Thor: Love and Thunder: It’s no Endgame, but Taika’s likeable, engaging, and wacky story is still a Marvel

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Thor: Love and Thunder (M, 119 min) Directed by Taika Waititi ****

At this point, post Endgame – and with Chloe Zhao’s Eternals After proving that the public’s hunger for a “serious” Marvel movie has been satisfied and may be ready for the dessert trolley, Taika Waititi’s irreverence could now be the best way forward for Marvel.

Do not get me wrong. The more I look again Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame – and you’d be surprised at how often I do – the more I am struck by the audacity and ambition of storytelling and the near perfection that Kevin Feige and his directors brought to this task. It was one of the greatest achievements to take home a franchise that had been building for more than a decade, spanning some twenty films — and then teasing each arc in a way that was both narratively satisfying and hellishly entertaining. land in a couple of three-hour extravaganzas. from script writing I know.

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But that era is over. And that’s how it should be. Iron Man and Captain America have brought their storylines to a close – and now it’s up to the supporting acts to grab what they can and have some fun, perhaps heading for another big arc that will one day need its own Endgame.

Thor: Love and Thunder is separate from the Spider-Man and Doctor Strange storylines featured in the last few Marvel outings. It starts in an unknown place, with a character we’ve never met before. And it quickly creates conflict for Thor – and the creative tension that will characterize the film.

The figure we meet is the unequivocally named Gorr the God-Slayer. He is a man driven insane by the death of his family and his own god’s utter disinterest in their fate. An encounter with a mystical sword turns Gorr (as played by Christian Bale) into a super being with enough power to take on any god he encounters in his travels. Gorr has made it his mission to rid the universe of gods – and Thor is next on his list.

With the villain in place, Taika’s screenplay has another important task, which is to reinvigorate the much-missed Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), but as more than just a returning love interest to Thor. This time, Foster himself could become Thor.

The balancing act Taika has to work here is to make a movie where the monochromatic nightmare of the God Butcher can co-exist with the candy-colored stylings of the almost rom-com of the rest of the film. And then find a way to transport the cast – including Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and Taika’s own Korg – between the storylines, while keeping both parts taut.

Helping beyond measure is a supporting cast featuring a very sporty Russell Crowe as Zeus, with an accent straight out of a Courtenay Place kebab shop and a lacy mini-smoking ensemble that was worth the biggest laugh of the night.

Oh, actually, scrap that. The crazy love triangle between Thor, his hammer and his ax is still the best joke in Love and Thunder. But Crowe’s bow in that skirt is a close second.

Thor: Love and Thunder walks a fine line between a comic parody of a superhero movie and actually paying the rent. So while the first 30 minutes or so – after Gorr’s reveal – are played out almost entirely for laughter, the film’s final act, as Gorr moves towards his prize and the two Thors seem powerless to stop him or the lives of New Asgard’s kids are as captivating and moving as anything the Marvel franchise has ever brought to the screen.

It doesn’t all work out, but even the moments of madness are well thought out, while the drama and action have taken on more depth than you’d immediately notice. There are also so many references and jokes here that you could write a separate story about them.

There may never be an Endgame or even another Winter Soldier in this series. But as long as there are movies as likeable, captivating and silly as Love and Thunder, I’ll keep watching them.

Thor: Love and Thunder is now showing in cinemas across the country.