Thor: Love and Thunder trailer stars Chris Hemsworth

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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOR LOVE AND THUNDER – THIS REVIEW IS FOR FANS WHO HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE MOVIE.  At the conclusion of Avengers Endgame, Thor jetted off back into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy for more cosmic adventures across the MCU. Being the first superhero of the Marvel franchise to get a fourth solo outing was always going to be a brave bet, but with Taika Waititi having so magnificently breathed new life into the character in Thor Ragnarok, it feels effortlessly warranted.

Having gone from his Endgame dad bod back to god bod, Thor has been enjoying battling baddies with the Guardians, as depicted in an incredibly entertaining opening fight scene against ravenous Labyrinth-esque bird muppets. This flashy 1980s aesthetic continues throughout, accompanied by a soundtrack full of Guns ’N Roses and ABBA. 

Yet Chris Hemsworth’s Avenger, who is on a journey to find himself, has met his match in Gorr the God Butcher, played so wonderfully creepy and sinister by Christian Bale.

The humanoid alien is disillusioned with the suffering his gods have put him under after losing his family but is soon chosen and cursed by an ancient weapon known as the Necrosword. And suddenly, Gorr finds himself on a revenge mission to kill the whole pantheon of immortals throughout the universe.

When Gorr attacks New Asgard back on Earth, Thor heads to the rescue only to find himself face to face with Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster for the first time since Thor: The Dark World. After skipping Thor Ragnarok due to their break-up, the exes are reunited, but this time she finally has something to do in this outing.

Following the Marvel Comics storyline, the physicist is found worthy of a reforged Mjölnir and takes the mantle of The Mighty Thor, all the while battling stage 4 cancer. Portman’s female take on the superhero compliments the Asgardian god wonderfully, especially in their shared action scenes which are full of lightning-fuelled flair.

Being a Taika Waititi film, the humour (much of it improvised) fizzes by like silly sketch comedy and that’s just how we like it. From Thor and Jane’s dating flashbacks and jealous weapons, to Korg’s surreal quips and the forever screaming space goats, the director’s fingerprints are all over the blockbuster for the better.

None more so than when they and Tessa Thompson’s stoic King Valkyrie arrive in the Omnipotent City. There, they warn all the other gods across mythos of Gorr’s plans for their demise, after he steals the Asgardian kids in a demonic coach like The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Here we come across the film’s biggest and finest cameo in Russell Crowe’s Zeus. In a wonderful stroke of surprise, the Gladiator star portrays the Olympian god as though he were a fat Greek kebab shop owner to hilarious effect.

Among the other amusing surprise cameos are the Asgardian acting troupe from Thor Ragnarok, this time reenacting moments from the last solo movie.

Once again Luke Hemsworth plays the role his brother beat him to in real life, alongside Matt Damon’s Loki and Sam Neill’s Odin, who are all accompanied this time by Melissa McCarthy as the villainous Hela. Sadly Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage’s reprising of the Grandmaster and Eitri didn’t make the final cut, but no doubt their scenes will see the light of day eventually.

Other highlights include Simon Russell Beale as Dionysus and Thor movie alumni Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard as Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig respectively. There are a couple more cameos, but they’re in the end credits scenes for which there’s an article at the bottom.

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After escaping the Omnipotent City with Zeus’ thunderbolt, Thor and the gang travel to the Shadow Realm to save the Asgardian children. Being an MCU movie, there’s a ton of green screen which, to be fair, is used well for much of the movie with electrically colourful CGI worlds.

Yet it all turns black and white for the Shadow Realm in Thor Love and Thunder’s third act, which is particularly glorious to look at once the fighting gets going. Such blockbuster spectacle was displayed magnificently when we saw the film in IMAX, which includes 26 per cent more picture above and below the main frame.

Tragically, Gorr manages to obtain Stormbreaker in this scene, which he needs to enter Eternity so he can request the destruction of all the gods across the universe. Thor himself insists on going alone to defeat him, as Jane lies dying from cancer. But she soon joins him sacrificially for some more hammer-smashing fun, before the gateway is opened. 

It’s here among all the silly comedy that we see Waititi’s emotional side, as Thor clutches a dying Jane telling Gorr to choose love over bloody revenge. After facing nothing but suffering from the hands of selfish gods that never delivered for him, Bale’s villain suddenly has one worth listening to; one who doesn’t just live for himself.

It’s here among all the silly comedy that we see Waititi’s emotional side, as Thor clutches a dying Jane telling Gorr to choose love over bloody revenge.

After facing nothing but suffering from the hands of selfish gods that never delivered for him, Bale’s villain suddenly has one worth listening to; one who doesn’t just live for himself.

Already mortally wounded from the curse of the Necrosword, in front of Eternity, Gorr requests that his daughter be resurrected and makes Thor promise to look after her for him – which the Avenger selflessly agrees to as The Mighty Thor dies in his arms.

If anything, we were surprised it wasn’t the other way around, but there’s more than meets the eye here.

Already mortally wounded from the curse of the Necrosword, in front of Eternity, Gorr requests that his daughter be resurrected and makes Thor promise to look after her for him – which the Avenger selflessly agrees to as The Mighty Thor dies in his arms. If anything, we were surprised it wasn’t the other way around, but there’s more than meets the eye here.

The thoroughly entertaining and at times touching blockbuster concludes with the Avenger back at New Asgard where he’s raising Gorr’s child Love as his own. Played by Hemsworth’s own daughter India, the two charge into battle as…you guessed it…Thor Love and Thunder.

The film concludes with the promise that Thor will return, but which one? Both? The end credits scenes seem to tease so. Here’s hoping Waititi has a chance to conclude his trilogy. Attar all, he’s been more than worthy of this franchise.

Thor Love and Thunder is out now in cinemas, including in IMAX.

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