‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, A marvel movie that lacks the marvellous performance

-by Shachi Chaturvedi

Directed by: Taika Waititi

Runtime: 1 hr 55min

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe

Rating: 2.5 /5

Synopsis:

Thor sets out on a journey unlike any he’s ever taken: a quest for inner peace. Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, interrupts thor’s retirement.

Review:

Thor: Love and Thunder appeared to be a sure thing. Taika Waititi returns to direct the sequel to 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, starring Chris Hemsworth as the Asgardian Avenger.

Surprisingly, the 29th MCU film, which reaches cinemas on July 8, falls short. Thor’s fourth solo adventure spreads itself too widely and ends up feeling hollow in its attempt to combine humour with drama and merge many classic comic themes into a single narrative.

It begins promisingly, with a dramatic opening introducing Christian Bale’s evil Gorr the God Butcher. After his daughter is killed in his harsh desert homeworld, his meeting with an indifferent, merciless deity inspires him to lead the fight to exterminate all heavenly beings in the cosmos.

Thor meets his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Portman) on Earth as Gorr attacks Thor’s other Asgardians. She’s carrying his ancient hammer Mjolnir, having been declared worthy at her darkest hour and obtaining comparable powers to him.

The film just does not allow enough time for the task she undertakes to settle in, as if it is terrified of becoming too real and is too quick to take us off on another adventure.

Jane, in particular, makes remarkable use of her new powers, but neither the editing nor the cinematography allows us to enjoy this. It’s doubtful that many scenes from this film will stick with you the way earlier MCU adventures have — nothing compares to Captain America’s elevator brawl, three Spider-Men swinging into battle, or Scarlet Witch’s confrontation with the Illuminati.

This film doesn’t have nearly as many cameos as its immediate MCU predecessor, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, but it does have a scene-stealing Russell Crowe as a selfish Zeus. Unfortunately, his role is essentially restricted to a single flashy set piece that quickly fades into oblivion as the main plot moves on.

Love and Thunder fall short of the wonderful stories that inspired it. It neither embraces its director’s approach nor utilises the emotional potential of its performers, coming out as a weak, disappointing mashup. It’s still fun, but it’s hardly the traditional Thor journey its handsome hero appears to be on.

If you are a die-heart Marvel fan then this movie could disappoint you, but it will surely give some thrilling cliffhangers to make you like it.