THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Movies

“Thor: Love and Thunder” First Reactions: A Vibrant, Hilarious, Surprisingly Moving Epic

June 24, 2022
By The Credits

It will likely come as no surprise to hear that the first reactions to Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder are raves. Waititi re-invigorated both Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Thor franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, his candy-colored cosmic romp that instantly turned the God of Thunder from Marvel’s dour beefcake into the funniest Avenger. What’s more, Ragnarok introduced us to Waititi’s vision of what a Marvel movie could look like—whimsical, wild, and passionately weird. So expectations were high for the sequel, and Waititi himself added to those expectations by promising viewers that Love and Thunder was the craziest movie he’s ever made. It seems like he delivered.

Coming out of the premiere last night, critics have a lot of positive vibes to share. Waititi comes in for praise for delivering a “subversive, irreverent spectacle,” as Variety‘s Courtney Howard tweeted. Fandango‘s Erik Davis took to Twitter to share that Love and Thunder is “big, colorful, and weird,” and gives particular shoutouts to newcomers Christian Bale, as the villain Gorr the God Butcher, and Russell Crowe as Zeus.

We were also eager to hear the reactions to Natalie Portman’s transformation into Mighty Thor, the Mjolnir-wielding badass who, long ago in a very distant Thor past, played Jane Foster, Thor’s love interest. Portman comes in for heaps of praise, and it sounds like not only does she help make Love and Thunder surprisingly moving, her pairing her with a fellow ass-kicker in Tessa Thompson’s Valkryie sounds like a match made in heaven.

In case you haven’t been following our Thor: Love and Thunder news, the basic outline of the plot is fairly simple—Jane Foster is back, only now she’s Mighty Thor, and Thor’s retirement plans are put on hold when a sadistic god and goddess-killing lunatic named Gorr the God Butcher shows up. Gorr’s arrival means Thor’s going to need his friends to help him, including Mighty Thor, Valkryie, Korg (Waititi), Miek, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This super-team will take on a super-creep, and the results sound divine.

Onto the reactions!

Portman comes in for high praise as the newly minted Mighty Thorr. And Bale does crucial work in making a thrilling, chilling, and at times campy villain in Gorr the God Butcher:

For more on Thor: Love and Thunder, check out these stories:

New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Trailer Teases Thor Versus Gorr

New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Images Tease Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor, Gorr, & Guardians

New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Teaser Reveals Fresh Footage of the Ultimate Team

Natalie Portman & Christian Bale Highlight New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Images

New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Trailer Reveals Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher

New “Thor: Love and Thunder” Images Reveal Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor

Featured image: (L-R): Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor and Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Photo by Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.