#love and thunder review

[oathkeeperoxas]

I watched and ranked every Tom Cruise movie so you don’t have to

Simple premise: 45 movies. One actor. Ranked from worst to best, on a sliding scale of -2 to 6 (scoring will make sense as you read).

Technical score is judged on how well the plot is constructed and how well the characters grow and serve their role in the narrative throughout the movie, as well as how well the narrative is written. Enjoyment score is judged on how much I liked the movie: no stars = didn’t like, 1 star = like, 2 star = really like. Bonus star is awarded at my discretion, for reasons such as costuming, soundtrack, particularly stand out acting, etc. Sexism modifier is a negative if women are treated badly, but can add an extra point if the movie gives women their rights. Overall score at the end determines where they sit in the rankings of this post, with movies having the same score in the order I liked them most.

Vanilla Sky (2001) – David Aames (Starring)

One sentence summary: A man’s reality begins to warp and he is forced to question what is real, and what isn’t.

Technical: -

Enjoyment: - 

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥💥

Review: This is a bad movie. Weird acting throughout. Nonsensical plot. Terrible treatment of the women. Definitely the worst movie Tom Cruise has starred in!

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Tropic Thunder (2008) – Les Grossman (Supporting)

One sentence summary: Five actors who are filming a war movie are dropped into a real war zone completely unaware, and must use their wits to escape back to their movie set.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥

Review: LOTS of choices made in this movie! Very few of them good! Why was RDJ in blackface? Was I supposed to find this entertaining? Was any of this necessary? Doubtful. Jack Black and Jay Baruchel had great comedic presences, and honestly the acting and casting was spot on for what the movie wanted, which is why I gave it one technical star.

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Endless Love (1981) – Billy (Cameo)

One sentence summary: A teenage romance goes wrong when a boyfriend burns down his girlfriend’s house in an attempt to win the approval of her parents.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥

Review: They made movies differently in the 80s, I think. The plot is insane, the main characters unrelatable – or maybe I’m just too long out of high school. In any case, this was Tom Cruise’s debut film, and he did it in booty shorts while advising his friend to pretend to set his girlfriend’s house on fire, leading to him actually setting his girlfriend’s house on fire, and it was the best part of this movie. What a way to start a career.

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The Mummy (2017) – Sgt. Nick Morton (Starring)

One sentence summary: After disrupting a tomb, Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) must defeat The Mummy.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥

Review: Yeah… there’s a reason this movie is a meme. Cruise’s acting feels weak, the plot is verging on nonsensical, and the special effects made me laugh. A rare miss in Cruise’s later years of acting!

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Mission: Impossible 2 (2002) – Ethan Hunt (Starring)

One sentence summary: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must stop a plague by teaming up with a thief who knows the man who intends to kick off the disaster.

Technical: -

Enjoyment: - 

Movie: ⭐

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥

Review: One star is discretionarily awarded because it’s set in Sydney and I recognise a lot of the locations they filmed in. Though I have no clue how Luther was getting internet connection on a sheep farm out somewhere in western NSW. Did they have satellite internet in 2002?

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Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – Dr. William Harford (Starring)

One sentence summary: After his wife confesses to fantasising about cheating on him, Dr William Harford (Tom Cruise) toys with the idea of actually cheating on her, and has an insane night out in the process.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: 💥

Review: Well SOMETHING happened in this movie. Hot tip, do not go into this one blind on Saturday movie night with your family in attendance. I think, personally, that Dr Hartford could have just sat down with his wife and asked her if she wanted to get into roleplay instead of doing all that. Also, did we really need to see Nicole Kidman pissing? I just really think that wasn’t necessary.

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Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) – Himself as Austin Powers (Cameo)

One sentence summary: Austin Powers must stop Dr. Evil from world domination by travelling back in time to 1975.

Technical: -

Enjoyment: - 

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: 💥

Review: This is some blend of satire and crack, and I’m not really enjoying the flavour. Tom Cruise’s cameo is pretty funny, though.

_

War of the Worlds (2005) – Ray Ferrier (Starring)

One sentence summary: When aliens land and start destroying Earth, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) must do all he can to keep his family alive.

Technical: -

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: 💥

Review: Well… this exists, I guess. Some of these old sci fi novels should not be made into movies. They were not meant for the big screen. Not even Tom Cruise can save this one.

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All the Right Moves (1983) – Stefen Djordjevic (Starring)

One sentence summary: After a disagreement with a teacher, Stefen (Tom Cruise) thinks that he might never get to college and never leave his hometown.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: 💥

Review: This sure exists. Very unmemorable, even while I was watching it. Generic in music, plot, character, and romance. Anticlimactic ending too!

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The Color of Money (1986) – Vincent Lauria (Starring)

One sentence summary: Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) tries to make money by playing pool, but is too good at it for the betting scheme his mentor attempts to set up in order to get rich.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: 💥

Review: I will admit I found this movie fairly uninteresting, though I enjoyed Tom Cruise’s wild haircut. Nothing but respect for Vincent’s “Vince” shirt, however.

