Thor: Love and Thunder
Cert: 15 | ★★★★✩

In 2017, Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Flight of the Conchords, Jojo Rabbit) delivered one of the funniest and best loved films yet in the MCU (“Marvel comic universe”): the hilarious Thor: Ragnarok. The film was not only a resounding triumph for the Jewish writer-director and his signature absurdist comedy, but it also went on to become one of the franchise’s most lucrative offerings yet, amassing an $854m worldwide.

Waititi and Thor star Chris Hemsworth are now back with a second helping of much of the same in Thor: Love and Thunder.

This time Hemsworth is joined by Jewish American actor Natalie Portman while Tessa Thompson reprises her Valkyrie role. Elsewhere, Christian Bale makes his triumphant MCU debut as the villain du jour, while Russell Crowe puts in a comedic turn as a petulant Zeus.

Thor 5

Natalie Portman

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor tries to find inner peace, but is forced to return to action, recruiting Valkyrie, his old friend Korg and former love Jane Foster/Mighty Thor (Portman, brilliant) in the process. Thor and his friends must do all they can to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Bale) from eliminating all the gods from the universe to avenge the death of his own child.

Waikiki et al deliver another classic adventure full of high octane action set pieces and silly antics. Having said that, there is a lot about this second instalment that just feels a little too samey, and more than a little disjoined. While the laughs and gags keep on coming, there is also a distinct lack of direction in the storyline which sadly cannot be ignored.

Elevated by an electrifyingly campy rock soundtrack and by a hilariously playful casting choices, Thor: Love and Thunder is reminiscent of earlier MCU offerings and plays mostly on the nostalgia it is likely to provide for millions of Marvel fans around the world. Having said that, it doesn’t feel like it has anything new to add to the franchise, aside from revisiting some much loved characters.

While there is very little doubt that this second instalment will go on to make just as much at the box office as its predecessor, if not more, it does however feel as though the franchise as a whole has lost its shine and originality.