Critics (mostly) love Thor: Love and Thunder

Marvel Studios held the world premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder the other night, and the first impressions are coming in. On the whole, they are effusive. Check out a sampling of some of the most breathless praise:

• @PNemiroff: “#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.”
• @griffschiller: “#ThorLoveAndThunder just cemented itself as one of my favorite MCU films. Bursting w/so much heart, emotion & sincerity, I teared up, I smiled from ear to ear. This film is a warm hug & plea to cherish the present, live in the moment do something that matters. I adore this film!”
• @bamfpire: “#ThorLoveAndThunder is absolutely AMAZING. It blows every other Marvel movie out of the water, and doubles down on the Ragnarok charm. A classic @TaikaWaititi
  joint, so many laughs and tears, with a moving narrative and beautiful visuals. And those post credits? OH MY GOD.”
• @ErikDavis: “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!”

Thor: Love and Thunder features the return of Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder…or at least, the former God of Thunder who’s now traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy following the events of Avengers: Endgame. His old job has been taken up by his former flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Meanwhile, a villain named Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) is going around butchering gods. There are a lot of elements to play with, but if anybody can manage them, it’s director Taika Waititi.

Critics praise Natalie Portman’s performance in Thor: Love and Thunder

Several critics singled out the return of Natalie Portman as a particular highlight:

• @KirstenAcuna: “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.”
• @Hectorisfunny: “#ThorLoveAndThunder is rad as hell. Taika Waititi delivered a perfect remix of Marvel comics I deeply love. It was super funny, ridiculously exciting, and genuinely inspirational. I’m very, very happy Natalie Portman returned. Can’t wait to see it again (in 3D)!”
• @RichardNebens: “#ThorLoveAndThunder is predictably hilarious yet unexpectedly personal and heartfelt. Christian Bale and Natalie Portman’s performances truly shine while Waititi delivers an emotional story. I think this may be my favorite Thor movie.”

That said, not everyone gave unqualified praise. Pretty much everyone seemed to like the movie, but a couple didn’t think it quite measure up to Waititi’s last Thor picture: Ragnarok.

• @jacobkleinman: “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.”
• @strangeharbors: “#ThorLoveAndThunder is a bright spot in a wobbly Phase 4 as Ragnarok redux, down to its goofy lark humor and its undercooked A-list star as villain. Unconcerned with cameos and fan service, it feels like a tonic. Much better/funnier than the sum of its unimpressive marketing.”

And a couple of people were slightly more harsh:

• @KristianHarloff: “There was a lot that worked with #ThorLoveAndThunder Visually it looked great, Jane and Thor storyline is the best it’s been, Bale shines but unfortunately I thought the comedy overpowered the film. If you go in expecting a big comedy you’ll enjoy. I was expecting a little more.”
• @ScottDMenzel: “#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.”

But of course, impressions are just that; we can decide for ourselves how good Thor 4 is when it hits theaters.

Thor: Love and Thunder comes out on July 8.

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h/t Collider