‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ First Reactions Are In: ‘Instantly One of My Favorite Marvel Movies’
Taika Waititi may have spent his post-“Thor: Ragnarok” success winning a screenplay Oscar for “Jojo Rabbit,” but the writer and director returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with flying colors next month with “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
Reuniting with star Chris Hemsworth and with Natalie Portman returning as Jane Foster, hopes are high for this next installment — and if initial reactions out of Thursday night’s LA premiere are any indication, the film does not disappoint.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” puts our hero up against one of his most formidable foes yet: Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) and powerful extraterrestrial hellbent on sending gods into extinction. He faces off with Gorr alongside Portman’s Foster, returning for the first time since 2013’s “Thor: The Dark World,” who also possesses the power of Thor. Tessa Thompson returns as Valkyrie, and the film co-stars “Guardians of the Galaxy” heavyweights Chris Pratt and others.
Hitting theaters on July 7, official reviews are embargoed until July 5, but the audience response from Thursday’s premiere is rather enthusiastic, giving us hope that after critical misfires like “Morbius” and the middling “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” audiences are in for a treat with “Love and Thunder.”
Catch some of those premiere reactions below.
#ThorLoveandThunder is fucking great. I think instantly one of my favorite Marvel movies – probably cause it’s easily the funniest, yet still had me choked up by the end. I hope Taika Waititi never stops making Thor movies.
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder might be my favorite Marvel movie and it also might be their very best. A sublime mixture of extreme silliness, dreamy surrealism and genuine emotion, with some of the most visually inventive set pieces in the MCU. Full of delightful surprises. Just great.
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder is electric! A wacky, high energy delight with a cast full of aces crushing one scene after the next. LOADS of laughs (my face legit hurts), menace of Christian Bale’s Gorr is chilling, but most of all loved that it’s a film brimming with good vibes & heart. pic.twitter.com/CjVHkxAprC
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) June 24, 2022
I LOVED #THORLOVEANDTHUNDER!!! It was hysterical and stunning and full of so much heart! I am so happy to tell you all how awesome it was! Also, the goats are my favorite characters! The film was pure joy! pic.twitter.com/Z4X1oB9agD
— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) June 24, 2022
What a rush! Thor: Love & Thunder is pure entertainment. It’s fun, emotional, it has moments of horror. Christian Bale is perfectly terrifying as Gorr. Natalie Portman is fantastic as the Mighty Thor. Chris Hemsworth is perfect. And the goats are GOATS. #thor #ThorLoveAndThunder pic.twitter.com/u9QhIPh0G9
— Wendy Lee Szany (@WendyLeeSzany) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder has very high highs & very low lows. It’s very Taika Waititi and is tonally all over the place. That said, the second half is way better than the first and I really loved what Christian Bale brought to the table. Also, Natalie Portman is fantastic as expected. pic.twitter.com/NCCsDS7bj2
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder is a vivid and vibrant blast that delivers. Hemsworth’s Thor remains a jewel in Marvel’s crown. Bale’s Gorr is a killer boogeyman blending the campy and the creepy. Portman’s Foster and Thompson’s Valkyrie are a top notch pairing. Crowe’s Zeus is *chef’s kiss* pic.twitter.com/PDb5SZRWOo
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) June 24, 2022
holy shit. #ThorLoveandThunder is the perfect blend of taika at his best with comedy and a punch to the gut all in one. i left this movie emotionally satisfied while also sobbing and just perfection. we stan a dad rock soundtrack. in the words of my new favorite characters: AHH pic.twitter.com/MytduVq89h
— it was rachatha all along (@RachelLeishman) June 24, 2022
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is a rockin’ great time with electrifying action, lots of laughs (the screaming goats!) & a profound story on absent gods & our desire for love. Natalie Portman makes a mighty return & Christian Bale slays it as the terrifying Gorr. The best Thor film yet! pic.twitter.com/s42SkqxlJj
— Matt Neglia @Tribeca (@NextBestPicture) June 24, 2022
I saw #ThorLoveAndThunder. It can't quite match the visual or comedy bombast of Ragnarok, but Taika Waititi makes up for it with an emotionally mature Marvel movie. It's also very funny (Natalie's got jokes) and features one of the most stunning visual sequences in MCU history.
— Jake (@jacobkleinman) June 24, 2022
THOR: LOVE & THUNDER is a TOTAL BLAST! Even BETTER than “RAGNAROK,” and one of the BEST MCU MOVIES! #ChrisHemsworth is a friggin’ ROCK STAR & #NataliePortman is a TOTAL BADASS! Director #TaikaWaititi has done it again! #ThorLoveAndThunder IS AWESOME! pic.twitter.com/JTEl6xB2xt
— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) June 24, 2022
If you, like me, take delight in watching Christian Bale slurp up the scenery while gobbing out that black ink Danny DeVito had in Batman Returns, then #ThorLoveAndThunder is for you.
— Joanna Robinson (@jowrotethis) June 24, 2022
Another classic Thor adventure! #ThorLoveAndThunder is everything I wanted it to be. Big, colorful, weird Guns N' Roses-fueled battles to go w/ a hopelessly romantic story about discovering love in unexpected places. Christian Bale & Russell Crowe are especially great. And Korg! pic.twitter.com/fu0gTUuMRj
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) June 24, 2022
This isn't just Thor or Jane's story. This is Valkyrie's story as well in #ThorLoveAndThunder. And Tessa Thompson's King Valkyrie being her most authentic self is something viewers will appreciate. Deeply.
— Lyra Hale
SDCC (@TheAltSource) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder has an Appetite For Destruction & laughs. It’s totally rad! Taika Waititi delivers a subversive, irreverent spectacle. Great story, stakes & character-building. Chris Hemsworth & Natalie Portman, superb.Russell Crowe & Christian Bale slip easily into the world pic.twitter.com/W7PUUXIfM5
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) June 24, 2022
#ThorLoveAndThunder is the funniest film in the MCU. The jokes are excellent as is the cast delivering them.
Christian Bale, obviously, is also terrifying as #Gorr
BUT, the plot felt flat and stakeless. Not sure if that's a #Thor problem or an MCU-without-a-big-bad problem. pic.twitter.com/G6XP9EyL0Y— Eric Italiano (@ericitaIiano) June 24, 2022
So, #ThorLoveAndThunder, I have Thoughts and Feelings, a lot of which are spoilers, some of them I'm not happy about. What I can talk about is something that the thing that made #ThorRagnarok such a breath of fresh air was how different it was from the other movies. pic.twitter.com/DaBs5LD5nr
— Kaitlyn Booth (@katiesmovies) June 24, 2022
Wow!! #ThorLoveandThunder is great! The best entry in Phase 4 behind Shang-Chi and No Way Home. I laughed. I cried. Then I laughed and cried some more, in that order. Natalie Portman is FINALLY given her due. Dr. Jane Foster is more than worthy of being the Mighty Thor.
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) June 24, 2022