Thor: Love And Thunder is part of Phase Four in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is directed by Taika Waititi who also co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

While working with The Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Korg (Taika Waititi) get a distress call from Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander). She reports that a maniac called Gorr the God-Butcher (Christian Bale) is using the Necro-Sword to slay deities across the galaxy and New Asgard is next. Thor arrives during an attack where he discovers his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has lifted a repaired Mjolnir. Gorr kidnaps the children of Asgard, prompting Thor, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg, and Jane to save them. Going to Omnipotence City, they ask Zeus (Russell Crowe) for help, but he mocks them and tries to kill Korg. Injuring him and stealing his Thunderbolt, they realize Gorr is after the Stormbreaker axe, so he can reach the realm of Eternity and use the power there to kill all of the deities.

This movie was a disappointment wrapped in a letdown. I don’t know if Waititi fell asleep at the wheel or if he got caught up in his poorly executed special effects that he was distracted from making a good story. Whatever the case, the dwindling Marvel magic is barely an ember in this MCU entry.

For one thing, Thor is not the one who we watched grow through the Avengers films. He is essentially back to square one, but instead of just youthful arrogance, he also behaves like an angsty teenager. Sure, they tried to maintain his strength and power while Chris Hemsworth does his best to work with the material. It was not enough to avoid all of the pitfalls that were there.

First of all, Gorr was incredibly inconsistent. At a few places, he was a contemplative villain who seemed more methodical and driven. In other places, he was more manic and sadistic. Also, he looked nothing like his comic book counterpart. Christian Bale was the perfect casting, but he got a poor script that did not know what to do with him. The juvenile humor got old very fast and it started to feel more like a chore instead of a laugh.

To be fair, it was not a “bait-and-switch” feature. Thor was the central figure and he was still worthy to lift the hammer, but they certainly went out of their way to poke fun at him while his female companions were constantly told how awesome they were. Also, Korg should have died. It would have made the story carry more weight, but no, they had to use him to score some pandering points to the “modern audience” that does not watch these movies.

Back to Thor, they have now had three movies where Odinson is “finding” himself. That is such a narcissistic thing to teach people. When you are an adult, you take responsibility and do what is right. That was the lesson of the first Thor movie, but the third one undid that and it got reset again here. Let him grow. Let him become the Avenger that he should be. Let him be the leader of the Avengers.

Bottom line, Thor: Love And Thunder was a blunder. It was disappointing, confusing, and it failed to build on the story of its hero.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Frightening images, Violence, Some foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: Pain? What is pain but a construct invented by the weak?

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of Catwoman: Hunted and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

Connect with me on social media. You can support StudioJake on Locals.