Thor: Love and Thunder is the fourth installment adapting the adventures of the Hero Thor. The film is directed by Taika Waititi and reintroduces the characters of Valkyrie, Jane Foster, Korg… While introducing brand new speakers like Heimdall's son, Axl. The film has been shown in cinemas since July 13th!
Where does Thor: Love and Thunder begin?
After being dumped by Jane Foster, Thor is forced to witness the destruction of his home world, meanwhile, he also sees almost all of his family and companions die before and during the tragic events of "Infinity War". Therefore, it was not necessarily shocking to see this Norse god sink into depression… He is more or less back on his feet after the last battle against Thanos, which leads him to continue his adventures alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy. He then cedes his place as king of Asgard — which is now located on Earth — to his friend Valkyrie. That said, being almost at peace with himself, our dear Thor must now find a new meaning in his life… It is with this in mind that the fourth film dedicated to this hero, Thor: Love and Thunder, takes place. In his quest for meaning, Thor is brought to cross paths with Gorr, butcher and slayer of gods, which will allow him to fight for his people once again. This is without counting on the return of Jane who ensures the role of Mighty Thor on the New Asgard in the absence of the hero … Thus, Thor: Love and Thunder focuses mainly on the fight against the god killer Gorr and Thor's reunion with his beloved astrophysicist Jane.
Rich visuals and performances in Thor: Love and Thunder
Visually, the film and sets are overall quite competent; The complexity and richness of this population originating from Scandinavian tales and legends, shine through the gold and the immensity of the decorations. Taika Waititi once again makes the necessary efforts to impress us through a wide range of settings: whether it is the celestial world of Omnipotence-City or the more gloomy one of Gorr, everything is spectacular. The film is also an opportunity to introduce new encounters (Zeus) expanding the catalog of deities of the MCU. Indeed, Waititi is in line with his Thor 3 Ragnarok since he continues in his prize party of frank and offbeat humor that serves to press deeper and important themes. It's happening or it's breaking. The aesthetics of the film accentuate the pleasure felt during the viewing. As always, Chris Hemsworth aptly assumes the humorous aspect of the work. The performance delivered by the actor is particularly honorable and we are more than delighted to find him in his role of young god rider and arrogant. His build and charismatic expressions, his sometimes naïve and sometimes assured behavior are qualities that reflect the verisimilitude and authenticity of this hero. At her side, we also find Tessa Thomson in the role of our beloved Valkyrie, true to herself, and the return of Natalie Portman very effective in her new role of Mighty Thor, the Mighty Thor! As for the god killer Gorr, his interpreter Christian Bale does him justice perfectly. The performance is more than convincing and simply breathtaking and easily achieves its goal: to scare.
The advantages of Thor: Love and Thunder
Although it did not please everyone, the movie Thor; Love and Thunder is a real treasure in terms of positive representation. If Disney and Marvel have often been accused of queer baiting (i.e. offering homoerotic allusions, jokes and symbols suggesting a non-heterosexual relationship between two characters, which is however never confirmed), this is absolutely not the case with Thor: Love and Thunder. We face a Valkyrie who proudly and repeatedly affirms her role as king and her bisexuality. It may not be the representation hoped for yet, but it is a first for Marvel. In the same vein, the strength of mind and normalization of female heroes are highly appreciated. No sexy costume for Mighty Thor, but an authenticity that is specific to the character of Jane Foster. A female character who demands respect and refuses to be subjected to sexism and condescension. On the substance, we also appreciate the little winks launched throughout the film, in reference to previous films or the mythical Nordic universe in general that facilitate viewing and immersion in the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPPim0we5m8
Our opinion
Thor: Love and Thunder is a powerful film, both in terms of special effects and in its script. Taika Waititi offers a 4th part quite successful and rich, which will appeal to the regulars of his style a little crazy. However, it may disappoint for its sometimes somewhat heavy humor, and the lack of depth; elements that had already been criticized during the screening of the previous Thor: Ragnarok. The general environment is rather well developed and apprehended, in an aesthetic as always very neat.
