Film

Thor: Love and Thunder

Name: Thor: Love and Thunder
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Comedy
Released: 2022
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi's Thor film is a candy-colored action-comedy that treats gods like a dysfunctional found family. It swings between genuinely funny character moments and spectacular fight scenes, rarely landing perfectly on either but committed to both. Expect bright, wacky energy and emotional sincerity wrestling for screen time.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

Thor: Ragnarok2017

Waititi's first Thor film nails the tonal balance this one reaches for—genuinely hilarious, visually inventive, with real stakes underneath the jokes. If you loved the vibe here, this is where it all started perfectly.

But It's been five years and you've probably already seen it. Also, this film's tone is partly Ragnarok chasing its own high.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22017

James Gunn also juggles irreverent humor with sincere emotion and space-opera spectacle. Colorful, funny, character-driven, with a villain who's genuinely sympathetic. The DNA is all over Love and Thunder.

But Structurally messier than the first Guardians, and it asks you to care about relationships you barely know yet. Some of the humor lands softer than it means to.

Thor: The Dark World2013

It's the predecessor that introduced Jane as a serious player in Thor's world. Revisiting it shows how far the character—and the films—have come. Dark, moody, genuinely beautiful in places.

But It's the MCU film most people forget exists. Slower, less funny, and the plot winds through murk. Jane's underused here compared to Love and Thunder.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Thor: Love and Thunder

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Four Lions2010

Both films swing wildly between tones—comedy and violence, sincerity and absurdity—but Four Lions proves it's possible to do so without the contradictions showing. It's the template for what Love and Thunder is trying.

Chris Morris directs a comedy about incompetent British jihadists. Searingly funny, morally serious, tonally impossible—it finds humor in atrocity without softening it. If you want to see what happens when tone-mixing is truly mastered.

But Bleak subject matter played for laughs. Genuinely uncomfortable. Not a movie you enjoy so much as survive and think about after.

Deadpool 22018

Similar tonal gymnastics: crude jokes and heart, action and genuine stakes, a movie that's silly and somehow moving. Ryan Reynolds doing irreverent comedy while things get dark. Same energy, different universe.

But R-rated crudeness throughout. Longer than necessary, and some jokes land better on rewatches. The plot is less important than the voice.

What We Do in the Shadows2014

Taika Waititi co-wrote and directed this comedy mockumentary about vampires. It's proof he's genuinely funny—character comedy, deadpan delivery, a format that feels fresh. His comedic sensibility distilled.

But No action, no spectacle, no Marvel. It's a small, intimate comedy that moves slowly. Very different from Thor's scale.

Eternals2021

Another MCU film grappling with ensemble cast chaos and cosmic stakes. Pretty, ambitious, tries to do something different tonally within the franchise. Zhao's direction gives it genuine visual weight.

But Bloated and confusing, with too many characters and unclear thematic priorities. It doesn't land its tonal mix as well as Love and Thunder does.

Thor2011

The origin film that introduced Chris Hemsworth as Thor and established the character before Waititi reinvented him. A useful foundation if you want to see how far the character has traveled.

But It's earnest where modern Thor films are ironic. Slower pacing, less humor, feels very much like a 2011 superhero film. Jane is barely there.

Iron Man 32013

Shane Black's MCU film leans into character comedy and banter as much as action. Robert Downey Jr. doing wry humor while emotionally wrecked. Similar balance of funny and sincere.

But The divisive Mandarin twist still upsets people. Downbeat for a superhero film. Less visually spectacular than Love and Thunder.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2021

Recent MCU film that blends humor, heart, spectacle, and genuine character arcs. It respects its ensemble and its emotional beats while staying fun. Proof the formula can work.

But Less comedy-forward than Love and Thunder. Some action sequences feel digital and weightless. The humor is gentler, not as laugh-out-loud.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings poster

The Adam Project2022

Both center on a beloved action hero forced to reckon with love and loss beneath explosions and wisecracks. Both treat the emotion seriously even as the movie winks at the camera.

Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy make a time-travel action film that's genuinely about fatherhood and regret under the jokes and fights. Bright, colorful, funny, but the emotional core never breaks character.

But Formulaic Netflix action. The plot is thin and obvious. Reynolds' jokes can feel reflexive. It's comfort food, not revelation.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

It's Waititi's most sincere film, a reminder that the heart in Love and Thunder—the stuff about family and loss—is what he genuinely cares about. This is the director without the noise.

Taika Waititi film about an old man and a foster kid in the New Zealand wilderness. Funny, tender, achingly human. It's Waititi doing quiet character work—proving his range and showing where his heart actually is.

But Completely different from Love and Thunder's scale. No action, no spectacle, no jokes at the size you're used to. Slow, intimate, deeply unglamorous.