Thor – Love & Thunder (2022), directed by Taika Waititi

Thor has been creating havoc as much as he helps out while roaming the Universe with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The advent of the God Butcher sees them part ways in an attempt to save the day; Thor reuniting with Valkyrie and old flame Jane Foster along the way. Taika Waititi’s off beat take on the second Thor movie brought some much needed levity to the Marvel superhero franchise. Not so much in this third outing. The script is clearly aiming for humour, but is mostly just lame and self-indulgent. There are some funny cameos, including Russell Crowe as Zeus and Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy and Sam Neill as actors in the tourist mecca of New Asgard. The pace picks up in the second half of the film, with some nice special effects and a mighty army of children. Chris Hemsworth relaxes too much into the lame humour, but his nude scene almost makes up for it. Returning as Jane, Natalie Portman brings class. Christian Bale makes a fabulous, well-rounded villain, although his aesthetic veers dangerously close to Voldemort. Overall the flaws outweigh the entertainment. Hopefully this is Waititi’s last venture in the MCU.