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Days of Thunder (1990) – Cole Trickle (Starring)

One sentence summary: A street racer is pulled onto the Nascar track, where his attitude gets him into trouble with his team, other drivers, and the woman he’s interested in.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: ⭐ 

Review: Two sexism bangs for Nicole Kidman’s ‘romance’ scenes (girl why did you come back to do more movies with this man). The car racing is pretty cool though. I am partial to a good car race, I must admit.

_

Interview with the Vampire (1994) – Lestat de Lioncourt (Supporting)

One sentence summary: A vampire sits down with a reporter to tell the story of his life: one that starts with how he was turned into the vampire, and continues to the present day.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐ 

Review: Lots of stuff going on in this movie. However, mostly I agree with the well known review that spawned a thousand memes: “Not gay enough.”

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The Outsiders (1983) – Steve Randle  (Supporting)

One sentence summary: Two friends are caught up in the complicated politics between the “Socs” and “greasers” gangs; when one friend accidentally kills a rival, they go on the run from the police before returning home to face court, their family, and the opposing gang.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐ 

Review: Patrick Swayze is kinda carrying this movie honestly. Though Tom Cruise’s denim on denim, wild accent, cake-stuffed-in-face beat ‘em up sure is a performance too. You can tell this is an old movie by how affectionate the boys were allowed to be with each other. Absolutely none of that around nowadays.

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Mission: Impossible (1996) – Ethan Hunt (Starring)

One sentence summary: When his team of Impossible Mission Force agents are killed, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must track down the person responsible. 

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: ⭐ 

Review: While there are many (many, many, many) liberties taken with reality in order for this movie to be made, it is iconic for a reason. That being said, the wild subplot of Ethan’s tutor trying to set Ethan up with his wife sure was something! Bonus points for starting such an iconic franchise and, of course, the spy movie scene of dropping from the ceiling and barely not hitting the floor.

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Magnolia (1999) – Frank T.J. Mackey (Supporting)

One sentence summary: I don’t know how to summarise this movie. Taking suggestions from the audience.

Technical: ⭐⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: ⭐

Review: I don’t know how to review this movie. Was NOT expecting the frogs, that came out of left field to be sure. I think Kubrick’s vision passed me over. Anyway, two sexism bangs for having Tom Cruise invent the incel motivational speaker 😭

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Born on the Fourth of July (1989) – Ron Kovic (Starring)

One sentence summary: Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) signs up to the Army, fights in the war, and deals with the repercussions when he comes home.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐ 

Review: This movie suffers from the same problem that all movies which are ‘true stories’ have, which is that life rarely neatly fits into a narrative structure, but it manages fairly well anyway. Bonus points given for the BTS trivia that apparently Cruise asked to be injected with some drug that would temporarily paralyse him so he could experience what it was like to improve his acting??? Cruise’s insurance company wisely refused to let him do this.

_

Minority Report (2002) – John Anderton (Starring)

One sentence summary: In a future where murderers are arrested before they commit their crime, Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is predicted to kill a man he’s never met – and must escape his own police force in order to prove his innocence.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐ 

Review: I had to watch this about 10 times in high school so I was hesitant to come back to it now, but it’s an okay watch when I’m not discussing its contribution to dystopian literature.

_

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) – Ethan Hunt (Starring)

One sentence summary: On the hunt for the two parts of a key which will allow him to control a new AI threat, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must sacrifice in order to save the world.

Technical: -

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: ⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐

Review: Media very rarely gets plots around AI right, and this one unfortunately misses the mark. It asks no new or interesting questions about how AI is being used or will be used in our modern world, and seems to take a detour from previous Mission Impossible films in terms of tone and consistency of plot. However, Haley Atwell slaps absolute ass, and there are genuinely funny and enjoyable scenes scattered at random throughout the movie, so it definitely could be worse.

_

Legend (1985) – Jack (Starring)

One sentence summary: After a princess plunges her kingdom into endless winter, she must reverse the curse to save the land.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: -

Bonus: -

Sexism: ⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐

Review: A win for diversity! The princess almost ends the world, and also is allowed to save it! Special effects were pretty decent for the mid-80s, even if the plot was a bit basic. Seeing Tom Cruise go all Tarzan and also have a sword was very good, however.

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Oblivion (2013) – Jack Harper (Starring)

One sentence summary: Jack Harper’s (Tom Cruise) mission in life is to protect the last of humanity – or so he thinks.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: -

Overall: ⭐⭐

Review: Morgan Freeman steals the show here. I enjoyed the plot twist both at the middle and the end of the movie, and the ending scene wrapped everything up emotionally. 

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American Made (2017) – Barry Seal (Starring)

One sentence summary: Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) works triple time for big money while dodging the law, taking aerial photos for the CIA, smuggling cocaine into the USA for the Medellín Cartel, and delivering guns to the Nicaraguan Contras based in Honduras.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐ 

Review: A movie that’s “based on a true story” and which does it right. The informational sections were balanced neatly with the character development and exploration of what this amount of money might do to a family. 

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Rock of Ages (2012) – Stacee Jaxx (Supporting)

One sentence summary: Two burgeoning singers meet at a rock bar, which needs to put on a hell of a show in order to avoid closing down.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall:  ⭐⭐

Review: Extra points for the killer soundtrack. Otherwise, this movie is fairly unmemorable. Tom Cruise’s hairstyle sure was a choice though!

