Love and Thunder

This movie is the product of Taika Wititi’s whimsical mind, the director of “Jojo Rabbit” and “What We Do in the Shadows”. His style is characterized by in your face humor that shows how life can be tragic and comedic at the same time. Unlike all other Thor movies, this story shows this God’s vulnerable side narrated from the perspective of a regular guy wearing his heart on his sleeve. Boy meets girl, dreams of a future together, gets dumped and turns to drinking, closing his heart to the world, only to find love and purpose again in the most unusual way.

Taika has a way of mixing magic with the intense emotions and ridiculousness of the present moment. He invites the viewer to wonder, what the heck did it just happen? The story begins with Thor talking about his problems since his break up with Jane. One of the funniest things to think about is that he is a God and yet, he was romantically rejected by a human. What is the likelihood of that really happening considering how hot Chris Hemsworth is and adding the super powers if he was really a God? Hmmmmm probably very slim… 😉 That is the first bit of ridiculousness right there!

Due to his incredibly huge ego, Thor finds himself running away from doing some real healing ( by seeing a therapist). He becomes so shielded, that he is completely oblivious of how his ‘services’ are not really helpful anymore and how his friends are really trying to give him purpose and keep him grounded. In the meantime, he assumes a hero persona that does not need anything or anyone, always waiting to be called to save the word once more.

Taika Waititi somehow turns this unimaginable depressive state into a magnificent comedy filled with intrigue and mystery. Things take an unexpected turn when Jane shows up to save the day and Thor realizes that he had not moved on at all. Overall, I give this movie an 9 out of 10 because the crew managed to fill it with intrigue, adventure, love and very good humor. However, there are many holes in the story that leave you wondering why or how certain things happened. The focus was more on making people laugh than in developing a logical progression.

Although this seems like a romantic tale, this is a coming of age for Thor who becomes a dad after all. The rating says PG13 but I would recommend it only for older teens. It would definitely give your family a lot of new terms to discuss…