Thor: Love and Thunder

It just goes a bit too far. This series’ deconstruction of the superhero genre--irst evident in the Ragnarok outing--goes hog-wild here, with all involved playing most of this episode not just for laughs, but in the service of outright absurdity. Chris Hemsworth’s affability makes that a seemingly reasonable choice, but this film extends its form so far into the territory of schtick that it becomes an open question of, if these people can’t take any of this seriously, then why should we? The stakes don’t seem particularly high throughout this tale--indeed, one can argue that Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher character is in the right throughout, so there's no real satisfaction in seeing him defeated (and, arguably, he's not here). Thus, everything presented in this work comes across as less exciting adventure and more a mild diversion--one the has the flash and dash of something well done, but hardly any of the heart. All that, plus a pervasive sense of relentless obsequiousness towards social identity concerns, makes for a viewing experience that has little sizzle, despite ample servings of action and scale. As with all old gods, I think it's time for this one to retreat into a silent eternity.