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Taps (1983) – Capt. David Shawn (Supporting)

One sentence summary: When the students of a military boarding school hear that their school is to be shut down, they stage a protest that rapidly spirals out of hand.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐ 

Review: It’s hard to have sexism in a movie where there are literally no women, so this one is getting a default 💥. Other than the fact that women don’t exist, this was a pretty good movie, with the extra star granted for the depth of character portrayed, Tom Cruise’s buzzcut, and the acting of all the younger kids on set. 

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Rain Man (1988) – Charlie Babbitt (Starring)

One sentence summary: After his father dies, Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) discovers he has a brother after he inherits everything in his father’s will. 

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐ 

Review: I really liked how this movie showed that despite how money-hungry Charlie Babbitt originally appears, he goes through an entire journey where he realises how important family is – no matter what form that takes. To see a main male character reflect and regret on his poor relationship with his father and also express the ups and downs of other emotions throughout this movie is refreshing, and Tom Cruise does an excellent job at portraying the journey taken. While it’s obvious he prefers action movies, I actually think Cruise’s true strength is in the dramas he does.

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Top Gun (1986) – Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Starring)

One sentence summary: Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) attempts to prove that he’s the best Naval Aviator by winning the Top Gun trophy, and also by winning the heart of his teacher too.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥💥

Overall: ⭐⭐

Review: Wow. There’s a LOT going on here. It’s impossible to discuss Top Gun without mentioning the blistering sexism that pervades this movie, but since it’s about the Navy in the 80s, no one should be surprised it’s there. However, it also manages to be one of the gayest movies of the decade. Contains multitudes! Bonus points for Val Kilmer’s amazing performance and the insane homoerotic tension that is as inextricable from this movie as the sexism is.

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Valkyrie (2008) – Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Starring)

One sentence summary: Before D-Day, a plot to kill Hilter from within the German government unfolds.

Technical: ⭐⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: 💥

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: Full of tension and drama, this is a ‘based on a true story’ movie that’s done right (probably because liberties were no doubt taken). A different type of WWII movie, I definitely liked this one. Bonus star for the set and costuming, which were truly excellent.

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Lions for Lambs (2007) – Senator Jasper Irving (Supporting)

One sentence summary: Over 90 minutes in real time, 2 marines defend a position in Afghanistan, a Senator is interviewed on a new military strategy, and a college student decides if he’s going to commit to his classes or not.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: -

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: I’m not American, and it’s not 2007 anymore, but this still hit really hard. Excellent use of the real time narrative to drive the story home deliver the message to the audience.

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Cocktail (1988) – Brian Flanagan (Starring)

One sentence summary: While attending university, Brian Flanagan finds work as a bartender to pay the bills before he finds the way he’s going to get rich – and finds friendship and love along the way.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: -

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: This soundtrack slaps, it’s a cute romcom, and there are cool bartending tricks scattered throughout. It also deals with some more serious topics, but these add to the depth of character and the main relationship to bring extra flavour to the movie.

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Losin' It (1983) – Woody (Starring)

One sentence summary: Four friends travel to Mexico in order to party hard and lose their virginity.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐⭐

Bonus: -

Sexism: -

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: The second half of the movie is far better than the first, with a spiralling series of events that had me laughing at every new development. Tom Cruise playing the straight laced kid was a genius decision, and I can see why he repeated this type of role a few times in future movies. 

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Far and Away (1992) – Joseph Donelly (Starring)

One sentence summary: Irishman Joseph Donelly (Tom Cruise) joins forces with Shannon Christie (Nicole Kidman) to cross the sea to America, where they aspire to travel to Oklahoma in order to start a new life, where land is being given away for free.

Technical: ⭐

Enjoyment: ⭐

Bonus: ⭐

Sexism: ⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review: Very much the best of the movies that Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise collaborated on, I did enjoy this one from start to finish. The costumes are great, but the bonus points go to how bloody and beat up Tom Cruise consistently is in this movie. Yes, go and get back into that fighting ring again. It’s good for my health.

(continued in the next reblog because tumblr will only let me add 30 images per post)

[claypotz]

the movie came out awhile ago but I was thinking about it again and man I’m disappointed so many people hated on renfield it was such a fun movie

[tinyreviews]

After 4 episodes, the series finally grows on me. I actually look forward to what genre of story each new episode is.

[solarisflims]

8/10

Was pretty good if you skip like 10(or 9) minutes of the beginning because that was a little too weird/disturbing for me,but its a super fun movie and I liked it alot I just had to skip past a few lgbtq moments & unnecessary inappropriate jokes in zeus scenes & the villain guy scaring the kids,but its not that bad overall. Also seeing Thor & Starlord interacting was so funny I loved it. Dont know why some people were saying it didnt seem finished/was all over the place/wasnt good. It seemed very finished & was just another good marvel movie end of story & I would watch it again for sure.

[the-haunted-star]

Quick take on

[marklikely]

my toxic trait is that people can not convince me to watch the dnd movie i refuse because the trailer is just that bad

[legion1227]

Movies watched in 2022: Ranked!

