Reel Rating: 6.5/10 | 3-min read | Rated: PG

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

Oh Lord of Thunder, you deserve so much more than this; In his latest bout as Thor, we might be starting to see the unfortunate aftermath for our beloved OGs who did not bite the dust in Endgame. I love Chris Hemsworth and Taika Waititi, but beyond the classic comedic persona of this pair, it just feels like there wasn’t enough love put into Thor: Love and Thunder…

It’s crazy to think Thor: Ragnarok was 5 years ago…but then again, maybe 5 years was enough time for Marvel to outgrow this iconic partnership. The trailers for this movie were actually very promising, we had the return of Jane Foster (with powers I might add) Christian Bale (who swore he would never act in another superhero film) was playing a villain called Gorr The God Butcher, revealing that he was impressed enough with Taika’s script to make a return to this world. Given what we got, it seems a-lot of this film, and likely some of the best parts, were left on the cutting room floor.

This doesn’t at all diminish the respect I have for Taika Waititi as a director. In fact, I think he did exactly what the studio brought him in to do, but I think that studio forgot they were owned by Disney and that Taika’s dry humour isn’t best used in a children’s movie. It’s odd that Marvel opts for a lighter, more PG tone for 90% of the film and then 10% is just talking about orgies n’ stuff - It makes it really unclear what type of audience the movie is made for, and is just slightly weird to be honest.

Highlight of the Film: Its Funny as F*ck

I mean…These are the things I expect to say about a Taika Waititi film, but I feel it important to mention because if I evaluated this movie simply based off the story I think we’d be looking more around the 5.5 range...that’s how much Love and Thunder relies on comedy over story. Which for your average comedy, is fine, but for a premier character in the MCU, seems like a bit of a waste. Nevertheless I was laughing throughout the entire film.

Chris Hemsworth does so well at carrying the comedy, as he should being the titular character, but I think he has found his stride and really pursue some more comedy movie roles after this. The flashback scene to the story of Thor and Jane was great, and from how the film was being marketed as a love story, I thought we would explore more of their relationship vs just getting back together immediately.

While I do single out the jokes as the highlight of the film and I did find this movie to be funny, I do feel like these intentionally “comedic” projects in MCU are best left to titles like Guardians of the Galaxy. And to be honest, after the end of Avengers: Endgame; I thought that was where Thor was headed. The scenes with the Guardians were great and the chemistry of the Chris’ is definitely there with Hemsworth and Pratt, it makes you think; why not just combine these two films rather than split them up? I mean I know why…$$$ It just feels weird to get this movie before Guardians Vol. 3 because from what I’ve read Thor will also briefly appear in that film…the MCU has done a fantastic job at confusing the heck out of me in Phase 4.

Could Have Been Better: Natalie Portman as Jane Foster a.k.a. “The Mighty Thor”

When it was first announced that Natalie Portman would be returning to the Thor franchise, I was ecstatic to hear the news. Like many, I was initially skeptical at the direction they were taking when they said she’d be returning with powers. But overall I think they handled this very well, giving her own style to the fight choreography and take on her character.

I thought that the story they’d written for her was great; she and Thor had split up, in that time she’d developed stage 4 cancer. And when Jane is unable to find a scientific cure for her disease, she turns to more magical methods leading her to become ‘The Mighty Thor’. Not to be confused with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, who is also mighty but more humble.

The fact of the matter is that for the entirety of the film, barring the first few scenes, there were very little moments where you could recognize Jane from the first two films in the series. I couldn’t tell if she was supposed to be incredibly naive and excited with her new powers, or if Taika Waititi forgot the origins of her character (I’m guessing the ladder), because

And this is Natalie Portman we’re talking about…Oscar winner Natalie Portman! She is more than capable than this performance shows. The Thor movies have a similar problem with Mark Ruffalo, who also turns into a blundering baboon with 7 PHDs when his lines are written by Taika.

There was lots of talk about Christian Bale delivering a noteworthy performance as Gorr The God Butcher, who in all fairness didn’t do a ton of God Butchering and was really never able to captivate me as a villain. Christian Bale mentioned that some of the best scenes for Gorr were left out of the final cut

How It Should Have Happened: ‘Love And Thunder’ Should Have Been a Disney+ Series

If you take a step back, and look at this movie from a TV perspective, it actually starts to make sense. Director Taika Waititi has a very sitcom one-off style of storytelling and comedy, that is not necessarily well suited for sequels or drawn-out stories, which the MCU thrives on. Honestly, if this was the direction that they were going with Thor, I would’ve loved to have seen a What we Do In The Shadows style Disney+ show take on Thor. But this isn’t a possibility when you are conflicted about the audience for which you are making these. Make Thor TV-14 or make it fully PG, it’s clear there’s no in-between for Marvel.

I know it’s far-fetched to take a box office name like Chris Hemsworth and put him on the smaller screen, but

This movie had plenty of opportunities to turn itself around, but just never took those routes.

Ending Explained: What’s Next For Thor? Will Taika Waititi Return?

It’s crazy to think that after this film we are scratching our heads more at what the future of this character holds than at the end of Endgame. Love & Thunders ending followed stream with those of other MCU pioneers like Hawkeye and Steve - Thor’s story, may it have been underwhelming, felt like it had ended. Well that is until the post credit scene read “Thor Will Return” which I read was both a shock to the audience as well as Chris Hemsworth.

Wth that announcement also comes the inevitable question: Will Taika Waititi return to direct Thor 5? Or more importantly; SHOULD Taika return, or move on from the MCU?

I have an emotional and a critical reaction for this answer; Thor: Ragnarok was a fantastic, fun, and creative refresh for a struggling Thor franchise. I am a huge fan of Taika Waititi’s style, as well as his other projects. But in my critics opinion; Thor: Love and Thunder should mark Taika’s last bout as an MCU director, for both the good of himself and Thor. Taika is so talented and his creative expression so niche that I don’t feel he should be hindered by the pressure of blockbuster studios/projects.

I hope he can take some time to think about his next film, make more movies like JoJo Rabbit and shows like What We Do In The Shadows. Sadly contrary to what I’ve just said he’s currently helmed to direct Disney’s new Star Wars trilogy, which is already making me nervous.

Now to talk about THAT post credits scene. Where we return to an angry Zeus calling upon his son Hercules, played by…Roy f*cking Kent!? I think it was shocking for all of us fans to see that the … god would be played Ted Lasso actor Brett Goldstein. Personally, I thought it was going to be Henry Cavill. But I love Brett in Ted Lasso so it will be interesting to see if he’s able to headline his own show, or whether they will hold his character until a potential future Thor film. Whether or not this happens, I would like to see Hercules hunting Thor and learn more about the gods, as Zeus says “When did we become a joke?…Soon they will fear us again” so hopefully this is indicating they’ll transition back to a more serious tone for the fifth installment.