Fans of the hated Marvel sequel on Disney+ need to give themselves a break

By Chris Snellgrove | Published 1 hour ago

When Thor: love and thunder came out, I was just as disappointed as most Marvel fans who wanted more of the impeccably weird, impeccably cozy vibes of Thor: Ragnarök. Director Taika Waititi’s second superhero effort certainly isn’t as good as ragnarökbut it’s not as bad as the haters say. And as I was rereading old Thor comics, it occurred to me that this movie is much better than its reputation and much better than other MCU films that haven’t generated as much enthusiasm from fans.

Following Ragnarök

First, let’s start with the hard truth: critics almost universally agree that Thor: love and thunder It was a disappointing follow-up film. About rotten tomatoes, love and thunder It has a rating of 63 percent, meaning it’s dangerously close to being… well, rotten. Meanwhile, ragnarök He sits atop the Asgardian throne with a critical score of 93 percent. If these two films were precocious young gods attending school in Asgard, ragnarök would be the prize student while love and thunder I would be the class clown who barely passes the class, let alone the homework.

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 it’s better than ragnarökwhich effortlessly combined humor and action while leaning heavily on Chris Hemsworth’s comedic skills (turns out they’re just as developed as the rest of his muscles). However, this fourth Thor movie is infinitely better than thor 2a film that managed to simultaneously waste the talents of Chris Eccleston and Natalie Portman. In fact, Taika Waititi deserves all the credit for bringing Portman back to the MCU in a meaningful way via love and thunder.

Compared to Iron Man 3

Also, while I personally love the movie (Shane Black can do no wrong in my opinion), Iron Man 3 is considered one of the MCU’s first failures, one that many fans vilify for (among other things) wasting the Mandarin reveal. Common criticisms of Thor: love and thunder Include it’s a little silly, but ask yourself: Are too many jokes in this movie really more embarrassing than Ben Kingsley’s terrorist mastermind revealed to be a drug-addicted actor? Besides, even I have to admit that love and thunder has a simple plot (albeit uneven in tone) while Iron Man 3The plot is a complicated mess.

Also, while this is obviously completely subjective, I can’t help but feel that Waititi’s big, creative changes to Thor: love and thunder led to more memorable moments than we’ve had with most modern Marvel movies. The screaming goats are annoying and the whole “Jane has cancer” plot was bracing, but almost every frame of this Asgardian adventure is more memorable than anything I saw in black widow either Shang-Chi. And this Thor movie is likely to leave you smiling and cheering…just compare it to movies like Quantum that leave you confused or Eternals That just put you to sleep.

Not perfect but not bad

Again, none of this means Thor: love and thunder is a flawless movie… it really is a tonal mess, and things like Jane’s death and Gorr’s tragic backstory seem crazy next to scenes of Chris Hemsworth having his clothes ripped off. But I can’t help but rate movies on all their merits (it’s literally my job!), and it turns out that a collection of memorable but tonally mixed scenes adds up to a memorable and (most importantly) enjoyable movie. The fact that I didn’t have to watch anything on Disney+ as “homework” before tuning in is just the icing on Frost Giant’s cake.

If you decide to visit again Thor: love and thunderYou may find it a refreshing respite from the endless Christmas programming. Also, if you’ve been disillusioned by modern Marvel outside of Deadpool and WolverineIt’s great to return to a comic book classic that’s better than you remember. If we can accept that Tony Stark is flawed but brilliant, then it’s certainly time to accept that about Thor’s most maligned cinematic outing.

Thor: love and thunder is available to stream on Disney+.