128. Firestarter (2022) (1/5)

127. They/Them (1/5)

126. The Car: Road to Revenge (1/5)

125. Mulan 2 (1/5)

124. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) (1/5)

123. The Incredible Hulk (1.5/5)

122. Checkered Ninja (1.5/5)

121. Anger Management (1.5/5)

120. Dear Evan Hansen (1.5/5)

119. Fruit Basket: Prelude (1.5/5)

118. Heathers (2/5)

117. Remember Me (2/5)

116. Me Time (2/5)

115. Eyes Wide Shut (2/5)

114. Adam Project (2/5)

113. Hellraiser (2022) (2/5)

112. Don't Worry Darling (2/5)

111. Vacation (2/5)

110. Home Team (2/5)

109. Free Guy (2/5)

108. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar (2/5)

107. Morbius (2/5)

106. Pinocchio (2022) (2/5)

105. Dynasty Warriors (2/5)

104. Black Adam (2.5/5)

103. Nomadland (2.5/5)

102. Crouching Tiger: Sword of Destiny (2.5/5)

101. Teacher of the Year (2.5/5)

100. Halloween Ends (2.5/5)

99. Clerks 2 (2.5/5)

98. Hocus Pocus 2 (2.5/5)

97. Old (2.5/5)

96. Dazed and Confused (2.5/5)

95. The Kings' Man (2.5/5)

94. The Butterfly Effect (2.5/5)

93. Beast (2.5/5)

92. Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (3/5)

91. A Christmas Story: Christmas (3/5)

90. Disenchanted (3/5)

89. Green Street Hooligans (3/5)

88. Sing 2 (3/5)

87. Ticket to Paradise (3/5)

86. Willow (3/5)

85. War Dogs (3/5)

84. Enchanted (3/5)

83. Think Like A Man (3/5)

82. Frankenweenie (3/5)

81. Cinderella 2 (3/5)

80. West Side Story (2021) (3/5)

79. Shrek the Third (3/5)

78. Eternals (3/5)

77. Uncharted (3/5)

76. Bee Movie (3/5)

75. Zombieland: Double Tap (3/5)

74. This is Where I Leave You (3/5)

73. Paddington (3/5)

72. Hot Tub Time Machine (3/5)

71. The Cursed (3/5)

70. Liar Liar (3/5)

69. Inception (3/5)

68. Thor: Love and Thunder (3.5/5)

67. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (3.5/5)

66. Zombieland (3.5/5)

65. DC League of Superpets (3.5/5)

64. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (3.5/5)

63. Jackass 4.5 (3.5/5)

62. Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers (3.5/5)

61. The Barbarian (3.5/5)

60. Turning Red (3.5/5)

59. Coda (3.5/5)

58. Jackass 2 (3.5/5)

57. Jackass The Movie (3.5/5)

56. One Piece: Strong World (3.5/5)

55. Rango (3.5/5)

54. Dumb and Dumber (3.5/5)

53. Airplane (3.5/5)

52. The Bad Guys (3.5/5)

51. How to Train Your Dragon (3.5/5)

50. The Batman (3.5/5)

49. Bruno (3.5/5)

48. Scream (2022) (3.5/5)

47. The Social Network (3.5/5)

46. Smile (3.5/5)

45. The Terminal (3.5/5)

44. Bullet Train (3.5/5)

43. Encanto (3.5/5)

42. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (3.5/5)

41. Austin Powers: Goldmember  (4/5)

40. Entergalactic  (4/5)

39. Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Plantasm  (4/5)

38. Regular Show: The Movie   (4/5)

37. Pearl   (4/5)

36. The Northman   (4/5)

35. The Tindler Swindler  (4/5)

34. One Piece: Film Z   (4/5)

33. White Men can't Jump   (4/5)

32. Dog   (4/5)

31. Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent   (4/5)

30. Jarhead   (4/5)

29. Lightyear   (4/5)

28. Palm Springs   (4/5)

27. Shutter Island   (4/5)

26. Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness   (4/5)

25. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch   (4/5)

24. Batman: The Long Halloween   (4/5)

23. Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio   (4/5)

22. Prey   (4/5)

21. Nope   (4/5)

20. Blindspotting  (4/5)

19. There Will Be Blood   (4/5)

18. La La Land   (4/5)

17. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story   (4/5)

16. True Romance   (4/5)

15. Cast Away   (4/5)

14. Shrek 2   (4/5)

13. Whiplash   (4/5)

12. Batman Begins   (4/5)

11. Glass Onion   (4/5)

10. American Psycho   (4/5)

9. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero   (4/5)

8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever   (4/5)

7. The Last Duel  (4.5/5)

6. Jujitsu Kaisen 0   (4.5/5)

5. City of God   (4.5/5)

4. Training Day   (4.5/5)

3. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once   (4.5/5)

2. I Like it Like That   (4.5/5)

Mitchells vs The Machines   (4.5/5)

[ordinaryschmuck]

Salutations random people on the internet who are already scrolling past this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

Now that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has closed out Phase Four, I figured it's time to finally do something I haven't done yet: Discuss the movies in Phase Four. I shared my thoughts on the shows, reviewing them each week quickly but methodically. As for the films, I wanted to talk about them...but never got around to it.

