Thor has now officially bested fellow Avengers Iron Man and Captain America with the most solo outings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's interesting that it took as many films for Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder to find his own unique footing, and counting. The first movie from 2011 was a noble and entertaining (if loud) origin story, while 2013's The Dark World still holds the distinction of being the black sheep of the MCU (although, it's not that bad).
It was also around this time that Hemsworth started to grow disillusioned with the character. Enter Taika Waititi, the New Zealand-based filmmaker who's made a career from offbeat, quirky projects. With the 2017 third installment, Ragnorok, Waititi brought a fresh visual spin along with his own unique brand of comedy--something that was off-putting to a lot of people, but seemed to grow on them as they understood Waititi's trademarks over time.
With the latest MCU chapter in Phase Four, Thor: Love and Thunder redefines the "go big or go home" aesthetic of blockbuster moviemaking. It's thrilling. It has exciting set pieces, visual feasts for the eyes (including the sights of Omnipotent City), and energetic action sequences. The aforementioned banter works best during moments of camaraderie between Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, and Natalie Portman's "worthy" return as Jane Foster a.k.a. Mighty Thor. (Don't ask me how.) It's also cool to see the Guardians of the Galaxy in on some of the action, and to hear several 80s rock anthems--especially Guns 'n Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine"--put to good use.
However, like Thor's current identity crisis and damaged Mjolnir hammer, Love and Thunder struggles to hold itself together. One minute, it's rapid-fire witty, and the next, it's quite dark (a standout Christian Bale is menacing and frightening as the villainous Gorr). The film ups the ante of its content issues from the last installment, not to mention the industry's growing inclusion of LGBTQ representation. (Okay, not every mainstream movie has to have these just for the sake of them, or to try and stay relevant.) Plus, the film's handling of various spiritual/religious elements will make it hard for more discerning or sensitive viewers to navigate through.
Thor may have the most solo MCU movies at this point. But, as he himself may be the first to admit, he still has some growing to do. Something similar could be said for Marvel's current phase, which has no doubt been ambitious as it has been challenging. At least there are new updates with other former Avengers (including "the big guy") and Guardians (Vol. 3 next year!) on the horizon.
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