the help of King Valkyrie and Jane (who can now wield Mjolnir); in other words Thor teams up with Queen Padme Amidala to defeat Batman.
My Thoughts
To put it mildly, not my favorite Thor movie but probably better than the second one. Christian Bale is an amazing villain as Gorr. He’s creepy. Chris Hemsworth is equally as amazing as Thor, a role he seems to be born to play. It is great to see Natalie Portman back on screen as Jane Foster.
I do enjoy the various cameos. Russell Crowe as Zeus is great. Kat Dennings makes a short appearance again. Some of the best cameos is Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy, Sam Neill and various members of Chris Hemsworth’s family. His brother, Luke, his wife and daughter all have roles in this movie.
Spoiler Warning!!!
The following contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder
Now for the not-so-good things about this movie. It’s a little too “Disney-fied”. Apparently Mjolnir and Stormbreaker have feelings now such as jealously and joy? Since Disney likes to make movies where everything has feelings, including feelings, now they have to put that in Marvel too?
Although the movie is told from the perspective of Korg who is, ironcally, kind of a mushy creature.
Gorr’s defeat was a little hokey. I did love that they gave Heimdall a kid but they kind of cheapen it when ALL the kids get the powers of Thor. This leads to the shattering of the Necrosword and suddenly Gorr has a change of heart? He is suddenly moved by Thor’s words and wishes instead to trade places, in death, with his slain daughter? His defeat in the comics is much better.
The one redeeming quality about the ending is the casting of Chris Hemsworth daughter as Gorr’s daughter. So we get to see a little daddy-daughter on screen bonding in the final scene of the movie.
“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick