THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER MOVIE REVIEW:A popcorn entertainer with a hint of emotion

Review: Thunder rumbled in the recent season of ‘Stranger Things’ more than it does in this romantic comedy that half raises a profound question — Can Gods let you down, too? Are you always on your own and is love the only saviour?

Probably Taika Waititi only can take you through Thor’s dad bod-God bod-sad bod journey. Only he can pit the two Aussies, Russell Crowe in a white mini skirt against a shirtless Hemsworth and only he can make you giggle with his satirical take on Thor. As a filmmaker, he cleverly uses humour to address the harshest reality of life and death. A character battling stage 4 cancer here believes in miracles and their transportive nature, as another confronts the almighty. This one’s a popcorn entertainer with a hint of emotion.

Waititi’s attempt to expand the eccentric and comedic side of Thor, also seen in Ragnarok is refreshing. Although he pushes the envelope a bit too far this time around. His genre fluid romcom is huge fun but also underwhelming in scale and action for a Marvel film. The snazzy stunts and sharp humour keep you entertained, but you miss the larger than life, menacing superhero appeal of the Asgardian Avenger. Everything feels over-simplistic and cut short in order to rush the narrative. Scenes look consistently choppy. Lack of build-up also fails to evoke the emotional investment expected in a story like this.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor, the God of thunder is perhaps the last of Marvel’s phase 1 superheroes, who continues to reign in phase 4 and Waititi’s hilarious mind can take a bow for that. However, Phase 4 seems a bit lost at this point with directors trying to steer the franchises in different directions. ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ was out and out horror and ‘Love and Thunder’ is a generic romcom. While Natalie Portman shines in her lead role and gets a tailor-made feminist line to mouth, “Don’t call me ‘lady Thor, the name is mighty Thor’”, it’s Christian Bale you feel the most for. His villain ‘Gorr’ is too conflicted and muddy to seem a formidable nemesis. The thinly sketched character didn’t require someone as talented as Bale. And even with no real competition in play, two screaming goats steal Thor’s thunder.