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‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ – to have loved and lost and loved again
In Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor's journey of self-discovery amid grief is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ | Picture: Screenshot
The juxtaposition between the dark and brooding nature of the first two Thor films versus the last two under the colourful eye of director Taika Waititi has been meme fodder for Marvel fans in the last year or so in anticipation of the long-awaited release of Thor: Love and Thunder.
After having watched the latest offering from Disney and Marvel Studios, I can safely proclaim that I Iove what Waititi, Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel Studios have done with the film’s titular hero.
According to the studio, the film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced – one of self-discovery.
“But his efforts are interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as The Mighty Thor.”
Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late. Directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum.
If you have not seen the film, please note, there may be some spoilers ahead.
One of the things that the film highlights are the intense loss the hero has faced over the events of both his stand-alone films and his appearances alongside his fellow avengers.
He has lost both his parents, his brother, his friends and his home and sadly, the loss doesn’t stop there.
The film’s story borrows from a few of the comic book runs, including that of The Mighty Thor series that followed the adventures of Jane Foster, an astrophysicist and Thor’s ex-girlfriend who is diagnosed with cancer at the height of her career.
In the comic books, she visited New Asgard in search of answers and a cure and her life was changed forever.
According to an article by Esquire the broken pieces of Mjolnir, the hammer of the thunder God were somehow mysteriously drawn to Foster and went on to transform her into the Mighty Thor after gifting her the superpowers of her beloved ex.
Sadly, Mjolnir coils not save Foster despite deeming her worthy and Thor: Love and Thunder viewers are left on the edge of their seats as they wait – with bated breath – to find out whether or not Thor can find a way to save her.
In addition to needing to save the world, Thor finds himself needing to save his own kind – Gods – as a murderer goes on a killing spree to rid the universe of its Gods.
While the movie’s main theme seems sombre and dark, it doesn’t take away from the countless comedic moments that elicit a laugh-a-minute from audiences.
Despise having all the necessary moving parts of a feel-good watch, there’s just something about Thor: Love and Thunder that leaves the viewer feeling let down at what is supposed to be one of the most climactic parts of the film.
In the lead-up to the movie, Gorr had been painted as a big, bad guy to be feared but in the end, you find yourself wondering what all the hype was about and whether or not “that’s it?”
In the end, Thor, himself finally gets a happy ending with a cute nod to the film’s name along with an announcement that “Thor will return.”
Post credit scenes?
Marvel movies have become iconic for their post-credit scenes, often used to tie together a moment from the film or tease some upcoming developments and Thor: Love and Thunder boasts two post-credit scenes.
Whether or not they’re worth staying for remains entirely up to you.
Thor: Love and Thunder opens in South African theaters on 8 July 2022. Pre-sale tickets are currently open.
