Thor is back on the big screen this week achieving something no other MCU star has managed: a fourth solo movie.
Really though, the Thor of the current MCU feels a world away from the Thor of his first two movies with Thor: Ragnarok acting as a soft reboot (of sorts) for the character. Thor: Love and Thunder reteams Chris Hemsworth with Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, so it's not a spoiler to say you can expect more of the same.
Thor: Love and Thunder takes the Ragnarok formula and pushes it bigger and weirder than before, adding some good old-fashioned romance into the mix. There's darkness too and, as with all love stories, a bit of tragedy, but Waititi's primary objective is to entertain and not to devastate you.
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This ends up being both a blessing and a curse as while Thor: Love and Thunder is the most entertaining Phase 4 movie to date, its irreverent touch means that when it aims for the heart, it never quite hits a bullseye.
The other major element to Thor: Love and Thunder, aside from Hemsworth's solo record, is that it marks the long-awaited return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. This isn't the Jane we remember, though – she's now the Mighty Thor and wields Mjolnir for reasons we won't spoil here.
It doesn't take long for the movie to reach this point as with a runtime of just over two hours, there's barely time to take a breath. Thor starts the movie where we left him in Avengers: Endgame with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but this is mostly covered in a montage narrated by Korg (Waititi).
Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is on a quest to kill all Gods and soon catches the attention of Thor, interrupting his quest of self-discovery. To stop him, Thor teams up with King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg, and his ex-girlfriend Jane for a cosmic adventure unlike anything they've faced.
As ever with the MCU, there are surprises to be found and the comics have been used as inspiration for the story rather than direct adaptations. What might surprise you, though, is how self-contained Thor: Love and Thunder is, with minimal connections to the wider MCU and, refreshingly, no multiverse shenanigans to worry about.
The decision frees up Waititi and co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson to craft a rollicking adventure, soundtracked by Guns N' Roses. It's an adventure that features magical goats (the MVPs of the movie), a whole host of gods (including a terrific turn from Russell Crowe as Zeus) and an unexpected love triangle between Thor and his two weapons.
If you're after a good time, Thor: Love and Thunder is right there with you and its gag rate means that if one doesn't land, there will soon be one that will. We knew from Ragnarok that Hemsworth and Thompson could deliver, and Portman proves just as game to play up Jane's nerdy side for laughs.
The main issue – and the one that prevents the movie hitting the top MCU heights – is a familiar one from Thor: Ragnarok. When the time comes for the emotional beats, they never land quite as effectively as they should. There's such a light and quirky touch elsewhere that the shift in tone jars and, worse, is often followed instantly with a joke.
It doesn't help matters that despite Thor and Jane's connection being the intended heart of the story, Jane and Valkyrie share a stronger chemistry. You end up wanting to see more of them together (spin-off anyone?) as their interactions are more engaging than the standard romance tropes of Jane and Thor.
While the emotional beats don't quite land, one aspect where Love and Thunder improves on Ragnarok is in its villain. Bale's Gorr the God Butcher is a terrifying presence and his performance, though it has been much-memed since the trailers, perfectly suits the grand, rock-opera feel of the overall movie.
Visually, the movie also stands out from most MCU offerings which have a habit of looking near-identical. Waititi goes all-out with the multi-coloured spectacle, especially when Thor visits Zeus, but also delivers striking contrasts with an almost-entirely black-and-white sequence which proves to be the standout of the movie.
There might be frustration in how the movie doesn't quite manage to balance its varying tones, yet it certainly delivers on spectacle. Even within its blockbuster-sized set pieces, there's an inventive or quirky hook to everything the movie does that elevates it from usual cooker-cutter MCU action.
Thor: Love and Thunder won't move you as much as Waititi wants, although you will be thoroughly entertained. It doesn't quite reach Paradise City, but that won't stop you asking for an encore.
Thor: Love and Thunder is out now in cinemas.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
