Thor: Love and Thunder (2022 | USA | 125 minutes | Taika Waititi)
Amid the current conversations about the craft of film criticism and its relationship to the modern moviegoing landscape, the question has arisen about whether writers are going too easy on Marvel movies. It has been charged, with some rather compelling arguments, that critics are grading on a curve for superhero films and giving them far too much credit for their brief flashes of individuality in what are otherwise unimaginative works. Even as someone who praised Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for how much of his individual stamp Sam Raimi was able to leave on it, I agree that some scraps of flair do not themselves make a full meal. Still, there are moments where we’re reminded that there are thrills to be found in this well-tread franchise.
Then there is Thor: Love and Thunder, a frustrating film that could reap all the benefits of a grading curve only to still fall flat in its complete and abject failure. Despite some enjoyable performances from side characters, it is an experience that can best be described as sitting next to a drunk friend who rambles on and on with a story that they believe to be hilarious when it is actually anything but. While not without some moments of fun, it is buried by a mountain of schtick that it never is able to dig itself out of. What little humor lands ends up dragging on for so long that it wears itself so thin that it collapses in on itself. It also is an inexplicably ugly work, hindered by some of the worst special effects of recent memory and all the visual depth of a car commercial being shown on a television that is forever stuck on the motion smoothing setting.
If this all sounds uncharitable, then you must understand how much this film wore me down. Whenever I go into a screening for a film, I approach any work with an open mind and a willingness to give it a shot on its own terms. In the opening scene of the film, one of the only parts that had much of any spark, it seemed like there might be something here. We are introduced to Christian Bale’s formerly devout Gorr, a skeletal being who is making his way through a desolate desert with his daughter in search of water. It is a harrowing opening as we see the way hopelessness is taking its toll, culminating in a tragic death. Bale is quite good in this scene, setting the stage for his villainous turn as the killer of gods after becoming disillusioned when they abandoned him. Unfortunately, the rest of the film falls off and never recovers.
The problems begin when we’re re-introduced to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor who, last we saw him, was going out into the universe with the Guardians of the Galaxy. In a montage narrated by his rocky companion Korg, voiced by writer-director Taika Waititi once more, we see him lose weight and regain his “god bod.” Though we learn that Thor has seemingly bounced back from the spiral he fell into following the events of Infinity War, all is still not well with the God of Thunder. Sure, he is taking down his enemies while Welcome To The Jungle plays, one of many Guns N’ Roses songs spread throughout the film. However, you get the feeling he is still haunted by the past. Notably, again via montage, we learn that he split up with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster who has since also gained her own powers. After all this set up, they will now have to team up with both Korg and Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie to take down Gorr as well as rescue a group of Asgardian children that he has kidnapped as part of a destructive plan.
All of this feels increasingly meaningless and lacking in the same tactful tone that was stuck in the opening scene. Instead, it plays out as what can be charitably described as an extended sketch that far overstayed its welcome. Jokes that might otherwise be fun little throwaway lines are run into the ground, leaving you uncertain if they were ever funny in the first place. Recurring bits and gags are dulled to lifelessness by repetition. The film continually regurgitates punchlines that are all built around the same premise. Everything is written to be riffed on, leaving characters to babble on ad nauseam. It lacks any sense of confidence in the jokes or situations themselves, making any humor that could be found there evaporate.
Waititi’s previous Thor: Ragnarok had plenty of silliness, but it also was more subtle and clever. Not only does this film abandon any of that, but it replaces it with a cloying clinginess that leaves you wishing it would all just stop. The only moment that lands is when Thor and the gang must seek the help of other gods in their fight against Gorr. It is there they meet Russell Crowe’s Zeus, a showman who embraces the absurdity of the character with more energy than anything else going on. While Crowe’s work in this scene is one of the better parts of the film, it also ends up being extraneous to the rest of the more than two-hour runtime.
This is where it is painfully rough going, a slog of superficial sentiment disguised as sincerity. This is unfortunate to say as someone who still appreciates Waititi’s work in What We Do in the Shadows. It just is now clear that, between this and the abysmal JoJo Rabbit, his approach to storytelling can frequently lose any sort of handle on tone. The film never feels cohesive as it jumps between Bale doing a great job at being more horrifying to Thor doing awkward schtick that feels like it was ripped from an unfunny Super Bowl ad. All this incongruity makes you wonder what exactly is being aimed at here. No matter how many Guns N’ Roses songs you blast over top of your scenes, you can’t just gloss over how much of a meandering mess the story you’ve created remains. There was a moment where Portman, inexplicably wearing a helmet that is clearly and poorly superimposed over her face, cuts a conversation short before blasting into the sky. You almost wish she would have kept going and gotten far away from this film.
As someone who has been quite won over by the series Ms. Marvel, one of the better projects Marvel has taken on of late, I remain open to the potential of these MCU superhero stories. Though, if this most recent film is any indication, they are quickly running out of ideas. It makes one sad to see both Hemsworth and Thompson, both accomplished actors whose work outside of this is quite good, saddled with such a misfire. All of their efforts can’t overcome what may be one of the most poorly realized and executed Marvel films of recent memory. Yes, this includes the first two Thor films that are now all in contention with this for being the worst of the bunch. There might be a few moments that you’ll want to watch as clips, though the entire experience as a feature film can’t help falling apart at nearly every turn. It tries to coast on what it thinks is charming comedy, but is missing any sense of style or cleverness to make it worth your time. For fans of these movies, I say this not to dissuade you from enjoying them. Quite the opposite, I am glad you enjoy them! However, you deserve far better than whatever Thor: Love and Thunder is attempting. There just isn’t much of anything to salvage here.
You can see Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters starting July 8.
Header image, courtesy Marvel Studios.