Love conquers
MARVEL’S LATEST THOR INSTALMENT GETS RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
LEIGH PAATSCH
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (M)
Director: Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok)
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Russell Crowe
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Caught off his Asgard by an old flame and a new foe
The return of Chris Hemsworth’s mega-popular superhero Thor is certain to be warmly received by the massive Marvel fanbase.
Especially those who could use some light relief from all that heavy, head-hurting multiverse stuff that seems to be fuelling Marvel’s storytelling engines these days.
While Love and Thunder does not quite match its predecessor Thor: Ragnarok for humour (the jokes are more hit-miss this time) or excitement (the action scenes get quite samey after a while), it is superior in terms of giving off genuine warmth and heart.
As we join the main storyline of Love and Thunder, Thor has gotten rid of that Avengers: Endgame gut and gained auxiliary membership of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Star-Lord, Groot and the gang stick around for one mid-strength battle sequence until Thor’s flamboyantly self-celebratory fighting style forces an amicable parting of ways.
Thor does not remain a solo act for long, however. The long lost love of his everlasting life, the brilliant Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is back on the scene.
On the evidence displayed in Thor’s early movie adventures, the couple always seemed incredibly well-matched. That is until they broke up for reasons never really made clear (somewhere between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ragnarok).
Over a fun, nostalgic flashback or two, the new movie reveals those reasons, and then swiftly proceeds to re-establishing and enhancing a credible loving bond between the pair.
Marvel movies never really bother with slowing down and building romantic relationships that feel real and earned. Love and Thunder takes time out to go there, and its touching depiction of Thor and Jane’s bond pays off at the times the picture could be in danger of fizzing up too much or fizzling out too soon.
As for the reasons for Jane’s sudden return, let’s not go there … in the interests of keeping everything as spoiler-free as possible.
However, it can be hinted that in certain circumstances, Jane can now hold her own in situations once only best handled by a burly, blokey god like Thor.
In fact, there is one situation brewing where Thor could use all the help he can get. A gruesomelooking fellow named Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is on a one-man mission to rid the galaxy of every god in existence.
Gorr is already getting dangerously close to completing his mission when he catches Thor’s attention by abducting all of the children in Thor’s spiritual HQ of New Asgard.
Landing an actor of Bale’s high calibre to play Love and Thunder’s principal (and seemingly invincible) villain is a major coup on Marvel’s part, and the former Batman does not let his side of the bargain down with a committed and immersive display.
It will be interesting to see what audiences make of some of the movie’s other casting choices in both the support and cameo ranks. While some big names do appear, their presence is not always used to best effect.
The most obvious example is the use of Russell Crowe as the (literal) heavyweight of the gods, the one and only Zeus.
While Rusty throws some very amusing shapes as he presents his character as a flabby, crabby and pompous sleaze, Waititi’s uncharacteristically uncertain writing and direction in these scenes fails to capitalise on such a breakout performance.
Hardline Marvel fans will also be left scratching their heads as to why such a vivid and happening character like Thor’s longtime ally Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is given such slender attention in this instalment.
Thor: Love and Thunder is in cinemas now
SUNDOWN (MA15+) ★★★1/2☆
A major performance in a minor key from veteran British actor Tim Roth is the reason to be seeing this intimidating psychological drama.
Roth plays Neil, a man with a lot on his mind and little to say about it. It only takes a glance to determine this is someone who has been pushed too far in the past, and will be keeping his distance in the future. As for right here and now, Neil gives off a vibe of someone who is both barely there and barely cares.
Just check out his moves in the haunting opening act of Sundown. Neil is the most inactive participant in a lazy, hazy family holiday at a fancy Mexican resort. Then comes a phone call which forces everyone to snap to attention. Someone back home in England is gravely ill, and everyone must
hurriedly pack and dash to the airport before it is too late.
But not Neil. Minutes before takeoff, Neil announces he has lost his passport and will have to catch a later flight. He has no intention of doing so. Instead, he taxis to another town, checks into a cheap hotel, and starts drinking, sleeping and ignoring phone calls from an increasingly agitated family.
Clues to the mystery surrounding Neil’s inertia in the face of imminent tragedy are dripfed into the story at clinical intervals in frustratingly small doses. And yet, the movie will not let you out of its grip for a moment as the (lack of) motivation behind Neil’s retreat from responsibility is slowly revealed.
Co-starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Sundown is now showing in selected cinemas