6 reasons why ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is the summer movie experience Marvel fans need

One of the most anticipated films of the year is finally lining up for release, with ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ emerging as a top contender to cash in on the Eid Al Adha box office in most of the Arab world, including the UAE. The Marvel Studios production is already gunning for a record-breaking theatrical run, one that could very well leave the Webbed Wonder swinging in the dust with its worldwide $1.89 billion box-office tally for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which released in December last year.

Chris Hemsworth returns as the God of Thunder, only this time, he has to contend with his beloved hammer, Mjolnir, being wielded by his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who has suited up as the Mighty Thor.

With Taika Waititi (pictured with Hemsworth) helming this madcap adventure and a deadly new villain in the form of Gorr, here’s a look at why ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is the must-watch film of the season.

Chris Hemsworth. That is all: Since 2011, Thor has appeared in seven MCU features as well as ‘What If …?’, the Disney+ animated series, becoming the first character to lead four franchise films. To fans around the world, Hemsworth personifies Thor in every way and in this film the actor leading the charge feels compelled to explore and evolve his role. “There was a huge amount of pressure coming into this,” said Hemsworth. “Thor is the only character to make a fourth film so far, so I wanted to do something different. I want to always do better with this character.”

And while on the subject of singing his praises, Hemsworth has also confirmed this adventure will not signal the end to his superhero flex. In fact, in an interview with AP, Hemsworth confirmed that he is far from retiring from this role. “I love the experience, and I have from day one. Each time I’ve been asked back I’ve said ‘Absolutely let’s go.’ I’ve been lucky to have different directors and writers and cast to also inject different stories and energy into the films. Until the audience, the fans, the Marvel gods say, ‘No, we’ve had enough,’ then I’ll keep showing up. I love it. It’s good fun.”

All hail the Mighty Thor: It was about time a woman stepped up to wield Mjolnir and who better than Portman’s Jane Foster to earn the title as the Mighty Thor. The actress, who portrayed Jane Foster in 2011’s ‘Thor’ and 2013’s ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ was also thrilled about her return to the MCU.

“Taika came over to my house to talk because I’d been out of the Marvel world for a while. When he explained how Jane would become the Mighty Thor, it was fascinating to consider what that experience could be like. Working on the film was a really exciting challenge because it was so improvisatory, and Taika really keeps you on your toes,” Portman revealed about her big MCU comeback.

And Jane will be no simpering damsel in distress either with the powerful hammer in hand. “In previous films, Jane was a scientist who needs help being saved by Thor, but in this film, she’s seeking her own solutions and taking her own journey. She’s fighting alongside Thor and they’re a team, but Jane is very much paving her own path, which has been really exciting,” added Portman, who had to famously bulk up for the role. “It was really fun to get to train, for the first time in my life, to be strong. As women, we’re usually training to get as small as possible, so it’s exciting to work towards being bigger. I worked with a great trainer, Naomi Pendergast, and also trained with the whole stunt team,” she added.

Gorr the God Butcher: With his first appearance in the ‘Thor: God of Thunder’ comics nearly a decade ago, the menacing backstory of Gorr comes from a place of real hardship whose bond with All-Black, the first symbiote and the ancient Knull puts him on a path of pure evil.

In the film, Christian Bale is unrecognisable as Gorr, so much so that both Portman and Hemsworth were taken aback when he was revealed in full costume. “All of us were actually a little scared in Gorr’s presence,” said Portman, with Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie in the film adding: “Christian as Gorr was mesmerising. He does that thing that Marvel villains do so well, which is that you see their villainy comes from pain, from some unprocessed trauma.” Speaking at a virtual press conference, Bale spoke about finding ‘great pleasure in playing a villain’. “It’s a lot easier to play a villain than it is to play a hero. Chris had a much tougher job. Everyone is fascinated with bad guys immediately. And then the beauty of it is that Taika can make it bloody hilarious and then really moving as well. And I don’t know if it’s pushing it too much to say sympathy, but certainly you sort of understand maybe why this guy is making awful decisions,” Bale said.

Thor’s mid-life crisis: When Thor first appears in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, he’s clearly experiencing an existential crisis, having recently suffered a series of brutal blows. He’s lost family and friends, his home of Asgard, Mjolnir and his battle with Thanos — not to mention his physique.

He’s also lost his will to lead, as King of New Asgard, and after Iron Man’s snap restores the Universe, Thor bestows his title upon Valkyrie and hitches a ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy. “Thor travels off with the Guardians and — much to their discomfort and irritation — plants himself firmly in the centre of their posse and tries to dictate how things should be run,” said Hemsworth. As ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ opens, Thor has declared his superhero days over and sets out to discover the man he’s truly meant to be. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ also reveals more about Jane and Thor’s relationship and eventual breakup, allowing both Hemsworth and Portman to showcase their comedic chops. “Natalie was hugely enthusiastic and up for anything collaborative, with a great sense of humour,” says Hemsworth. “This is a very different direction for the character, so it was like a rebirth. She was down for it. It was so much fun.”

Madness of Taika Waititi: If you’ve ever watched ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, then you will understand the madcap genius behind the façade of Waititi. The New Zealand filmmaker, who has an Academy Award, a BAFTA and a Grammy to his name, returns to the MCU nearly five years after he directed Hemsworth in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. Hemsworth described him as a ‘big kid’, adding: “His imagination is second to none. He’s fascinated by new ideas and will throw himself into something that makes him laugh. There’s never a dull moment, and I just love working with him. From the very first time we worked together, I knew we had a great thing. It’s about doing something new and not being stuck in one lane. We’ve become great friends and that’s certainly a huge advantage when working together because you can just call each other out and cut straight to the point.”

Portman agreed, but had a philosophical explanation: “I think Taika is really good at reflecting the reality of life — it’s dark and comedic all at once. Most of the time, when we’re in our darkest moments, we try and deflect with humour. Sometimes it’s funny because the darkest parts of life can be completely absurd. Taika really knows how to find that and knows how important the silly is when the world is falling down. It’s a dangerous and difficult balancing act, but somehow Taika manages it in an extraordinary way.” | Tessa Thompson with Taika Waititi and Natalie Portman

The band is back together: With the galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher on the loose, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg (played by Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane, with a little help from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Together, they venture out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and, needless to say, there will be top-notch entertainment at every turn. “Playing a superhero who bucks convention, who is so strong and resilient, is amazing,” says Thompson. “The truly exciting thing about the MCU is the idea that your superpower derives from the things that have happened to you, the traumas, the things that make you ostracised. But the things that make you different are also what make you spectacular.”

Did you know? According Chris Hemsworth, his Thor has more costume changes in this ‘Love and Thunder’ than the last six films combined. “Thor’s sort of searching for his identity and that’s represented in his wardrobe. The costumes and the sets aesthetically match the energy of the film — they’re another colour to the painting,” Hemsworth said.

Don’t miss it! ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is out in UAE cinemas on July 7.