The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Love and Thunder, is ready to crash into theaters at the end of this week – and the first reviews have now arrived. Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale, Thor: Love and Thunder promises to bring the laughs, action, and comic book movie craziness as the God of Thunder goes up against Gorr the God Butcher.
Beginning with Ben Travis of Empire, who awarded Thor: Love and Thunder an impressive 4/5, it sounds like Waititi has pushed the envelope even further this time around, resulting in an MCU classic.
Screen Rant’s Ben Kendrick meanwhile equally found much to enjoy in the MCU sequel, calling Thor: Love and Thunder a “return to form” for the franchise and praising the comedy stylings at its center.
“Weirder than Ragnarok, but incredibly sincere in its outlook, Taika’s Thor-quel is a big, beautiful blast. You’ll love it, and probably thunder it too. What a classic Thor adventure!”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Jenna Anderson of ComicBook.com similarly applauded the movie’s attempts at subverting MCU expectations. Even if they don’t always work out all that well…
“Thor: Love and Thunder is a return to form for the MCU: delivering a great solo story that is emotional, exciting, and downright funny as hell.”
Not everyone fell in love with Thor: Love and Thunder. In fact, it’s quite the opposite with David Rooney from Hollywood Reporter who says, “The movie feels weightless, flippant, instantly forgettable, sparking neither love nor thunder.” Slashfilm’s Josh Spiegel concludes that Thor: Love and Thunder is “A superhero film with tonal whiplash,” ultimately rating the movie a pitiful 5/10.
“Love and Thunder wholeheartedly works to subvert those expectations at essentially every single turn, and it becomes a more compelling, if slightly more disheveled, film because of it. At its best, Thor: Love and Thunder is unabashedly big-hearted and gleefully outrageous – even if it occasionally gets crushed by the execution of its own ambitions.”
Chris Hemsworth Shines in Thor: Love and Thunder
Marvel Studios
Owen Gleiberman of Variety though was surprisingly moved by Thor: Love and Thunder — something he did not expect considering the movie’s comedic pedigree.
Collider’s Therese Lacson meanwhile heaped praise on Chris Hemsworth, commending his affinity for the comedy and hinting that he has a lot more to do in the MCU movie than just making the audience laugh.
“By the end I felt something unusual enough to feel at a Marvel movie that it seemed almost otherworldly: I was moved.”
Finally, Johnny Oleksinski of the NY Post describes Thor: Love and Thunder as a wake-up call for the MCU and how it should approach future installments.
“Hemsworth here is at his peak when it comes to the God of Thunder. Waititi offered him the chance to fully embrace the comedy that he is so good at and it flourishes even more in Love and Thunder. Not only does he have fantastic comedic timing, but he’s been given more to work with.”
Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman, Thor: Love and Thunder will be released on July 8, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
“”Love and Thunder" is an urgent reminder that in order for the MCU to keep going, in an entertaining, soulful way, creativity and innovation is required. You can’t just say “multiverse” 1,000 times and call it a movie.”
