‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ — Vibrant Colors and Disappointment
A Spoiler-Free Review of Thor’s Latest Adventure
Color is the initial gripping force in ‘Thor Love and Thunder’. Throughout the movie, there are a vast array of beautiful colors beamed across the screen, which enamor the human eye in a delightful and pleasant way. I’m not sure if I’ve seen another movie that utilizes such a vast spectrum of existing colors. Within this color scheme lies an interesting dichotomy. Bale’s character, Gorr, is in essence the absence of color, or rather a lack of love. His presence is tangible as white and black colors swarm the screen. However, don’t be mistaken, this is a comedy at heart. As Hemsworth admits, the story was sacrificed for the comedy. And it’s very obvious to anyone just half-heartedly paying attention, that the comedy is overwhelming.
There’s a certain suffocating nature to it though as you can’t seem to see around the jokes to get to the crux of the story. On a micro-level, this movie advances Thor’s journey, specifically combatting his loss and grief from the previous film. It’s an important note for his character, as anyone who has been keeping up with the MCU can identify his suffering.
However, there’s no way to avoid the fact that on a Macro-level this movie does little to push the MCU storyline forward. In lieu of doing so, the movie feels much like a cash grab. MCU fans want the build-up of tension and the subtle yet obvious notion that we are building towards something grander than an individual film. More plainly, fans want to know that there is a larger and more dangerous villain on the horizon, whose inevitable confrontation will satisfy the work they’ve put in watching Phase 4.
It should go without saying that this phase has been quite the chore for fans, who by all accounts have put in more time watching this phase than the first 2 combined. If you’ve watched every piece of content in Phase 4 it would equal 2,161 minutes. Compared to 751 minutes (phase 1), 768 minutes (phase 2), and 1,515 minutes (phase 3). That’s quite the homework load for a build-up that has thus far not felt tangible to fans.
MCU movies are among the hardest to judge on a micro level. Sometimes their significance isn’t realized until the payoff is completed. However, this movie may be written off as one of the biggest letdowns. In the run-up to its release, Thor Love and Thunder was predicted to be one of the best. With Hemsworth bringing his iconic character back to the big screen after a 9-year break, and Natalie portman finally back in the picture, it seemed we would have a fantastic movie on our hands. Yet it somehow felt hollow. The cause? Possibly it’s the director’s intention for the movie, a comedy. The MCU has a special brand of comedy, one that is quirky in the midst of fighting evil. But its magic has always been that it’s rare and spaced out within the movies, being sure not to overwhelm the audience too much. Taika decided to open the floodgates instead by tightening the space between jokes and inevitably sacrificing the story.
It’s something the cast handled well, they flexed all of their comedic muscles to pull off a convincing performance. But to what end? Yes, it’s an entertaining movie and one that was intended for families. Although I question the family movie intention as there is a certain term parents may end up having to explain to their kids. To keep this PG, let’s just say it’s an explicit gathering of a group of adults that involves little clothing…
Anyways I digress, Taika’s control over the movie is a clear and present danger to the storyline. His character Korg was a personal favorite of mine in ‘Thor Ragnarok’. Korg was a jovial and quirky character that was a fresh face in that movie. However, his involvement in this movie seems to only be to add comedic relief to an already growing comedy movie. I’m not sure if his heavily induced comedy was as necessary here as it was in Ragnarok. Taika has control over the script and it’s easy to believe that he would write in a heavier part for the very character he voices. Sure, there are new characters introduced who may play a more significant role down the road, but it makes me wonder if they could’ve played a more prominent role now. Instead of using a whole movie just to close out a minor story and not move forward down the MCU storyline. Yes, Thor’s story alone is an important one and one I want the MCU to explore. But it felt like too small of a chapter was covered.
As for Bale, his brief appearance in the MCU is a memorable one. Gorr was the perfect part for Bale to take on in this universe. He stands polar opposite to the rest of the movie. Playing one of the darker and more sinister villains we’ve seen in solo Marvel movies. It’s a character that is wholeheartedly antithetical to the rest of the movie. Completely absorbed by a broken heart strips away all color from his time on screen. Compared to the rest of the movie, his scenes are missing the brightness that gleams in others. Bale’s performance was nothing short of excellence, as he even made me wonder if I would see him in a nightmare sometime soon. It’s a role that could’ve easily been mistaken for one in ‘The Conjuring’ or ‘The Nun’. Again, not sure if it’s the most well-intentioned “family movie”. Nevertheless, MCU fans will be very satisfied with his character and the performance that he displays.
Overall, as I said before, this is another entertaining MCU movie. It’s something new and fresh for the audience to chew on and discuss. But it’s not without its issues. Ever since Disney+ was introduced, fans have been inoculated with a never-ending stream of content. Now it’s not just good enough to watch the movies, we’re expected to do our homework with tv shows. And it begs the question of whether Marvel has been infected with corporate greed or if the payoff is simply being delayed in order to explore more characters/storylines. Only time will tell us the answer, but until that time we will just have to watch and see if our investment is worth the return. ‘Thor Love and Thunder’ landed as a 6.4/10 on my scale.
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