Nader Chamas is an aspiring television writer who seeks to fuse thought provoking progressive ideals into the films, shows, and stories that he loves. Having graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Screenwriting, Nader seeks to use his writing to advance causes that do not get enough attention or input across mainstream media. Like most, Nader has his own share of his favorite franchises and stories across pop culture. However, he seeks to contribute timely and relevant topics into these stories as well as in his own original material. This is why Nader’s analysis of popular films and tv shows matches The Hollywood Insider’spractice of discussing entertainment from a socially cognizant and critical perspective.
Jul 7, 2022
Table of Contents
Photo: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
Of all properties in the MCU, the ‘Thor’ franchise is probably the one that has changed the most since its inception. The first film in 2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh, had a heavily dramatic and Shakespearean overlay to it and is still probably the best film in the franchise. The second film, ‘Thor: The Dark World’, was a step down in quality, however the potential and the shadow of what could have been a great movie were certainly there. Marvel could have tenderized the narrative and characters a bit more and told a good story worthy of both the God of Thunder and Chris Hemsworth as an actor.
They could have at the very least taken this approach with the next film, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, but that is not what happened. Instead, Marvel decided to cop out and turn Thor into a goofier, sitcom-like, character for better or worse (it’s for worse). While the film was critically and financially successful, it was a major deviation from who the character was in earlier films. What was especially frustrating about ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ was that it was Marvel’s worst impulses on display, those being recycling a generic story, overusing the most unoriginal comedic devices, and watering down their characters into one-dimensional plot devices.
Full Commentary – Cast & Crew Spills Secrets on Making of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ | In-Depth Scoop
‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is definitely a stylistic follow-up to ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, yet it is a significantly better film than its predecessor. Whereas both films heavily use humor as their backbone, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ relies on recycled jokes that have been used hundreds of times in sitcoms for years. ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, on the other hand, sees director Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth allowing themselves to go all out and embrace their wonderfully wild tendencies as comedic powerhouses. Additionally, this film actually has an original story along with stakes that the audience can care about as well as one of the MCU’s more formidable and striking villains. The film sees Hemsworth returning as Thor and also stars Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, and Taika Waititi himself.
Comedy works much better when it is free to run rampant as it pleases, not when the same jokes overstay their welcome. One of the MCU’s biggest areas of weakness, especially in its recent entries, is its use of humor. Jokes are often shoehorned way too often and usually at the most frustrating points in a story. The jokes themselves are the most tired and overdone sort that invoke an eye roll more than they do a laugh. Thankfully, that is not the case in this film. Waititi and Hemsworth leave nothing off the table and go all out with their comedic sensibilities, letting the humor do exactly what it should. They are also aided by two hysterical goats who make the same sound throughout the film, an entire ‘Guns N’ Roses’, and a dad-bodied Zeus played by Russell Crowe. The humor doesn’t always land as the typical Marvel Studios approach to comedy and supposed “self-awareness” isn’t absent, however, these moments are much fewer and farther between than they were in the previous film.
Full Rendezvous at the World Premiere of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ | Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman
An Original Story With Stakes To Care About
This film also did have a plot that was fairly different from what we’ve seen in other Marvel films. The biggest reason for this is Portman’s character, Jane Foster. This character had a supporting role in the first two ‘Thor’ films and has not been seen in the MCU since. While Foster’s character might have been the weakest point of both films, she is probably one of the biggest strengths in this movie. Those who are familiar with the comic book source material can fairly predict Foster’s genesis as the Mighty Thor, but without going into spoilers, her journey throughout the film as well as her relationship with Thor are easy and enjoyable enough for this audience to follow. It is especially significant how the film was able to pull off a narrative arc this heavy with its wild and over-the-top style.
An Interesting Villain Worthy Of The Name “God Butcher”
As was demonstrated in the marketing of the film (or rather not demonstrated), it isn’t a spoiler to point out that this is the first ‘Thor’ film to not feature Tom Hiddleston’sLoki. This was initially disappointing to hear as the duo of these two brothers is one of the most engaging relationships in the MCU. However, Gorr the God Butcher proves to be a formidable opponent for the God of Thunder. The character’s design, Bale’s performance, and the dialogue written for him, all melt together to create one of the better antagonists that MCU has seen in a while.
The action itself was actually interesting to watch. Some of this may have been due to the aesthetic as one of the film’s main fight sequences is shot in black and white with hints of color, creating a starker contrast between the different elements in the various shots. Whatever the reason, the action is definitely much more interesting and exciting to watch than that in previous MCU entries. Other action scenes garner their sense of excitement by blending the fighting itself with awesome ridiculousness, wacky set pieces, and the film’s real heroes, Guns N’ Roses.
The MCU often relies on humor and action as the backbone for its films. It does not always turn out the best quality for them. ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is a completely different story where Marvel relatively succeeds with what it tries to spotlight in its films while utilizing a fairly original story. The film opens in theaters across the U.S on July 8, 2022
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, Taika Waititi
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Nader Chamas is an aspiring television writer who seeks to fuse thought provoking progressive ideals into the films, shows, and stories that he loves. Having graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Screenwriting, Nader seeks to use his writing to advance causes that do not get enough attention or input across mainstream media. Like most, Nader has his own share of his favorite franchises and stories across pop culture. However, he seeks to contribute timely and relevant topics into these stories as well as in his own original material. This is why Nader’s analysis of popular films and tv shows matches The Hollywood Insider’spractice of discussing entertainment from a socially cognizant and critical perspective.
Nader Chamas is an aspiring television writer who seeks to fuse thought provoking progressive ideals into the films, shows, and stories that he loves. Having graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Screenwriting, Nader seeks to use his writing to advance causes that do not get enough attention or input across mainstream media. Like most, Nader has his own share of his favorite franchises and stories across pop culture. However, he seeks to contribute timely and relevant topics into these stories as well as in his own original material. This is why Nader’s analysis of popular films and tv shows matches The Hollywood Insider’spractice of discussing entertainment from a socially cognizant and critical perspective.
Nader Chamas is an aspiring television writer who seeks to fuse thought provoking progressive ideals into the films, shows, and stories that he loves. Having graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Screenwriting, Nader seeks to use his writing to advance causes that do not get enough attention or input across mainstream media. Like most, Nader has his own share of his favorite franchises and stories across pop culture. However, he seeks to contribute timely and relevant topics into these stories as well as in his own original material. This is why Nader’s analysis of popular films and tv shows matches The Hollywood Insider’spractice of discussing entertainment from a socially cognizant and critical perspective.
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