2021 and 2022 have seen the MCU usher in some new blood and spotlight the oldies who didn’t totally get sufficient love throughout the Infinity Saga. But with this weekend’s Thor: Love & Thunder, we’re going again to Chris Hemsworth’s beloved, humorous thunder god as he and a returning Natalie Portman because the Mighty Thor group as much as tackle Christian Bale’s god butcher, Gorr. With two Thors, some of the fascinating villains in current comics historical past, and Taika Waititi again to direct and likewise co-write the movie with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (of Sweet/Vicious fame), Love & Thunder needs to be an instantaneous knock out, yeah?

Yeah…no. The precise remaining movie is kinda divisive throughout the essential and viewers board, surprisingly so. While it’s the performances and visible palette which have offered folks, the tone and its writing are getting dinged. It’ll nonetheless do properly on the field workplace, as a result of Obviously, however given how a lot Ragnarok lit our world on hearth (along with settings its personal world on hearth on the finish of the film), it’s s little placing how a lot L&T isn’t profitable everybody over from the bounce. As all the time, we wanna know what you considered the precise, actual movie in the event you noticed it.

I got here away from Love & Thunder largely having fun with it, however the criticisms of its tone are completely useless on. Between Jane’s most cancers getting accelerated by wielding Mjolnir and Bale’s Gorr being a horror film creature that seems like he’d be higher residence with Sam Raimi, the goofy antics of Odinson stand out all of the extra, and never in a great way. Levity’s good, and there’s some strong gags just like the goats, however the humor feels too happy with itself greater than something.

Jane suffers for this greater than anybody else, as a result of it feels just like the film is simply barely all for exploring Jane Thor in any actual capability. For her story to get breezed by is an actual disappointment given how her comics incarnation managed to really feel so alive and constantly susceptible whereas additionally being a drive of nature. The greatest drawback with the film is that Jane Thor seems like a TV present idea stapled awkwardly right into a film the place Odinson is feeling adrift now that the majority of his earth mates are retired or useless. They each really feel like visitor stars in one another’s story, with the one factor connecting them being Gorr, who would in all probability be higher as an antagonist for Jane slightly than Odinson himself.

Excising Odinson would additionally assist the film get a unique ending, ideally one that’s really earned. For the film to constantly present that the gods are shit, it feels kinda fallacious for issues to finish with Odinson attending to undertake Gorr’s child—since a baby is one thing he’s all the time needed, apparently—and galivanting throughout the cosmos. Jane in Valhalla, truthful sufficient, and certainly we’ll see her as a Valkyrie throughout the subsequent 12 months or two. But yeah, the final 10 minutes of the film left a nasty style in my mouth.

Let us know what you considered Love & Thunder, and its intriguing post-credits scenes—Roy Kent as Hercules? Alright then—within the feedback under.

Want extra io9 information? Check out when to anticipate the newest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and all the things you have to learn about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.