Chris Hemsworth has come down on his recent Thor outing. The 39-year-old discussed in a GQ interview that he felt Thor: Love and Thunder was “too silly”. This is the sentiment that most Marvel fans agree with. Despite having a solid score on rotten tomatoes, Thor: Love and Thunder is often considered the worst installment of the series. That even means that audiences deem Thor: The Dark World as solid! However, the biggest problem isn’t the fact that Thor: Love and Thunder is too silly.
Are there too many jokes in the MCU film? Definitely. However, Thor: Love and Thunder fails because the tonal shifts ruin the overall film. We go from one sequence of finding out that Jane Foster has stage four cancer to an advertisement for Old Spice deodorant. This film had such huge potential because its villain is a compelling source in the comics; Thor: Love and Thunder ultimately buckled under its narrative.
Gorr The God Butcher
This was a missed opportunity. Christian Bale is an Oscar winner who gave another strong performance in the Marvel film. In fact, Gorr The God Butcher was easily the most compelling character onscreen. Sadly, Thor: Love and Thunder barely focused on his character arc. We as an audience didn’t get the chance to witness the epic killings of Gods around the planet. Instead, we’re treated to non-stop jokes and unnecessary side plots such as Thor trying to regain the love of his old hammer.
Gorr The God Butcher was a three-dimensional character who could’ve easily rivaled Thanos. A man scorned with a life of tragedy who takes his anger out of the gods for not helping him. This is the perfect antagonist for Thor. He’s a God who essentially has it all. Instead, Gorr The God Butcher isn’t the primary focus of the feature. We don’t see his ruthless killings so it’s hard to get a strong grasp of him as a true threat to Thor.
Plus, the tone just doesn’t match with the overall film. Every time Gorr The God Butcher came onscreen, it was serious and grim. It counterbalances most of the features that often undercuts the seriousness of the narrative. If none of the characters in the film are taking the situation seriously, why should the audience?
Jane Foster AKA The Mighty Thor
Another missed opportunity. On paper, seeing Jane Foster leveling up to becoming The Mighty Thor is a strong idea. In execution, Taika Waititi doesn’t handle the story that suits the overall narrative. There’s simply too much going on with Thor: Love and Thunder. One minute it’s a comedy. One minute it’s a drama. The other it’s a rom-com. These tonal shifts hinder the story and undermine Jane’s reasoning for becoming The Mighty Thor in the first place.
When it comes to Jane and Thor, the film would rather focus on their love than genuine character development for the former. She steals Thor’s hammer. Then suddenly, she’s this almighty God. There isn’t a moment that builds to her new power. Nor are there any side effects on Jane becoming such an incredible being. It’s great that The Mighty Thor was introduced into the MCU, but her debut here feels unearned. Thor: Love and Thunder needed to cut back on several plots. Thor’s focus should’ve been on The God Butcher, with Jane playing an integral part in his journey to slay the villainous character.
Thor: Ragnarok Set The Perfect Balance
Thor: Ragnarok was a silly film as well. However, that film did a stronger job of balancing the overall narrative. It didn’t cut away to pointless gags that often had nothing to do with the story. Sure, there was the Matt Damon cameo, but everything seemed to blend nicely. Though, there are times when Thor is a bit too goofy.
Admittedly, goofy Thor has always been a mixed bag. Chris Hemsworth is perfect as the character overall, so he manages to make it work. There are genuinely fun moments with this new Thor, but he feels like a bumbling fool who happens to be one of the most powerful Gods on the planet. It’s great that he has dimension, but there needs to be a time and place for his silly antics.
Thor: Love and Thunder could’ve worked as a comedy. However, the entire film had to match that same tone. Imagine if Thanos’s story in Infinity War and Endgame was just a side plot. Instead, the main focus was on fat Thor and other nonsensical jokes until the huge war scene in Endgame. It would’ve undermined the seriousness of the situation and negated the impact of the moment altogether. Thor: Love and Thunder couldn’t find the balance in its tones and suffered greatly because of it.
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