Thor: Love and Thunder

2022.

Dir. by Taika Waititi

A few days before watching Thor: Love and Thunder, I read an article in the New York Times about Taika Waititi’s immense slate of projects he is either working on or about to embark on. His quick rise to prominence has led him to so many opportunities, that it seems impossible to fully perfect one, let alone all of them. Whether that was the case here, or if the movie was uninspired from its conception (which is certainly possible), Love and Thunder falters; unable to live up to the previous title’s uniqueness within the Marvel pantheon, it is largely forgettable.

Before the Marvel intro has had time to play across the screen, we are already watching vast exposition. Crammed into a few minutes, we see Christian Bale’s character become God Butcher, cursed and empowered to kill all of the gods, after witnessing the inaction of his former god while his daughter dies of thirst. Immediately following the Marvel intro, more exposition follows. In the unimaginative form of Korg (Taika Waititi) telling a story to Asgardian children, another fifteen minutes pass while he recaps all that has occurred up until this point. Finally, Thor explodes onto the battlefield, newly allied with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

To make up for the horribly sluggish opening, Waititi packs the next thirty minutes with as many trendy quips as possible, with close to none of them landing. Herein lies the main flaw of the film; it is overwhelmed with the need to be silly. This takes over almost every interaction of the film. Whereas in Thor: Ragnarok, the quips usually felt light-hearted and naturally flowed between characters, here they feel shoved into every nook and cranny. There were certainly a few chuckle-worthy lines, yet they were buried underneath an overwhelming amount of unfitting and unfunny quips.

The film follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as he attempts to end the God Butcher’s murder spree of the gods. While failing to prevent Asgardian children from being kidnapped by the Butcher, he meets his past love, Jane Foster – also known as The Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman). Of course, after meeting her Korg comes back to explain their past relationship through a series of flashbacks, and another chunk of exposition; they both have complicated feelings for each other, both shoving away to prevent loss once more. The film also reveals she has stage IV cancer and has resorted to the Asgardian magic of Mjölnir for help. They agree to track down the God Butcher, along with King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson).

Eventually, their quest leads them to the Shadow Realm. The picture drains its color, transforming into a shallow and unimaginative black and white, with the Butcher’s Eyes and the heroes’ weapons’ providing the sole color. The change is made solely for aesthetics, with no substance filling the screen, and adds a flattened sheen over a similarly draining section of the film. Instead of complimenting the Butchers’ play with the shadows and contrast, it only serves to distract – almost as a cheap gimmick.

Once the plot is finished, ending in an all-too-convenient manner (how else would a Marvel film end?), all that shines from this movie is Christian Bale. As he almost always does, he performs excellently, and his croaking British accent makes the God Butcher all the more electric. Perhaps his energetic contribution to another superhero film sparks hope in fans of Christopher Nolan. The ending, in particular, could not have been salvaged in any manner if Bale did not outshine the rest of the cast.

As the film closes, Waititi – speaking as Korg – once again takes the reins again to hammer home every detail and result of the film. It is fitting that Waititi has given himself a much larger role in the film than in the previous installment; this film was a personal victory lap. A relaxing jaunt that could be completed with a few formulaic quips and the safe knowledge that no matter the quality of the film, it would ride the previous entry of the series towards success. It is the epitome of an unimaginative corporate entry into a popular series and a terrifying glimpse into the future of a new standard for blockbusters.