You call it laziness. I call it an unsurety of how to tackle reviewing these movies.

But now, I've decided just how to do it: Share some quick thoughts on how I feel about each film! And before you say anything, this isn't a ranking. I'm going in order from Black Widow to Wakanda Forever, waiting for another day to rank all of Phase Four from worst to best (maybe after my Pixar worst-to-best ranking). And another thing of note? There are only three movies where I've seen it more than once. The rest are based on initial thoughts I vaguely remember from my first viewing. This means that you should take what I say here with a grain of salt, as, odds are, the feelings I have towards these movies will change in the future if and when I rewatch them.

With that said, here are some quick-ish thoughts on the movies of Phase Four:

Black Widow-I forgot I saw Black Widow the day I watched it...That alone should tell you how I feel about it. But for those in the back, this movie is pretty dull. I do like some things. For instance, the family is a ton of fun (even though I'm hearing Spy X Family does the idea better). They have great chemistry with Natasha and each other, and Yelena steals the show as a little sister type of character who can just so happen to snap your neck with very little ease. I particularly love her dynamic with Natasha, with Yelena thinking like an assassin in dealing with a threat and Natasha thinking like an Avenger in not wanting to hurt anybody in the crossfire. It's a lot of fun to watch, and not enough people talk about it.

As for Taskmaster...I heard people hate how they're treated, but I don't know. I wasn't too bothered by them. It works within the story's context, and Taskmaster is pretty cool with their design and fighting style. It's fun watching them fight and picking up which Avenger they pick their moves from. That's what we call "visual storytelling." And if you hate this one version of the character that doesn't erase the other's existence, at least this Taskmaster still has the most essential feature of a superhero or villain: The powers. You can change whatever you want, but the superpowers are what we remember these characters by. Case in point: Why do you think people got upset about Ms. Marvel's powers changing in her TV show?

But that's just the stuff that makes Black Widow semi-enjoyable. What makes it dull? Well, the action is hit-or-miss, and too much of the story is about Natasha reluctantly organizing a family reunion than actually fighting the bad guy. And it's worth it with her family being so much fun, as I've said, but they might be too much fun because the most uninteresting character in Black Widow might be Black Widow. She's still entertaining...sometimes. The problem is that if this is meant to be a proper send-off to her character, the movie fails in that regard if I'm left wanting to see more of her sister than of her. I mean, I guess it's kind of a win with Yelena being a possible new Black Widow, but again, this movie shouldn't be about her. It should be the character that dozens loved to the point where they've been begging for a Black Widow since Iron Man 2. And they got it...but I think it's safe to say it's not what people have been hoping for.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings-Quite possibly the most coherent movie of all of Phase Four. I'll leave it to you to decide if that's a good thing...Wait, no, screw that. This movie's amazing!

I honestly don't get why people overlook this one. Sure, the third act blows, some jokes miss more than they hit, and there are some leaps of logic regarding a character despite them being a pretty hilarious callback. With that said, despite its problems, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still one of the best films of Phase Four. It might be pushing it to say it's one of the best of the MCU as a whole, but it's still pretty great, in my opinion. Shang-Chi is a decent lead who has potential as a new face in this universe. His platonic friendship with Katy is cute, and I'm glad they're pushing this more as a friendship, as you don't really get many platonic relationships between men and women in stories. Xu Wenwu is a great villain with an understandable motive that also makes up for Marvel's mishandling of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. And the action is downright amazing, having some of the most intense and fast-paced fighting in all of the MCU. That last part is also why the third act falls short, as it's another CGI battle when a personal, hand-to-hand combat between actual humans would have been more effective. Still, there's nothing that bad that ruins this movie for me. It's preferable if a story sticks the landing, but if I still had fun most of the time before things went south, I'd still say that's a win.

Eternals-Hey, look! It's the actual worst movie of Phase Four.

Ok...I want to like Eternals. Because, despite the problems, there are some cases where I could see how this could be something phenomenal. Eternals presents a lot of intriguing ideas, a lot of them based on control. Primarily with this question: Should deities, with the powers to do so many things, be allowed to change humanity, even if it would save their lives? That's a question that gets brought up a lot throughout this movie, and it honestly left me thinking about it a little bit. And while the CGI is...not great, Eternals makes up for it with Arishem. You can FEEL the size of this character, and it's just as breathtaking whether it's on the big screen or on your laptop. Trust me, I know.

But those are the only positives, and the negatives highly outweigh them. For instance, this is too big of a story that's shoved into too small of a movie. Two hours and thirty-seven minutes is not enough time to do everything that Eternals sets out to accomplish. You feel that the most when it comes to the characters, as most of them and their relationships feel underdeveloped by the movie's end. When some characters...leave, you don't feel the impact because you barely got to know them. And when characters reunite, it's just as empty because there's hardly an idea of how close they were. To help fill in the gaps, Eternals is forced to cut away from the main story and deliver flashbacks. This sounds like it helps, but it either doesn't provide enough information or provides information that comes much too late. As is, it feels like a movie that should have been split into two, showing us the history the Eternals lived through and their growing bond over generations with one movie and then showing them save the world in the second. I mean, with the quantity over quality motto that Marvel is going through as of late, you'd think they'd be ok showing two movies, one after the other, to make more money. Because while there are small moments that make Eternals worth a watch, this is evidently a film that had the message and ideas first and considered the plot and characters second. Trust me when I say that many people will say that's a poor move for screenwriting.

