Film Review: Thor - Love and Thunder

 

Marvel movies' longest running hero delivers in vibrant romp!

The Thor films have been easier for people to criticise because there is a certain portentousness about the idea of Gods as opposed to the more mortal likes of Tony Stark or Peter Parker. We can identify with those kind of people whereas we’re unlikely to have encountered any Norse deities. To undercut this the movies have been somewhat lighter in tone which can sometimes sit uneasily with the general mayhem and slaughter that inevitably develops.  Ragnarok, the third of Thor’s movies was the most satisfying achieving a balance between humour and seriousness;  while Love and Thunder is not quite as good as that it’s still a hugely entertaining movie.

Warning - Colourful spoilers after the break!

You’d never guess from the opening sequence that this is going to be a film with plenty of funnies. We see a parched father called Gorr and child struggling across a desert landscape clearly unable to find water to save themselves. After the little girl dies, her father finds the God they worship only to have his dutiful deference laughed off. So he ends up killing that God and with the aid of a super powerful sword makes it his mission to get rid of as many others as possible. He soon earns the sobriquet of The God Butcher, a decent name for a rock band you’d say.

Writer/ director Taika Waititi frames the rest of the film as something of a folk tale of the story of Thor and his one time lover Jane Foster who is now suffering from a terminal illness .Drawn to New Asgard, the fishing village turned tourist attraction, by Thor’s hammer Mjolnir she inherits the weapon which gives her new found strength and, oddly, an identical Thor costume and helmet. Even though there’s a serious intent underpinning all this there is much fun to be had from both Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman as the couple fuss about each other while neither wishes to appear too regretful about the past. Soon though its Thor versus Gorr as the superheroes plus Valkyrie and Korg chase our villain to seek a group of New Asgard kids he’s taken. It’s a trap of course.

There’s a lot to like about the directness of the plot and the speed with which matters progress. I’ve seen a lot of movies in the last year or two that outstayed their welcome but this one fair rattles along. Visually it is a real treat. The journeys to different places in the Universe are suffused with wonderment. Bright colours accompany their ship drawn by two enormous goats in a sort of parody of Father Xmas. When they arrive in Gorr’s domain, the picture changes to monochrome and the camera closes in amidst shadows and weird vibes. We also visit the home of the Gods, a vast gold encrusted mega cathedral which definitely chimes with those old stories of Gods we used to read at school. For good measure a sequence near the start features the always welcome Guardians of the Galaxy (when is their next film due?)

It's not all glitzy show either. The film makes a point about these Gods and their indolent navel gazing meaning they are only interested in their subject’s worship rather than their welfare. In a very funny cameo Russell Crowe of all people is Zeus sporting an outrageous quasi Greek / Italian accent and refusing to help Thor on his quest. The analogous nature of this could of course be applicable to many world leaders or politicians from various eras but the film doesn’t overstate it.

There’s a great contrast between Zeus’ attitude and the rousing encouragement Thor gives the captured kids to whom he is able to appear in holographic form. It emphasises the inherent goodness in Thor, true heroism being selfless even if he sometimes likes to pretend otherwise. This is the film where he finds a purpose and finally feels able to become the inspiring hero he is seen as. The kids who follow and believe in him are rewarded, unlike the followers of Zeus and co.

As you’d expect from someone who has now played this role in multiple movies of differing hues Chris Hemsworth is on point always, he has a natural delivery that makes even the corniest gags work. Natalie Portman is terrific as Jane and they are well matched. Their enthusiasm overcomes the occasional plot point that may have you doubting. In place of Loki, Thor has another great opponent in the form of Christian Bale’s Gorr. It’s an immersive performance so effective I didn’t know it was him till the end credits. He makes Gorr both devilishly evil yet not without reason. Bale’s performance anchors the film at times when it might seem at risk of turning too jokey.

You have to credit Taika Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson for a script so light on its feet, so quick to turn the mood. The film always looks great and it says something that this is the first mostly digitally generated  movie I’ve seen in a while where it really works. You are swept away enough to avoid that nagging feeling of unreality that modern effects on a big screen can convey.  Mind you a restless pace never allows us to ponder too much about what is happening to the point where you will even love the giant bellowing goats! Wonder if they’ll be getting their own movie?