THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (2022) Movie Review

At this point in time, the MCU formula seems to have run its course.

While MCU movies haven’t reached the point of being “bad” yet (at least in my view), their gimmicks are definitely worn-off.

Make no mistake, these gimmicks – the insert jokes, quirky characters, in-your-face wokeness, and ever-expanding universe – are the very things that had kept, and perhaps will continue to keep the MCU engine running.

The problem is not the gimmicks themselves. It is the productivity and success of the MCU that make people increasingly disdainful of its formula. If you see MCU movies every year, you’re basically watching four movies built on disturbingly similar cores. Plus, the fact that people will flock to see anything related to the MCU only makes them seem complacent, regardless of whether they actually are or not.

The current state of the MCU is what makes Thor: Love and Thunder such a unique experience.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

(Image credit: People)

The fourth movie of the Thor franchise sees the return of Taika Waititi, who also directed the critically acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok. In that film, Taika successfully rebranded the Thor franchise. Specifically, he made it a straight comedy, and more importantly, irrelevant. The irrelevance nature of Waititi’s comedy is important. Because it’s the very thing that makes Ragnarok, and yes, also Love and Thunder, such a break from the MCU formula.

Do you remember the scene in Ragnarok where Hemsworth improvised a story of Loki turning into a snake and turning back into himself to frighten Thor? That scene ended with the characters moving on to a different thing. In a typical MCU movie, Bruce Banner would’ve cracked a snarky one-liner.

(Image credit: Space)

In this fourth Thor movie, that brand of humor is present throughout. There is a refreshing quality to a genuine laugh. Often, I don’t really get that from MCU films. In, say, Spider-man films, you laugh but part of the laugh is the excitement of seeing your favorite characters. But in Taika’s film, the jokes push the limit of the formula.

Indeed, there’s a sequence early on in the film that came dangerously close to breaking the fourth wall. And it was a good way to let the audience know what kind of films they’re in for.

So far, I am making Love and Thunder sound like another Ragnarok, and while that’s not a bad thing, it would be a bit disappointing. Luckily, that was not the case.

This movie is as creative, as visually out-there, and as sonically pleasing, as Ragnarok. But there is a more emotional element to this film than its predecessor.

And that lies in Jane Foster.

Natalie Portman as the Mighty Thor/Jane Foster

Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster came into the MCU when the studio was still finding its way. At the time, a lot of beautiful and competent actresses were cast in boring roles to complement the male Avengers.

Jane Foster was a passable love interest. And then she disappeared.

In this movie, she makes a return in the role of the Mighty Thor. And in any other MCU movie, this would be a cheap woke marketing ploy. But in Taika’s world, everything seems to have its place. Jane is a delight as a character. Portman made a smart choice not trying to make Jane outshine Hemsworth’s Thor. She lets the character's actions speak for themselves. Jane as Thor is really cool, and there’s no need to push that any further.

Taika and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson made another smart writing choice. They did not play the cliche card of having two characters with the same title be adversarial to each other. For every easy cliché this movie could go for, it always understood that it has more important things to do.

The character arc that Jane went through is one that holds the film together but also enriches Thor as a character. As for Thor himself, Hemsworth gave, for me, the best performance as the character I have seen thus far.

In fact, it seems like everyone is glad to be here. Sometimes in big studio films, you get a sense that everyone is giving 60-70% of the effort. But here, everyone seems to be having fun. Russell Crowe is funny as hell as Zeus. And Tessa Thompson is amazingly charismatic. Valkyrie is quickly becoming a favorite character of mine.

(Image credit: Films News Feed)

In terms of negatives, there are more than a few. For all its creativity and great characters, this movie does not seem to have a great foothold on some plot consistency. There are some contrivances here and there as well. One could argue there is a slight pacing issue near the middle of the film.

I have heard many of these negatives expounded in detail. I don’t really disagree with any of them. Even those who outright dislike the film, I find myself unable to counter them. My enjoyment of Love and Thunder seems to have come from a very irrational place, one that allows me to overlook all the mistakes it makes.