A visual and aural cinematic experience that changes the MCU game.
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Not since Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok (2017) has there been a celebration of colours so dazzling and vibrant…until Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder. Writer-director Taika Waititi pull out all the stops in his sophomore film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - delivering an action-packed superhero film chockful of laughter that helped soften the blow of its emotional punch.
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster (who has become the Mighty Thor) to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.
Chris Hemsworth returns as the titular superhero, alongside Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and Waititi; with Russell Crowe as Zeus and Christian Bale in yet another transformational role as Gorr.
Bale who's known for his commitment to his roles delivers a performance that gives his character promise of becoming one of the MCU’s most menacing villains, following in the footsteps of Cate Blanchett’s Hela and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Despite being the main villain of the story, he isn't given much to do but of course Bale makes the most of it. His intensity gave perfect tonal balance to a film that's inches away from bursting at the seams with comedy. And while Hemsworth and Thompson’s deliveries are faultless, it’s really Portman’s return that truly steals the show. Portraying the Mighty Thor opposite Hemsworth’s monumental Thor sounds like a tall order but she holds her own well alongside the heroic Asgardians and delivers some of the film’s best scenes. She is the heart of this vessel that has given her a beautiful substantial arc, making up for all the lost time since her last official MCU appearance in The Dark World (2013).
With Phase Four ushering a strong wave of films of other-worldly magnitude, Love and Thunder ups its game by boasting some of the best set designs, cinematography, and use of colours in recent MCU films - achieving picture-perfect scenes that will blow viewers away. (We really can't get enough of the Shadow Realm!) It also wouldn’t have been a comparative follow-up to Ragnarok if it didn’t feature a great score and soundtrack that accompany the film’s pivotal moments.
Having seen how Waititi successfully turned Thor’s films around with Ragnarok, the expectations for him to succeed with Love and Thunder were high. Not only does he deliver on the hype but he also went all out to ensure that his mark will forever be singed in the MCU, successful or not. Parts of Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder may be too campy for it's own good but it’s a whole lot of fun that will definitely leave a lasting impression.
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