Thor: Love and Thunder – a movie review by Alex First
Liquorice of all sorts, Thor: Love and Thunder has some fun moments, but lacks substance.
The film starts with a man, Gorr (Christian Bale), in bad shape trying to protect his young daughter from the burning sun in the desert. No food. No water. Subsequent events make him believe he has found salvation. Instead, he actually confronts a God without mercy.
But Gorr extracts revenge and claims a sword, which comes with superpowers.
He vows to kill all the Gods.
That is when the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) and his ex-girlfriend, physicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), come to the fore.
The tale unfolds as a story being recited to the Asgardian children.
Also entering the fray are King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Thor’s loyal sidekick, the rock-like humanoid Korg (Taika Waititi).
The Guardians of the Galaxy also put in an appearance.
Director and co-writer (with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson) Taika Watiti’s humour is stamped all over Thor: Love and Thunder.
It is both cute and corny. I simply thought it was too much.
It is clear Hemsworth doesn’t take himself too seriously, so he takes the send-ups in his stride, but then in the next moment, he is battling to the death.
And then again, he is acting like a love-struck puppy.
The script seems to want to have a bit each way and, as such, I don’t believe it really nails any of the elements.
An appearance by Russell Crowe as a pompous Zeus with a foreign accent doesn’t work all that well either. This is the stuff of pantomimes.
In fact, a number of well-known actors pop up in cameo roles in just that guise – as actors in a panto – but I won’t spoil the surprise by naming them.
I was looking for more from this movie – sure, a bit of humour, but also a plot with greater gravitas.
Instead, for the most part, it was a lightweight farce.
Thor: Love and Thunder, which again sees Hemsworth sporting his ripped torso, which will no doubt please many, scores a 6 out of 10.