Spider-Man: No Way Home-Here it is! My favorite movie of Phase Four.

Is it nothing more than fan-pandering for two-in-a-half hours? Yes. Absolutely. But that's not a problem because Spider-Man: No Way Home is fan-pandering done correctly. And for two reasons.

Reason Number One: It's evident that this movie is about honoring the legacy of Spider-Man through his history of films. It brings together the previous two live-action adaptations in a story that's pretty similar to the actual best Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, in a way that it has to be a homage.

"It's not a homage."

Well, screw you. I'm saying it's a homage anyway. Because of... the death of the author...and all that other...junk...

...Reason #2!

Despite the fan-pandering, Spider-Man: No Way Home still utilizes it to tell a good story that develops the MCU's Peter Parker. Yeah, it's him fighting other Spider-Mans' (Spider-Men?) versions of his iconic villains, but those same villains present conflict and changes that are key to this Peter Parker. He's never faced anyone who's gone crazy because of science. Just men who went too far with their greed. Y'know. Like actual Spider-Man villains from the comics.

Having him deal with people who clearly need help, both from their physical and mental anguish, forces Peter to be the most empathetic he's ever been, despite it leading to some of the most painful and worst luck he's ever experienced. Then when he meets other characters (you know who), ones who share that pain and the burden Peter faces, they help him through it and steer him away from a darker path. And on top of that, the movie also develops those characters' stories and provides some quality writing through bad decisions made in worse movies. All of this through a film that's non-stop pandering for two-in-a-half hours.

Is it perfect? Hell no. You can nitpick the story to shreds, and the CGI is pretty hit or miss most of the time. Mostly miss. But, also...f**king--When has an MCU movie ever been perfect?! Don't bring up that one example! You know it's not true!

But even though Spider-Man: No Way Home isn't perfect, it's still a ton of fun and brings out some of the best moments in Spider-Man's movie history. It makes me feel like I can't really complain about the issues when I'm satisfied with the results. And not only is that what makes it my favorite Phase Four movie, but possibly the best live-action Spider-Man movie.

(Note that I said live-action. Spiderverse is still the best. Without a doubt)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness-To address the elephant in the room, I will concede in saying Everything Everywhere All At Once is a better multiverse movie than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Granted, I haven't seen it because I save my money for Marvel movies like a dumbass, but I will concede based on everything I've heard from fans who loved it. With that said, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still fun.

It has its fair complaints, don't get me wrong. Ms. America is basically an over-glorified plot device than an actual character, and how she masters her powers is not earned in the slightest. And the villain...Ok, while it's fun to see what's basically a horror movie monster with superpowers act as the movie's main villain, it could have been integrated a lot better. Or maybe not? I don't know. I've been thinking a lot about them and how maybe they're not as awfully written as people think, but that's too long of a conversation for this, so I'll save it for another time. I'll only say I get it when people find it hard to believe how far this villain has fallen, for now.

As for what I love, there are two big things about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that makes this an enjoyable time. First of all, there's Doctor Strange himself. People say that the writers sacrificed his character development so Ms. America could be more impressive, and that's...not true. It couldn't be farther from the truth. This movie is about him understanding to not take control of every little situation or making the monumental sacrifice and instead having him learn to have faith in others, not just himself. And he realizes this by seeing how other versions of himself either died or became corrupted due to this arrogance of thinking he can fix everything when that only caused more damage. It's genuinely great stuff, and I honestly don't understand where people are coming from when complaining about how he doesn't develop.

Another thing that makes this movie fun is Sam Raimi. His fingerprints aren't on every scene, but when they allow him to go ham, it is a blast to see. He even tries his best to make this a Marvel horror movie, and while it doesn't work most of the time, there are some semi-spooky stuff and some pretty brutal kills by Marvel's standards. Seriously, I thought Kingpin smashing a guy's head in with a car door was the most gruesome thing to happen in the MCU. Here? Well, let's say it's mindblowing.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could have been a better movie. I will admit to that. But if I came out of the theater feeling like I had a great time watching it and still enjoy it on future rewatches, I don't think that automatically makes it bad. Maybe it's a guilty pleasure or not as awful as some people will claim it is. Either way, I still had fun.

Thor: Love and Thunder-...I mean...I thought it was funny.

Yeah, the reaction you have toward this movie is whether or not you think it's funny. I came to that conclusion when it came to the film's final battle, thinking that if a person doesn't find the absurdity of what's happening now funny, this movie isn't for them.

"Comedy's fine if it doesn't ruin the moment!"

