Jacked In Reviews ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022)

As the story of Thor: Love and Thunder begins we get a compilation that fills in what Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been up to between Endgame and now – namely working out and getting back in shape to his gorgeous god self once again. The opening tale is narrated by Korg (Taika Waititi) making the laughs pretty much start from the get-go. And with that, the tone for this instalment to the MCU is set.

Thor’s newfound partnership with the Guardians of the Galaxy is short-lived after he finds out a great evil threatens his fellow Asgardians and he must depart. This evil is in the form of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a misguided individual, hellbent on revenge after the loss of his daughter.

Ever since 2008’s Iron Man we’ve seen a whole multitude of characters and directors at the wheel to tell their individual stories. And now that there are so many stories intertwined with one another, the styles of said movies all seem to be becoming more and more similar, almost as if Kevin Fiege is the artist and each Director is a different brush – you can tell a different brush has been used but all in all, it’s the artist’s style you recognise most.

However, similar to Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi has made this instalment his own, bringing a fun and comedic dynamic to the MCU once again. Hemsworth nails the cocksure God of Thunder with those hilarious idiosyncrasies you only find when he and Waititi get together. As well as some returning faces, Natalie Portman slides into her role as a now much more suped-up Jane foster with ease. Finally, we have Bale returning to the world of Comic Book movies, laying down his Batarang in favour of the Necrosword, giving a truly unsettling performance as Gorr.

It’s not as groundbreaking as Ragnorok, this could be due to Waititi’s direction for the character no longer being new, the less vibrant setting, the lack of Hulk/Loki or perhaps it’s the fact that Phase Four is still a bit unclear in terms of its end goal. In saying that, this takes nothing away from Love and Thunder’s entertaining journey which is packed with variety. From hilarious screaming mountain goats to magnificent badassery throughout, rest assured, you shan’t be disappointed with this pleasant addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although, if you weren’t a fan of Waititi’s previous instalment or his humour, this may not be the movie for you.

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