MOVIE REVIEW: THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

 

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman

Release Date: July 8, 2022

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Music, Romance, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity.

Runtime:1h 59m

Review:

Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder, his follow up to Thor: Ragnarok, is a chaotic unfocused kaleidoscope that struggles to find the consistent fun and charm that made the previous film so enjoyable.  Waititi's delivers some truly impressive set pieces the majority of which are colorfully opulent but one monochromatic fight sequence is likely to leave the biggest impact.  You get the sense that he's poured his mind onto the screen like a visual trek through his stream of conscience.  It works in spots, but it never finds its footing consistently due to sizable tonal shifts throughout the film which makes for some noticeable dead spots.  The script, written by Waitit, tries to include some heftier emotional depth to the whole thing but it never connects the way it should.  Additionally, the humor here never feels as organic as it did in the previous entry making for more chuckles than laugh out loud moments.  The film relies heavily on Chris Hemsworth's charm, and he carries the film with relative ease that shouldn't come as a surprise since the character is like a second skin by now.  He's clearly having a great time and that energy is the driving force for the film. Natalie Portman returns to the fold but there is a strange lack of chemistry between her and Hemsworth.  Her bulked up frame makes for a great visual when she's in her Thor attire but her performance is noticeably stiff reminiscent of her turns in the Star Wars prequels.  Their relationship is the central part of the story but there is a disconnect which hurts the film overall.  Tessa Thompson returns but isn't given all that much to do outside of a few quips and action sequences.  Likewise, Christian Bale's villain is underutilized for the better part of the film which is a shame because the character's story is intriguing.  There are moments where you get the sense that Bale is trying to give his character more depth but the film never gives him enough time to fully realized it.  It's an issue with the film overall, there are plenty of solid ideas but very few of them are allowed to blossom organically due to its frantic and scattershot approach.  As such, Thor: Love and Thunder is all candy colored empty calories with very little actual substance.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THOR: RAGNAROK

Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum

Release Date: Nov 03, 2017

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity

Review:

Thor: Ragnarok is a much needed infusion of originality in the Marvel cinematic juggernaut.  Most the Marvel movies are enjoyable but tend to lean towards formulaic plots outside of some rare exceptions.  Thor: Ragnarock is a solid step outside of the tried and true Marvel formula delivering a huge dose of wacky fun.  Taika Waititi delivers a film brimming with fun from start to finish.  It’s a Technicolor fever dream that feels like a thoroughly enjoyable acid trip.  Stripping away the self serious tone of most comic book movies and going for a more comedic tone pay huge dividends.  Chris Hemsworth has always been a strong comedic actor and this slant plays well for him.  As a result, Hemsworth is free to deliver his best “Mimbo” interpretation of Thor.  The supporting cast embraces the lighter tone and everyone seems to be having a ball.  Tom Hiddleston keeps Loki interesting while lightening him up a bit.  Mark Ruffalo and Tessa Thompson are great counter balance to Hemsworth’s Thor with both doing strong work.  Cate Blanchett gleefully vamps it up as primary villain this go around.  If there’s a bit of a negative about Blanchett’s character it’s that she’s not given much to do except wait for Thor to come back to Asgard so they can get to the final battle.  It’s a real shame because she’s really impressive in her screentime, it would have really made the film even better had she’d been given something more substantial to do.  It’s a minor quibble for the film which really is one of most fun superhero films of the year.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LAST STAND

A border-town sheriff pulls out the heavy artillery to prevent an escaped drug kingpin from blasting his way into Mexico in this sun-scorched action opus starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Kim Jee-Woon (I Saw the Devil, The Good, the Bad, and the Weird). Johnny Knoxville, Luis Guzman, and Rodrigo Santoro co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Kim Jee-Woon

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Stormare, Forest Whitaker, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzman

Release Date: Jan 18, 2013

Rated R for strong Bloody Violence and Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

The Last Stand is Arnold’s triumphant return to the big screen as a leading man. Its ludicrous plot sounds like the perfect fodder for a good old fashion Arnie blowout. My only question is why Kim Jee-Woon decided to waste so much time with pointless set up whiling trying to shoehorn in some seriousness into the plot. The first act of the film is incredibly choppy seemingly reluctant to embrace its own silliness. Once the ball actually starts rolling and the property damage increases it finally stops taking itself so serious and starts having fun. Arnold is rather flat which doesn’t come as a surprise as he works his way back into the acting game. The rest of cast give forgettable performances with Johnny Knoxville and Rodrigo Santoro battling for silliest and most of the top performance of the movie. As an action film its enjoyable fluff but the script doesn’t do it any favors serving up some incredibly hammy lines creating some groan inducing moments. Kim Jee-Woon would have been well served to reference Con Air, a movie with a similarly outlandish illogical plot, to get an idea about setting up a tone for his film. There’s plenty of fat which could have been cut to streamline the old school action which is what everybody was paying to see.

C+