The far-out spectacle! The sheer fun! The oversized action! The unexpected drama! And those mighty, mighty buns of steel! For a fourth time as a solo act, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself back on the silver screen in the wild space opera that is Thor: Love And Thunder.
And what a ride it is as he travels far and wide to stop Gorr the God Butcher (a marvelous Christian Bale) from killing all the Gods.
That’s right, Thor has returned to us thanks to the cosmic swagger of writer/director Taika Waititi and his returning cast, which now includes Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster, Russell Crowe (who turns in a WILD performance) as Zeus, and the scene-stealing Bale, who are more than willing to TASTE THE RAINBOW as Waititi continues to challenge audiences with his friskiness in storytelling and handling of the cosmic Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, we have a returning cast, which includes Tessa Thompson’s King Valkyrie and Waititi voicing Korg, the Kronan warrior, and The Guardians of the Galaxy: Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Sean Gunn, who all add to the magic and the charm of Love and Thunder.
Buckle up because, once we get through the slog of where Thor was left in the MCU (still sad and fat), Waititi gets him to clean up pretty nicely and become the heroic-sized superhero that we love and recognize, shedding his cocoon of self-isolation for a pair of screaming goats and some massively-sized muscles as a distress call from Sif (Jaimie Alexander) warns him that Gorr is after New Asgard in his mission to eliminate all Gods.
Waititi has exactly what it takes to navigate the comic territory of Thor and gives audiences a tale that is both comedy gold and full of unsuspecting emotion thanks to Portman and Bale’s performances. With a tragic opening, Gorr’s path to destruction is believable, yet condemning at the same time and, when he kidnaps a bunch of children from New Asgard, strictly hoping to get his hands on Thor's axe Stormbreaker, he must be stopped.
With a fun recurring narration from Gorg (voiced by Waititi himself), fans are treated to some hilarious action-oriented battle scenes as Guns ‘N Roses plays and Thor tries to make right what Gorr has been doing, not yet realizing that his path will take him to New Asgard, his ex-girlfriend (who now yields his broken hammer), Omnipotence City, and then to the Shadow Realm to break the Necrosword and stop Gorr from presenting his wish for all Gods to die to Eternity, a cosmic entity.
The narrative, co-written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is surprisingly heavy - like Mjolnir as Portman’s character learns she is dying from cancer, Gorr’s own child, Love, dies, and - as stated - children are kidnapped. Yet, thanks to Waititi’s comic charm and sheer brilliance in handling the characters, there is an uplifting feeling that settles over the audience as we see a new team emerge from all the darkness.
Thor: Love and Thunder is now playing.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity.
Runtime: 118 mins
Director: Taika Waititi
Writer: Taika Waititi & Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Cast: Chris Hemsworth; Natalie Portman; Christian Bale
Genre: Action | Sci-fi
Tagline: Not every god has a plan.
Memorable Movie Quote: "If you don't shut up, you won't be invited to the Orgy!"
Theatrical Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Site: https://movies.disney.com/thor-love-and-thunder
Release Date: July 8, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.
