Well everyone, this is it. After today, we are three film reviews away from Movie Review # 550. For now, when we get to that time, let’s just say that you may, or may not be surprised by what I end up choosing to do for that one. Well, in the meantime, this is the 547th review in my blog, and overall movie reviewing for the past 6-7 years. It is the latest Marvel superhero film that has been out for almost eight weeks now. It is the one, and only, Thor: Love & Thunder.
Plot: Sometime after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has begun to have a difficult life. But one day, Thor decides to get back into action after hearing news that a villain, known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is on the prowl, and desiring to kill all the gods in the universe, following a horrible incident with one of them. With help from ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and their friend, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), it is up to the trio, and some new Allie’s to stop Gorr, and save the universe once and for all.
Okay, first of all, I have heard some people say that this movie seems “woke” from the trailers in terms of people like Jane Foster becoming a powerful superhero like Thor. However, in a case like this, this is one of those situations where one should say “Don’t judge a movie by it’s trailer.” Why? Well, I won’t give anything away, but let’s just say that, once you actually do see this fourth installment of the Thor movie series, you’d be surprised by the circumstances that cause Jane Foster to have superhero power abilities in the first place. Anyway, though not quite one of the best sequels, Thor: Love & Thunder is definitely a very good sequel. First of all, how could we not appreciate hearing some old rock n’ roll tunes from time to time? Sure, maybe they do go a little over the top with those at times, but it’s fun when more appropriate. Anyway, most of the characters are very well-written, especially Thor, and Jane. Additionally, Thor: Love & Thunder is surprisingly really funny at times. That is especially when there is the narrator that narrates at certain points of the film. Now, I know what you might be thinking. You’re probably thinking, “How could a narrator possibly be hilarious, especially in a film like this?” . Well, let me tell you, the way that he does it is so funny. I honestly felt a little jealous of him for being able to pull that stunt at some of those points in the film. Chances are some of you might feel that way too. Oh, and there are the visuals. They are amazing. We’re talking beautiful color palettes, and CGI backgrounds that could match those of 2002’s Treasure Planet, or 2009’s Avatar, for example. It’s also nice to have a villain that’s more complex, and sympathetic than probably many villains either in the Marvel Universe, or in other films period. Yes, you still love to hate Gorr the God Butcher. Still, at the same time, you’re more than likely to understand where he’s coming from as well. In addition to all of this, the movie flows at a very good pace. In fact, it hardly, if ever drags. Oh, and it’s obvious that there was so much heart put into this film. There are also some really amazing messages in this film, ones that especially us adults could definitely learn, or even relearn. There is also the ending for this film. Again, not going to give away what happens. However, I will say that you may find yourself feeling ambivalent about certain aspects of it, as well as liking other aspect of the end of this film. Finally, there are some really well done symbolic moments in this film. If you want a good film with some really good symbolism in this film, then all the more reason to see Thor: Love & Thunder.
However, there were a few flaws in this film as well. To begin, as mentioned before, the film did seem to go a little too overboard at times with the rock n’ roll music. Again, there were times where that was fun, and more appropriate. However, there were others where that probably wasn’t the best idea, and should have gone with a musical score. Additionally, there were some of the characters from previous Marvel films that were in the film, but didn’t seem to feel quite as useful this time around. I mean some of those minor characters seemed to serve al little bit of a purpose, but could have maybe played more of a role, you know? Also, there were some moments either with characters, or at least circumstances in this film that didn’t seem to feel right. It was almost like Thor: Love & Thunder was trying to create some plot twists that didn’t seem to fit as well this time around. Oh well!
And that’s my review for Thor: Love & Thunder. Even though the film wasn’t perfect, you can tell that there was some heart put in this film. The CGI is amazing, most of the characters are well-written, and there are plenty of things that make this film very entertaining. If you haven’t seen Thor: Love & Thunder yet, I would highly recommend that you do ASAP. Again, while flawed in some aspects, this film is most definitely worth seeing.
Final Grade: B+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 