The hated Marvel sequel for Disney+ fans needs to take a break

According to Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

When Thor: Love and Thunder came out, I was as disappointed as most Marvel fans who wanted more of the perfectly weird, perfectly cozy vibes Thor: Ragnarok. Director Taiko Waititi’s sophomore superhero effort certainly isn’t as good as Ragnarokbut it’s nowhere near as bad as the haters make it out to be. And when I re-read the old Thor comics, it struck me that this movie is much better than its reputation, and much better than other MCU movies that didn’t get nearly as much fanfare.

After Ragnarok

First, let’s start with the hard truth: critics almost universally agree on this Thor: Love and Thunder the sequel was a disappointment. On Rotten tomatoes, Love and thunder it has a rating of 63 percent, which means it’s dangerously close to being… well, rotten. Meantime, Ragnarok he is on the Asgardian throne with a critical score of 93 percent. If these two films were precocious young gods attending school in Asgard, Ragnarok will be an award winning student Love and thunder would be the class clown, barely passing the class let alone the assignment.

I’m ripping off the band-aid right now because I don’t want any of you to think I’m saying Love and thunder is better than Ragnarokwhich effortlessly combined humor and action while leaning heavily on comedic bits Chris Hemsworth (turns out they are just as developed as the rest of his muscles). However, this fourth Thor movie is infinitely better than Thor 2a film that simultaneously managed to waste Chris Eccleston’s talents i Natalie Portman. After all, Taika Waititi deserves full credit for getting Portman back in the game MCU in a significant way through Love and thunder.

Compared to Iron Man 3

Also, while I personally love the movie (Shane Black can do no wrong in my eyes), Iron Man 3 is considered an early MCU dud that many fans vilify for (among other things) wasting the Mandarin reveal. A common criticism Thor: Love and Thunder to include is a little too goofy, but ask yourself: are a few too many jokes in this movie really scarier than the exposure of terrorist mastermind Ben Kingsley as a junkie? Besides, I have to admit it Love and thunder has a straightforward plot (albeit an uneven tone) while Iron Man 3The plot is a convoluted mess.

Plus, while it’s obviously completely subjective, I can’t help but feel that Waititi’s big creative swings Thor: Love and Thunder led to more memorable moments than we’ve experienced with most modern ones Miracle movies. Like, screaming goats are annoying, and the whole “Jane has cancer” plot was a stretch, but almost every frame of this Asgardian adventure is more memorable than anything I’ve seen in it. Black Widow or Shang-Chi. And this Thor movie will probably leave you smiling and cheering…just compare it to movies like it Quantum that leave you confused or Eternals who just put you to sleep

Not perfect, but not bad

Again, none of this is said Thor: Love and Thunder is a flawless film…it’s really a tonal mess, and things like Jane dying and Gorr’s tragic backstory seem crazy next to scenes of Chris Hemsworth taking his clothes off. But I can’t help but judge films on their merits (it’s literally my job!) and it turns out that a collection of tonally mixed but memorable scenes make for a memorable and (most importantly) enjoyable film. Not having to watch anything on Disney+ for “homework” before tuning in is just Frost Giant’s icing on the cake.

If you decide to visit again Thor: Love and Thunderyou might find it a refreshing respite from the endless barrage of holiday programming. Plus, if you’ve been disillusioned with modern Marvel out Deadpool & Wolverineit’s great to return to a comic book classic that’s better than you remember. If we can accept Tony Stark as flawed but brilliant, then surely it’s time to accept that about Thor’s most infamous film output.

Thor: Love and Thunder is available for streaming Disney+.