I remember when it was announced that Marvel Comics was turning Thor into a girl. They were bringing in a female Thor, or Lady Thor, as she would be nicknamed. I had never been a Thor reader, but it bugs me how DC and Marvel change up characters who have been around for decades just to try and plead new readers to pick up a book. But, when it was released, I decided to check out this Lady Thor so that I could have an honest opinion on it. I'm not sure I actually read too many Thor comics to that point, but since then, I haven't stopped reading Thor! The Mighty Thor was an amazing run by writer Jason Aaron and turned Jane Foster into a tragic hero we were all cheering for.
Taika Waititi's first run on Odinson was Thor: Ragnorak and it took the character in a completely different direction in the MCU. And I did not like it. To be fair, I also disliked the previous Thor film. However, the first film in the character's franchise I still think is one of the MCU's best. To me, Thor is galactic Shakespeare. He has a troublesome brother, a merry band of friends, and his dad can be a dick. Thor: Ragnorak was a film that felt more like Flash Gordon than Shakespeare. That's why I say, to me, it's an entertaining movie, but not a god Thor movie. I believe Taika Waititi is a good filmmaker. I just don't think his style fits with what Thor is.
When it was announced Waititi was coming back for Love & Thunder I was disappointed because of my feelings on Ragnorak. And when it was announced that they were bringing back Natalie Portman to play Mighty Thor I was excited for the storyline to be told, but kept my expectations in check, again, because of Ragnorak. I mean for Christ's sake Waititi killed the Warrior's Three, which were part of the greatness of that first Thor movie!
In this Phase 4 film, Thor is bumming around with the Guardians of the Galaxy when trouble arises in the form of Gorr the God Butcher. I know this character in the comics, but I'm not too familiar with him. He is waging a war on all Gods because of their vanity and has set his sights on Thor Odinson. He kidnaps the children of New Asgard, including Heimdall's son. Remember when Multiverse of Madness said Dr Strange and Mordo were mortal enemies, but last we saw Mordo in the MCU he and Strange where cool? Heimdall's son appearing in this film is kinda like that. Christian Bale as Gorr is great. He's an actor who knows the assignment. He knows what kind of movie he is in, so his performance can seem a bit extravagant, but he pulls it in enough to where it works. I'm not sure I'd put him as a top MCU villain, but he's up there.
Another actor I loved in this film was Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. She was a highlight of Ragnorak for me, and again in this film. Like Bale, she knows who her character is, and how not to make it too big or goofy. She is badass, and that makes her hot as hell! Waititi himself returns to voice Thor's best friend, Korg, and while for a moment there I thought they were actually going to kill him for dramatic effect, they couldn't be without the film's comedic sidekick. Plus, Korg was the one telling the story.
Ever since we found out Chris Hemsworth has great comedic timing the MCU has treated Thor as a dumb jock. My favorite outing as Hemsworth playing the character is actually Infinity War. He had bits of comedy, but still had the serious attitude overall. That's the perfect blend for me. This film had moments of seriousness, and when it did, I thought they actually worked great. Jane revealing to Thor she has cancer, and the trio be captured by Gorr were some of my favorite scenes. And then, you take a great actor like Russell Crowe and make him a joke called Zeus in a scene whose sole purpose was to show off Chris Hemsworth's bod. There is one scene like this in every Thor movie. My wife doesn't seem to mind. But don't even get me started on hammer jealousy.
Like I said before, the Jane becoming Thor storyline is great in the comics, and with an Oscar winner like Natalie Portman, it could've been great. But I honestly didn't think they leaned into it enough. This is cancer, but I never felt the gravitas of her disease till the end. Waititi just wanted to tell a romantic space comedy, I get it. To me, a film like Love & Other Drugs with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway is a great example of a romantic comedy that can have a serious situation blend beautifully. And I know Taika Waititi has the chops to tell a story with that kind of balance. I've seen JoJo Rabbit. I just felt like because it was MCU, and a Waititi Thor film, this movie never had a chance of really digging into Jane's emotional despair, and why she wielded Mjonir.
In regards to the credit scenes, my ears perked up with the mention of Hercules earlier in the film. In the mid-credit scene we saw Zeus alive and tell his son, Hercules, to go and rain vengeance on those who no longer respect the Gods. Whether that will be in a fifth Thor film, or another MCU film, I don't know. But I was more surprised by the actor playing Hercules; Ted Lasso alumni Brett Goldstein. He's not who I pictured would play the demi-god, and I've never seen the actor in anything except the Apple+ series. But because of Roy Kent, and the fact that Marvel usually does a great job of casting, I'm willing to go on a little faith that Goldstein can play Marvel's Hercules.
The post-credit scene sees Jane in the Viking heaven of Valhalla. There, she is greeted by Idris Elba's Heimdall that explains she gets to live in Valhalla due to her heroic sacrifice. Now, in the comics, Jane dies as Mighty Thor saving the universe. And as her reward, she is given a second life, as a Valkyrie. I don't think that will happen. I think much like how Harrison Ford was convinced to do The Force Awakens because he was promised a fitting end, this was Jane Foster's swan song. Portman was known to have wanted out of The Dark World when filming began. Which is why we haven't seen Portman in the MCU since. I think Waititi wanted to do the Mighty Thor storyline, and convinced Portman to come back by giving her a gracious ending. I'm not 100% on that theory, but I would be willing to bet $100 Portman is done in the MCU.
Thor: Love & Thunder dived deeper into the comedic zaniness we saw in Thor: Ragnorak. And to me that tone is fine for a group like Guardians of the Galaxy, but not Thor. This is a romantic comedy that didn't seem that romantic or comedic to me. The parts I did respond to most were the serious ones, but there weren't enough of them to make me give this film a thumbs up. However, I do want to see this film at least once more, because it is littered with easter eggs, including a statue of Utau the Watcher. The film ends with Thor and his new daughter (who is Hemsworth's daughter in real life), but by that point I just didn't care. As the credits started to roll, I was jammin to the bitchin soundtrack, but I don't care if I see Thor the space jock in the MCU ever again. But I'm sure we will, and I'll still give it a fair look, just like Lady Thor.
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