Directed by : Taika Waititi

Written by : Taika Waititi & Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Starring : Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman

Taika Waititi returns with Marvel’s favorite Space Viking/Avenger in Thor: Love and Thunder. 

Of all the Avengers, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has went through the most change character-wise — from a stoic norse warrior to a more jovial surfer-bro who just so happens to be the god of thunder. While that change might seem rather unfitting — the way they interweave Thor’s personality shift with the tragedies with the character has been through — has been the secret sauce at making the transition seamless.

Which is why fans were excited when it was announced that Waititi would return to helm the god of thunder’s fourth outing, not to mention the return of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster – a character whose potential has been somewhat squandered in previous films. 

Drawing heavily from Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor run, Thor: Love and Thunder is a full-on Taika Waititi adventure that embraces both his comedic and heartfelt sensibilities along with the wonder of original comic run. Love and Thunder is funny, energetic, and manages to present some emotional moments — specifically with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster and Christian Bale’s debut in the MCU as Gorr the God-Butcher.

However, much like Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, where it was the supporting characters who benefitted most from the story (Wanda Maximoff and America Chavez), and the main character (Stephen Strange) mostly served as a vehicle to progress the story. Thor Odinson’s character does not get to do much when compared to his companions, most of this is due to aforementioned-fact that the character has evolved so much from his not-so-humble asgardian-origins. The movie does its best to evolve the character further, but when compared to the supporting characters — it’s easy to see that the character has peaked for now.

Love and Thunder fires on all cylinders when it’s focused on the two aforementioned characters. The exploration of Jane Foster’s struggle with her mortality and her newfound powers are some of the franchise’s best character work, Portman balances both the strength of Mighty Thor and the vulnerability of Jane Foster to the T. While Christian Bale’s performance as the titular villain is compelling — layered with the complexity that you don’t commonly find in other MCU villains.

Waititi’s brand of humor is notable as ever in this film and while it might be overbearing in a few places, but it’s undeniable that it fits well with Chris Hemsworth’s excellent comedic chops, and his chemistry with Tessa Thompson’s King Valkyrie, and the beloved Korg played by Waititi himself.

Thor: Love and Thunder finally utilizes Natalie Portman’s true talents in the MCU and introduces a strong antagonist in Christian Bale’s Gorr. Yet, it does very little to further the God of Thunder as a character.

Thor: Love and Thunder is Now Available in Theaters