Thor: Love and Thunder’s red carpet premiere took place last night at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and that means the first wave of impressions from the film are coming in hot, with Taika Waititi’s second go at the MCU delivering what appears to be a unanimously entertaining experience.
Although regular Marvel fans will have to wait until July 7 for the film’s official release, a large majority of journalists and critics with early access seem to regard Love and Thunder as a more emotional entry than Waititi’s own humor-packed Ragnarok. Few will find that last bit hardly surprising, especially given official confirmation that Jane Foster’s cancer storyline from the comics will be making its way to the MCU as she is reunited with her cosmic lover.
For example, Fandango's Erik Davis notes the movie is “predictably hilarious yet unexpectedly personal and heartfelt. Christian Bale and Natalie Portman's performances truly shine while Waititi delivers an emotional story,” calling it his favorite Thor film yet. Naturally, the all-star cast put together by Marvel Studios gets plenty of praise, with praise for Russell Crowe not falling far behind Bale and Portman, and many praising the Guns N’Roses soundtrack that seems to adorn most of the heroes’ best action moments.
In fact, The Illuminerdi’s Caitlin Tyrell goes as far as saying “Waititi may have delivered the MCU’s best movie of Phase 4,” a worthy milestone, even despite coming off the franchise’s least spectacular run, not counting Spider-Man: No Way Home. Those feelings were echoed by Variety’s Courtney Howard who said the film has “an Appetite For Destruction & laughs. It’s totally rad! Taika Waititi delivers a subversive, irreverent spectacle”, meaning audiences better be ready for some classic 80s rock.
Even the least positive review for Love and Thunder is actually pretty decent as Discussing Film’s Andrew J. Salazar notes it "gets better when it's not trying to desperately recapture the magic of Ragnarok. Most of the humor doesn't land as well as it did the first time,” so it was clearly a victorious night for the people of Asgard. Regardless of Love and Thunder’s social media embargo being lifted right after the red carpet event, full reviews won’t be available until July 5.
In contrast to the more mixed reception garnered by the still commercial hit, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems Waititi has indeed struck gold twice with Thor, despite the relatively short running time. Oh, and do keep in mind, Love and Thunder might just turn on the waterworks for some as part of that extra emotional grip, and the post-credits scene is not to be missed according to several attendees.
Thor: Love and Thunder premieres in theaters on July 8, 2022