'Thor: Love And Thunder' A Reviewe

Thor: Love And Thunder is the 4th movie in the Thor franchise and latest MCU installment. Thor(Chris Hemsworth) continues his journey of self discovery began in the previous MCU movies, this time he is reunited with Jane Foster(Natalie Portman) who Mjolnir(Thor's hammer) has bonded with as a result of her cancer diagnosis. They team up along with Valkyrie(Tessa Thompson) to bring down Gorr(Christian Bale) who has vowed to kill all gods in the universe.

The cast, no surprise, is packed with talent and Hemsworth is still delightful as Thor, Thompson also fun, and its a real treat to see Portman get an active role in the franchise. But there isn't that much for them to do. The scope of this installment is simply too broad, there's too much going on, and there is little time for the small, funny, character moments that made Thor: Ragnarok so refreshing. Bale is spectacular, no surprise- committed, dynamic, menacing, emotional- but the material around him doesn't really match what he's doing.

Visually its relatively generic and feels more muted and restrained than its predecessor, which is a shame. There are some great needle drops and a couple fun action sequences but taken together its simply too messy, too unfocused. Whether constrained by time, the MCU exces, or his own contract requirements writer/director Taika Waititi just doesn't seem to have had as much fun here, it lacks his usually expert balance of absurd humor with effecting emotion. It seems, perhaps, like its a chore.

Not terrible but not great. A bit bloated and tired.

Currently in theaters coming soon to Disney+.

Stream It.