Now, that's a fair complaint. There were moments when I felt like the jokes overstayed their welcome, and it would have been better if Thor: Love and Thunder took itself just a bit more seriously. That might be a problem with Taika Waititi's style because while I loved Thor: Ragnorok as much as the next Marvel nerd, even there, I felt like it could have taken the destruction of Asgard with a bit more groundedness and a little less humor during certain scenes. Here, it's elevated to the nth degree, and I can see why that can bother some people. Now, it wouldn't spoil every moment. Thor making light of how he broke a vending machine is clear that he's trying to make a situation a lot less dreadful. That's a scene where the humor still works, even if it is meant to be taken seriously. However, it doesn't change how the tone can be inconsistent regarding the villain.

Despite how many people say otherwise, Gorr is a great villain. I'll admit he's underutilized, but to say Gorr's awful because of how drastically different he is from the original character in the comics is wrong to me. Gorr's motivation is beyond understandable, and he's genuinely spine-chilling at times. He's easily one of Marvel's darkest villains, but that adds to the problem with the humor. To have such a dark villain be wasted on such a goofy comedy is...frustrating. The tone doesn't match the villain, and it causes the whole thing to feel like a mess.

But, like...I still find it funny.

Yeah, this one's more of a guilty pleasure for me. I think it's funny, and I love the villain, but I don't blame people for hating this one. If they want Thor to be more serious than goofy next time, I won't blame them.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever-SPOILER-FREE REVIEW! Let me specify that again: This is a SPOILER-FREE REVIEW fresh off my first viewing of the movie. And what a f**king emotional powerhouse!

This is the first movie of Phase Four where it felt like I was being treated as an adult. There are still the same old goofy jokes, but they're nowhere near as frequent as past movies and never felt like it ruins the moment. This was the first time in a while that the central hook of the film was its drama, and it worked every minute, keeping me engaged from beginning to end. It also works well with Shuri. You can feel that she's not herself anymore thanks to T'Challa's death, which is present throughout most of the movie. And it makes a decent connection between her and another character, who I will not name for the sake of spoilers.

Speaking of the characters, everyone is in top form...Except for maybe Ironheart. She's kind of annoying at times. But Namor? Sweet, Mother of Neptune, NAMOR! They did a great job making him his own intriguing character while still honoring his roots in the comics. They don't even make fun of his winged feet! That absurdity was served to them on a silver platter, and no one took it! And it's a good thing, too, because he's easily the best character in the movie for being written well while never taking too much away from the high emotions of Shuri and the satisfying build-up of the new Black Panther. Go watch it if you haven't already. Trust me, it's easily the best movie of Phase Four.

And I'm glad Phase Four went out on a high note. There were a lot of fun moments, but the highs weren't as frequent as the lows this time around. I'm confident things will get better, as Phase Five already promises a cool movie with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and an eighten episode long season of Daredevil: Born Again. I'm already looking forward to what comes next, even if a lot of people are falling out of love with the MCU.

[azazel-dreams]

Thor Love and Thunder

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤

[thebunsquad]

Pinochio 2022 is a perfect encrapsulation of everything bad this year. Let's dive into part 2 of this awful year with only a few good films to ease the pain. 

[samasmith23]

My brief thoughts on Thor: Love & Thunder

So I saw Thor: Love & Thunder for the first time last night and it was just... meh?

I mean don't get me wrong, the acting from Natalie Portman & Christian Bale was pretty solid, but as a huge fan of the original Jason Aaron Thor run that the film is based on, I feel like their characterization could have been a lot stronger. I especially wasn't a fan of how Gorr's story concluded since him having a last minute heel-turn and allowing Thor Odinson to raise his resurrected dead daughter felt very at odds with Gorr's arc of being a self-defeating hypocrite like in the comics.

Plus, Jane's death felt rather vague and anti-climatic, like it lacked the grandiosity that her sacrifice did in the comics.

However, I think my biggest problem with the movie was the tone, as it was too over-stuffed with jokey-jokes which detracted from what should have been an incredibly serious and thematically rich narrative.

Despite my misgivings, there were quite a few positive elements to the movie. Like I said previously, the acting was very solid all-around. I also really loved how the film portrayed Gorr's shadow-powers with the Necrosword, and Jane's ability to turn the shards of Mjolnir into shrapnel bullets and immediately reconstruct them was incredibly badass! It was also incredibly satisfying to see Odinson kill Zeus with his own thunderbolt because when it comes to the gods of Greek mythology, Zeus is the absolute worst! Plus, that whole scene where Jane, Odinson, Valkyrie & Kong are trapped in Gorr's dimension and the film briefly goes all black-&-white was effectively chilling and creepy. And seeing Jane & Gorr on-screen together was pretty awesome since despite the two being mirror reflections of each other ideologically, the two never actually encountered each other in the comics!

But overall, Thor: Love & Thunder was sadly mediocre IMO, which is a bit of a disappointment since the original "God Butcher" and "Jane Foster, the Mighty Thor" storylines from the comics are incredibly compelling narratives which ask very interesting theological questions on a grand cosmic-fantasy scale.

I give the film 3 out of 5 stars...

