The Kids are Alright in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

Taika Waititi brings a wide-eyed imagination and charisma that’s needed in a commercial franchise like Thor.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor is an absolute riot. It’s almost hard to believe that his stoic portrayal of Thor in 2011 was the same hero. Four movies later, it’s clear that Hemsworth is still enjoying the ride, and he’s an absolute thrill to watch on screen. I was initially surprised to see Christian Bale attached to Thor given his leaning towards dramas, but he brought a grounded realism to Gorr that complemented the wacky world of Love and Thunder. Tessa Thompson was cheeky and strong as Valkyrie, and Taika Waititi played double duty as the voice of Korg, Thor’s kind-hearted best friend, and the story’s narrator. 

The only performance that gave me pause was Natalie Portman as Jane as she wrestled with her human frailty among the company of gods. Portman has always been an actor I enjoy watching, yet I was underwhelmed by what felt like were obvious choices and an underwritten character arc. There’s a tender scene towards the end between Thor and Jane where I could sense they were truly in the moment, and it was their best work. It seems like Portman has been on a small acting hiatus the past few years, but I’m hoping to see her back on the big screen again, tackling new projects.

Speaking of the future, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the MCU is going. We seem to be in the homestretch of “Phase Four,” and—spoiler alert—the Love and Thunder credits foretell Thor’s return. However, I’m uncertain whether that means another Thor movie or if he’ll pop up down the line somewhere. Either way, the Marvel geeks like myself are curious to know what’s next for the MCU, and frankly, while Love and Thunder was hilarious, it didn’t leave us with any clear direction. Except for that one post-credits scene–if you know, you know.

It’s hard to not compare Love and Thunder to every other movie in the MCU canon, but we have to resist comparison if we want to enjoy it for the comedy it is. Taika Waititi brings a wide-eyed imagination and charisma that’s needed in a commercial franchise like Thor. Society cries out for diversity in entertainment, yet we’re hypercritical when a new voice is at the helm of a Marvel movie—for example with Eternals directed by Chloé Zhao. When I watched Love and Thunder, I was reminded of Waititi’s award-winning dark comedy Boy set in New Zealand about a young son reuniting with his estranged father, played by Waititi. Although the film’s humor is offbeat, there’s a tenderness at the center that pulled me in, and I feel the same way about Thor. Taika Waititi is like the wacky uncle in the MCU family, and I’m here for the stories he has to tell. 

My favorite thing about Love and Thunder is how Waititi put children at the center of the movie, particularly in one tear-jerking scene. As somewhat of a big kid himself who tends to write films where children are both the lead character and the narrator, most notably in JoJo Rabbit, it’s on-theme for Waititi. I enjoyed this even more knowing that Waititi invited several of the actors’ children to be part of the film, creating an environment for whole families to be on set together. As the audience, we can easily forget how much time actors and crew spend apart from their families to make a movie we’ll enjoy for a mere few hours. I hope more directors and productions follow Waititi’s lead to prioritize the importance of family in entertainment whenever possible.

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