Echoing most critics’ sentiments, Alonso Duralde in The Wrap writes that, “If this latest one aimed to mix it up by giving equal weight to the masks of comedy and tragedy, it’s an effort that fails.” He doesn’t write it off entirely, though, allowing, “Waititi and Team Marvel are too shrewd as showmen not to keep the pace brisk and the scope huge.” Tom Jorgensen at IGN falls more on the positive side, singling out Chris Hemsworth in particular for praise as “as enthusiastic an Asgardian as ever”. But he also finds some disappointment with the story, calling it “less adept — and much safer than one might expect — at moving the larger MCU story forward.” David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter supports this view, adding that Hemsworth “continues to deliver great muscle stories, but the stakes never really matter in a movie that’s too busy being funny and youthful to tell a compelling story.” history”. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, who calls Ragnarok his favorite MCU film, is also a fan of Hemsworth, “the most carefree, the most obviously having fun, the most comfortable in his own skin and in front of his green screen.” As for the bigger film, however, “as skillfully as Waititi plays it, Marvel’s comedy mode has become a bit reflexive, a setting mode that could almost be turned on in the Marvel software ‘settings’ menu.” Josh Spiegel at Slashfilm writes, “There’s a fine line between honesty and intelligence, and Thor: Love and Thunder has a hard time crossing that line.” He praises Christian Bale’s dark turn as the villainous Gorr, but then adds, “making a good chunk of this new Thor movie pretty dark, Waititi and [cowriter Jennifer Kaytin] Robinson ends up stumbling when it comes to bringing back – or trying to bring back – the incredible comedy that made Ragnarok stand out.” Scott Mendelson at Forbes is more negative than many. While he calls it “as colorful and visually inventive as you’d hope,” he also calls it “an unnecessary sequel, existing only because its predecessor became unusually well-received even by those who weren’t fans of the all-in MCU. …Bale, [Tessa] Thompson and “Guns and Roses” [sic] Tunes aside, this fourth Thor is a real chore.” Our own review should land later today, and all we’ll say for now is that it falls somewhere on that spectrum. What do you think of the reviews so far? Let us know in the comments. Recommended Reading: Thor by Jason Aaron: The Complete Collection Vol. 1
