THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER can’t recapture the giddy zaniness of Ragnarok

Thor: Love and Thunder review

In 2017, Taika Waititi reinvented the character of Thor with Thor: Ragnarok. The previous Marvel Thor films never quite got a handle on what to make of an actual god coming down to Earth – – Waititi remade him as a good-natured (if dim) goofball, with hilarious results. Chris Hemsworth became a fan-favourite with his massive, chiseled body and natural comedic timing, and Ragnarok became one of the most unique films in the MCU.

Five years on and a few franchise appearances later, Waititi returns with Thor: Love and Thunder, a scattershot sequel that tries to live up to the cosmic madness of the last film without making Thor a one-dimensional character.

No longer rocking the beard and beer belly from Ragnarok, Thor is back in fighting shape in Love and Thunder. After bidding farewell to the Guardians in the Galaxy after tagging along with the crew following Avengers: Endgame, Thor learns from Sif (Jaimie Alexander) that a creature named Gorr (Christian Bale) has gotten hold of a weapon known as the Necrosword, which has the power to kill gods.

Meanwhile, Love and Thunder brings back the character of Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor’s ex-flame. Now undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, Jane is weak and tired when she takes a tour of New Asgard where she notices Thor’s shattered hammer Mjolnir on display. Sensing her worth, the mighty hammer assembles itself and bonds immediately to Jane, giving her Thor-like powers (she soon dubs herself Mighty Thor).

After an awkward encounter while battling Gorr’s shadow creatures, Thor, Jane/Mighty Thor, the rock being Gorg (voiced by Watiti) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) join forces to defeat Gorr who has absconded with a group of Asgardian children.

There is a lot going on in this film, which often careens wildly between zippy one-liners, attempts at heartfelt moments, and the wild action sequences MCU fans have come to expect from a blockbuster like this.

Much of the new elements Waititi brings in (he also co-wrote the film with Jennifer Robinson) work really well. Russel Crowe delivers a god-like performance as Zeus, the conceited and horny God of Thunder who lives like a rock star in Omnipotent City. Thor and his team appeal to Zeus and the fellow gods for help in their search for Gorr, and Crowe (in full dad-bod mode) absolutely chews up the scenery, delivering an over-the-top ‘’Greek’’ accent that rivals Jared Leto’s Chef Boyardee impression in House of Gucci.

Christian Bale also gets his own scenery-chewing moments as Gorr, the bereaved being who has sworn to kill the gods after the death of his young daughter, Love. Almost unrecognizable beneath zombie-like makeup, Bale brings true menace to the character; his scenes play out like an MCU take on a horror movie, especially in the scenes where he interacts with his terrified group of captured kids.

The film is at least fairly weird, combining Waititi’s comic sensibilities with some Monty Python-esque absurdist humour, like a reoccurring bit with Thor and company traveling with two gargantuan screaming goats.

Unfortunately, apart from some great elements, nearly everything else in Thor: Love and Thunder feels off. The great banter from Ragnarok often feels forced here, and it’s hard to imagine any two Hollywood A-listers having as little chemistry together as Hemsworth and Portman exhibit in this outing.

Waititi wants to have it all with Love and Thunder, which is the film’s major downfall. Many of the film’s moments work well on their own, but when thrown together result in major tonal shifts the film is always bouncing back from (as a rule, cancer is never a laugh riot).

Thor: Love and Thunder can’t help but feel like a letdown after the unexpected hijinks of Ragnarok, but it does have its moments, including scene-stealing moments from Crowe and Bale, and some eye-catching battle sequences almost entirely set to Guns N’ Roses classics. Waititi has balanced heart with action-adventure in films like The Hunt for the Wilderpeople before, but this over-stuffed Thor entry never fully brings together the love and thunder it promises.

Thor: Love and Thunder is in theaters now.