'Thor: Love and Thunder' Review: Intriguing But Duller Successor to 'Ragnarok'

(This review is largely spoiler free)

Rarely have I been as confused and intrigued as I was by Thor: Love and Thunder, directed by Taika Waititi. Chris Hemsworth returns as the effortlessly (or so he makes it seem) charming and powerful God of Thunder, Thor and he completely leans to the carefree and brash blonde hero from pre-Endgame times.

Though, it’d be incorrect to say he’s completely carefree– not only does he have to stop a terrifying god-killing villain, his ex is back and his trusted Mjolnir has deemed her worthy (Thor's 'triangle' with Mjolnir and Stormbreaker is pretty hilarious). Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) reaches Asgard in an attempt to treat her terminal illness and ends up taking up the mantle of the ‘Mighty Thor’.

Both Hemsworth and Portman, wielding Mjolnir and the axe Stormbreaker, fly and crash and fight with aplomb and their chemistry still crackles on screen. But even in their most heart-wrenching scenes, the film remains woefully superficial with little to no emotional depth.

While every actor gives their best, Thor: Love and Thunder comes alive when Christian Bale is on as Gorr the God Butcher.

After being let down by the god he has devoted his life to and losing his daughter, Gorr is set on wiping all the gods out– and that includes our main man.

Gorr is terrifying and all props to Bale. The movie does seem to shy away from exploring Gorr’s full potential– making his ‘scare factor’ gimmicky at places and not in the endearing Marvel way.

Granted, Marvel still caters to kids as part of its target audience but even for kids, this Voldemort-esque villain will do little to be memorable.

If anything, the film made me wish I was watching Thor: Ragnarok again– not just for how brilliantly the film is crafted but also because of the inimitable Hela Odinsdottir (Cate Blanchett).

That being said, Waititi’s vision and wit does lead to some chuckle (and gasp) inducing scenes– the running joke with the screaming goats seems like it’d get old fast but it doesn’t.

King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Foster’s scenes together are also jovial and well-timed. But both their characters could’ve been developed much better, especially Foster’s.

Thor: Love and Thunder also has a more somber note to it with “love” being the fighting force behind everything…including the script. Juggling that many plotlines and genres is a tough job and if Waititi wasn’t at the helm, the film could’ve rapidly unraveled. But as it stands, it mostly seems directionless.

Before MCU Phase 4, everything was leading somewhere– there was an ‘endgame’ in sight– but the audience and the makers are perhaps struggling to find that tether in the latest phase (full of hits and misses). A detour to Omnipotence City serves purely to give the Thor franchise a push ahead and is…shiny.

The cinematography by Barry Idoine is fantastic but the music scored by Michael Giacchino is a journey of highs and lows. Credit where credit is due, Thor: Love and Thunder has something for everybody (even if it doesn’t mesh into a unforgettable film) and for me, it was colour.

The film is an explosion of colour in parts and displays incredible restraint in others: Be it the splashes of gold in a particular fight sequence or the glowing weapons in the Shadow Realm (where colour doesn’t enter).

Thor: Love and Thunder is slated for release in India on 7 July.