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Review: 'Thor: Love and Thunder' is a lot of laughs, some love but minimal thunder

The Taika Waititi flavor in MCU which seemed to act as a resurgence for Thor with Thor: Ragnarok turns out to be a little less rewarding this time around with Thor: Love and Thunder.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder

The Taika Waititi flavor in MCU which seemed to act as a resurgence for Thor with Thor: Ragnarok turns out to be a little less rewarding this time around with Thor: Love and Thunder.

It doesn't meant that you don't get the signature Taika Waititi humor, iconic music & BGM from yesteryear and some poignant scenes as well but the overall product and its impact isn't as exciting as earlier.

Having had the chance to see Thor: Love and Thunder before hand, here's what I thought of it-

Convoluted Story

Convoluted Story

One of the key things about Ragnarok or phase MCU films till phase three was how they seemed to find a thread in their story that the continuation just kept getting better and better. Now, post Endgame, things seem dodgy. With Love and Thunder, the story gets rather convoluted. The attempt to give it emotion and thrill is huge as we have a returning Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Christain Bale's entry in MCU as Gorr - and that works in the best manner as well. However, that isn't enough to give Thor's fourth installment the necessary mileage further propelling engaging storytelling. More often that not, it seems that Thor: Love and Thunder ends up inserting too much humor as a defense mechanism to cover up the convoluted yet predictable storyline.

The Rewarding Moments

The Rewarding Moments

As I said, there might not be anything as a 'bad' Taika Waititi film per se. Even here, Waititi inserts his signature style in the best way possible and to the best of his abilities as well. With him also voicing Krog, he is able to have a better hand at humor as most of the hilarious punches are given to Krog and indeed, the humor helps. Situations like Thor trying to lure at his 'ex' hammer as his 'current' stormbreaker looks on, the running joke of Jane Foster being called Jodie Foster and Jane Fonda and many such scenes become important in this otherwise bland Thor universe.

Downer - Surprisingly the music & Tessa Thompson

Downer - Surprisingly the music & Tessa Thompson

Apart from Sweet Child O'Mine and Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses, and Michael Giachhino's blustery score, the music is actually not that impactful. I mean, how can one forget the use of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant song in the final battle in Thor: Ragnaraok, right? I didn't expect any such specific moment here but even then, the music attached to the entire film isn't as rewarding as it was with earlier films.

And it is a crime to pretty much waste the fantastic Tessa Thompson as King Valkyrie. Granted that the entry of Portman led her to take backseat but even she barely gets any moments or decent scenes as well except one showdown with Gorr.

Bale's Gorr and Portman's Jane Foster

Bale's Gorr and Portman's Jane Foster

We already appreciated the inclusion of these two stalwart actors and the staggering abilities they possess. As Gorr, Bale does his best being as Bale-esque as he can be. Leaner and meaner, Bale's Gorr looks menacing almost with a zombie pallor and glowing eyes but apart from looking the look, Bale plays the part convincingly well. He brings in just the perfect amount of intensity required to be the God butcher but doesn't cross that thin line of ridiculousness. Portman is such a fine actor that even after not having played Jane Foster for the longest time, her comeback seemed like just a page away where she left off. Trying to fight her own issues while giving some kickass action moments, Portman is brilliant indeed.

The Chris Hemsworth Dilemma

The Chris Hemsworth Dilemma

I always seem to be in a dilemma when it comes to Chris Hemsworth playing Thor for the umpteenth time now. I mean, kudos to the actor on somehow making it fresh enough to play this character even after all this time but just the phase four of MCU seems bleak, it seems like the time is up for Hemsworth as Thor. Apart from being a musclebound himbo, Hemsworth has brought in a great blend of humor and emotions as well even in this film but it seems fatigued more than ever. 

Cameos saved the day but also ruined it

Cameos saved the day but also ruined it

The cameos in this film were in abundance as we have come to expect from any MCU film. On one hand, the small track of having the Guardians of the Galaxy fighting it out and just randomly going away 15 minutes into the film seemed one of the most underwhelming portions of cross-cameos in the universe. Underutilizing the fantastic group of misfits here seemed like a bad call indeed. But on the other hand, there were some cameos who saved the day and provided just enough relief. Matt Damon was being Matt Damon again as he played Loki in a street play retelling of Thor in the movie but that isn't the only role he played. Another cameo took place in the same and we would leave you to wonder who played Goddess Leia!

The Verdict

In the end, Thor: Love and Thunder seems like a decent attempt to continue to the original Marvel universe but ends up compromising on presenting a gripping story and relies on laughs and music to do the heavy-lifting.

Rating - *** (3/5)

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Chris Hemsworth

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Thor: Love and Thunder

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