After realizing Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi is back in the director’s chair for the final story from the God of Thunder. While Phase 4 focused heavily on the MCU’s multiverse, Thor: Love and Thunder will deviate from this narrative. While not a new Thor trilogy, the next installment follows the Asgardian god facing a midlife crisis after his war with Thanos. For his last nemesis, Thor will face Gorr, the Butcher of the Gods (Christian Bale), with help from Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Jane Foster/Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman), Korg (Taika Waititi) and Guardians of the Galaxy.
After a long wait, Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters this Wednesday. As with other movies marvel studios, members of the press were able to see the sequel to Thor a little in advance. Early reviews started pouring in, with a score of 72% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Thor: Love and Thunder falls behind at the start, compared to the rest of the films of the Marvel franchise which generally enjoys a significantly higher score at their start. We let you discover the reviews below:
Ben Kendrick, Screen Rant
Ultimately, Waititi ups the ante in Thor: Love and Thunder, delivering a film that’s equally moving and funny. Once again, Waititi lays down a hilarious comic base but, unlike Ragnarok, the filmmaker also incorporates a genuinely touching message about life and love. It’s a message that ultimately informs and evolves the titular character and his ex-girlfriend-turned-superhero, ending a decade-long story and establishing some interesting new threads that can expand. to future MCU films.
Caitlin Chappell, CBR
For those who weren’t fans of Thor’s more comedic treatment in Ragnarok, Love and Thunder might feel underwhelming and familiar. There are also moments that are mostly there for a recap, but even then it’s done in a tongue-in-cheek way that’s entertaining. In the meantime, those who enjoy seeing this side of the self-proclaimed strongest Avenger won’t be disappointed. Thor: Love and Thunder lives up to its name and sets the stage for an exciting future for this part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Therese Lacson, Collider
With Amour et Tonnerre, Waititi leans fully on its brand. Having co-written the screenplay with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, her DNA is omnipresent in this film. Quirky and funny, with touches of burlesque, and a heavy dose of heart and melancholy – it’s a familiar phrase in Waititi’s work, but one that has lost none of its charm. Many of the film’s shots look like they’ve been pulled straight from comic book pages, with drastic shadows, dramatic colors, and jaw-dropping scenery. It is impossible to be wrong about the kind of film we are watching. It’s bizarre and awe-inspiring, and it’s the best a Norse mythology comic-book movie could be.
Thor: Love and Thunder © Marvel Studios
Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
Even in Valhalla or Paradise City, there is always love and loss; Thor dutifully offers both, as well as a catharsis in a climax that inevitably serves as a buildup for the next installment. Increasingly, this cinematic universe seems both too big to fail and too broad to bear the weight of its own endless machinations. None of this necessarily makes sense in Waititi’s hands anymore, but at least someone’s having fun.
David Ehrlich, Indiewire
To that end, “Love and Thunder” works just as well because it’s taken everything a bit further than most of these movies usually allow. Humor in the MCU is often limited to smirking gags about superheroes doing everyday things, like “Shamballa is the wifi password,” but Waititi continues to brighten up Thor movies with its own flavor of goofiness, which is as welcome here as it was in “Jojo Rabbit.” Not only is Thor’s space ship pulled by a pair of screaming goats, but their screams are so frequent that they become part of the soundtrack. Not only does Thor feel like a spurned lover when Mjölnir chooses Jane, but his new magic ax is still hovering out of frame, ready to do the “Fatal Attraction” hit on him the moment he ogles his old hammer. And not only does Russell Crowe spice up the role of an orgy-obsessed Zeus in an otherwise meandering second act, but he deliciously illustrates the difference between chewing up the set and swallowing it whole.
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
More than most recent MCU films, Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s script exhibits a crisis of the imagination, too often relying on easy laughs from cross-cultural references (Korg keeps getting the name wrong of Jane, calling her Jane Fonda or Jodie Foster) or kitsch pop (Enya, Abba) rather than doing anything interesting with the characters or giving any real gravity to their situation. Even the inclusion of gay characters – Valkyrie longs for the love of her missing warrior sister, Korg reveals her species mates with other males to make baby rock monsters – feels more like junk portrayal than to something essential to the narrative.
Alonso Durald, The Wrap
If this last film aimed to mix genres by giving equal weight to the masks of comedy and tragedy, it is an effort that fails. And if the MCU wants to delay the inevitable wear and tear on its welcome, Kevin Feige & Co. might want to continue the experimentation and eclecticism of the franchise’s small-screen offerings (like “Loki” and “Ms. Marvel”). rather than wearing down audiences with the slow burnout that has begun to seep into feature films.
While most reviews of Thor: Love and Thunder praised the MCU sequel’s ability to balance comedy and heartfelt drama, however critics suggest that Taika Waititi may have relied too much on humor of the Ragnarok style he is so well known for. Moreovers, some critics claimed that the second act of Love and Thunder might be lacking in terms of plot and of rhythmand that’it would serve more as preparation for a future film what a solo and satisfying story for the God of Thunder embodied by Chris Hemsworth. That said, there is no telling if the general public will agree, or if Love and Thunder will manage to conquer the hearts of spectators as did its predecessor who did not aim very high.