Spoilers ahead...
A Promise of an Epic Battle of Gorr vs. Thor
Gorr the
Butcher (Christian Bale), after a personal tragedy, seeks the extinction of the
Gods, with Asgard being next in his path. To fight him, Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (voiced by Taika
Waititi), and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).
The movie
starts with Gorr losing his daughter when his prayers to his God go unanswered.
This tragic event leads him to the cursed Necrosword, eventually killing his
God as he believes this sword is not a curse but a promise that "All Gods
must die." Such a dark start gives hope to what the movie could
potentially explore, but all those hopes are diminished right after this.
Better Than Thor 2, But Disappointing
From the
trailers, I feared this film would disappoint, and while it's not as bad as I
anticipated, there are certainly some scenes that make you laugh. However, it
falls short of the greatness of the first or, especially, the third film. It's
only slightly better than "Thor: The Dark World."
I feel
this movie works more as either a nepotism way (Chris Hemsworth wife, two sons
and daughter are all in the movie) or buildup to next Thor movie with the way
they kill Jane sending her to Walhalla and Thor looks after daughter of Gorr.
Russell Crowe cameo (playing God Zeus) comes across very irritating and
cringeworthy, my guess is that the idea was to replicate somewhat of
Grandmaster (played by Jeff Goldblum) in the last movie but it misfires
totally. And the end credits suggest we might go a very silly route for a
sub-plot where Zeus son takes revenge for the humiliation he got by Thor and
co.
An Under-Utilized Christian Bale Shines in Limited Screen Time
Christian
Bale is excellent in the limited screen time he gets, particularly in the
horroresque sequence where he kidnaps children. However, his character, Gorr,
is poorly written. For someone nicknamed "The Butcher," you would
expect at least one violent scene to showcase his pain and anger, but we never
get any of that. Instead, we're told that off-screen he has butchered many
Gods. Even the few times he fights Thor or anyone else, he comes across as a
weak villain, which makes you question how he earned the title of "The
Butcher."
Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman: Wasted Potential
Tessa
Thompson, like Bale, is underused, given insignificant scenes in her limited
screen time. The film could have explored her life as King of Asgard in a much
more meaningful way, rather than focusing on comical robotic duties.
Natalie
Portman’s return was a highlight, and she has a good role until the end when
they decide to kill her off. This raises the question of whether this movie was
just a means to tie off loose ends rather than to attempt something fresh in
the post-Thanos/Natasha/Ironman era. Her portrayal of the Mighty Thor was
commendable, including her holding the hammer/Mjolnir and her humorous attempts
at catchphrases were enjoyable.
Chris Hemsworth's Comic Timing Saves the Day
Chris
Hemsworth's comic timing is great as always, although his goofiness is a bit
overdone in some places. I did enjoy his interactions with Stormbreaker and his
ex-weapon Mjolnir, and his chemistry with Natalie Portman was excellent.
However, it's disappointing that he had so few scenes with Tessa Thompson.
The
Guardians of the Galaxy only make a brief appearance at the start of the movie,
which is a good thing. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) delivers a poignant scene,
telling Thor that it's better to feel pain over a lost love than to feel empty
having never loved. Thor's journey in this movie touches on this theme, though
it could have been explored more deeply.
The
soundtrack in Thor: Ragnarok was terrific, and I totally missed the use of Led
Zeppelin's 'The Immigrant Song.' Instead, we get 'Guns n' Roses,' which doesn't
quite have the same impact.
Verdict on Thor: Love and Thunder
In the
end, "Thor: Love and Thunder" is watchable with some laughs, but it's
ultimately disappointing. MCU offlate, with the exception of "Spider-Man:
No Way Home," have consistently fallen into mediocrity. Something needs to
change, or this superhero saga may not survive the next phases.
Rating:
5/10
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