[edenhasfeelings]

The Multiverse Saga (1/2)

I gonna need everyone who’s saying MCU Phase 4 was shit to shut the fuck up like actually. It was an experimental phase. It was an intro phase to a new saga. The only projects in my opinion that were actually pretty ass were Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and She-Hulk. If Phase 1 of the MCU were to come out now as it did back then, people would be saying the same thing. Phase 1 was an intro phase, mostly origin stories. “Phase 1 all pointed to Thanos!”  The Iron Man movies didn’t at all? and we didn’t see Thanos until the very end credit scene of The Avengers. “We didn’t even get to see the big bad in any of these!” Um, maybe if you’re blind or didn’t watch all of the projects like you’re acting like you did. Also, instead of their being a singular greater plot, there are several; Kang and the Multiverse, Intros and Origins, what I’m calling Interdimensionality and Space Stuff, Street Level/Classic Avengers heroes, and introducing Mutants and the X-Men. Let me explain (yes, this is my special interest, leave me alone).

Black Widow The amount of bitch fits I heard about this movie, mostly from cishet white men. This movie felt out of place in Phase 4 because it was supposed to be released earlier than it was. The entirety of Phase 4 was a lot more crammed together because of, well, idk, maybe the fucking GLOBAL PANDEMIC. But it stood on its own as a great movie and a great intro to Yelena. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings An origin story for a new hero, never mind the mind blowing graphics and digital effects, made this a great movie. And here we have a hint at a major plot point, mostly highlighted in the end credit scene with Wong, Bruce Banner, and Captain Marvel. The Ten Rings are the Infinity Stones of this saga. It also fits into the Multiverse/Interdimensional aspects of this Saga by introducing Ta Lo (unsure whether that’s space stuff, multiverse stuff, or both).

Eternals If Marvel kept consistently making movies in the same exact way with the same exact directors, people would be bitching about how nothing changes. But them adding a new director and film style sent everyone into an outcry about how out of place it is and shitty. I had a couple of problems with this movie, the main one being the awkward extended sex scene in a Marvel movie, but overall I thought it was a really cool and interesting way to introduce Black Knight and this new element of the Space MCU genre. Also, I loved Makkari and Druig  This movie also got a lot of hate because of Phastos having a husband and 2 second gay kiss scene that occurred. “They’re poisoning our children and forcing things down our throat!” some people cried in ignorance. So the awkward unnecessary straight sex scene was perfectly ok, but the 2 second gay kiss wasn’t? As other representation goes, the POC representation was phenomenal, as well as Makkari being deaf and using sign language.

Spider-Man: No Way Home This movie is self-explanatory. I don’t think anyone had a problem with this movie and if they did, then why. It literally fit right into the theme of the Multiverse Saga in the most mind-blowing, perfect way I didn’t actually expect them to attempt, was a wonderful closing to the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, and also gave a perfect explanation as to why we wouldn’t be seeing Spider-Man as much anymore (thanks Sony). Also a mild set up to Multiverse of Madness.

 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness Ok, I will die mad about how shitty this movie was. I was severely disappointed. I’ve not seen this movie getting as much criticism as it deserves, but people will rail on all the other female directed movies. Sam Raimi was not the man for this movie. They peddled it as “the MCU’s first horror movie”, but The New Mutants did a better job of superhero horror than this did. The special effects were unusually shit (and ik that quality suffers because of how Marvel is run and their artists are treated), but it was unusually bad. The “horror” aspect was weak jump-scares and overused horror tropes (Wanda coming out of the mirror all bendy, for example). Speaking of Wanda, they absolutely butchered her character and story in my opinion. We don’t see her corruption at all, we just see the end credits scene of WandaVision and now all of a sudden she’s evil. The “Wanda turns evil to get her kids that never existed back” was so much more compelling and fucked up in the comics. Her killing herself at the end felt really gross in my opinion. “There is no way possible to get my kids back so let me just kill myself.” They crammed way too much plot in, and the emotional scenes fell flat. Despite their plot cramming, they didn’t deliver the “mind-bending multiverse” aspects that were promised. And while killing off Black Bolt and Reed Richards in 5 seconds was yes, a terrifying display of her abilities, it completely undermined the power of this crossover and the respective formidability and intelligence of these characters. The last scene of the movie was weird and made no sense, and the end credit scene felt out of place and thrown in there just to introduce Clea. It leaves audiences with no specific adventure or movie to look forward to, just that something is going to happen. The MCU timeline being dubbed as Dimension 616 pissed me off, because, hello, main comic time-stream is 616, the MCU has to be different. Also, one more thing, at the end of the first Doctor Strange, they made it seem like main timeline Karl Mordo was going to be the next villain, but instead we got this weird Multiverse version of him. On a more positive note, the whole Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel, fancast John Krasinski playing Reed Richards, live action Captain Carter, and Professor Charles fucking Xavier was really, really cool. Professor Xavier’s presence was the first hint at the Mutant storyline, and the whole thing obviously prioritized the Multiverse Saga. It was also a great intro for America Chavez, and I loved that they didn’t at all try to erase the queerness of her character. 

Thor: Love and Thunder Phenomenal. A work of art. Taika Waititi hit it out of the ballpark once again with the same hilarious vibes as Thor: Ragnarok. This was very clearly a Space MCU  movie, as most all of Thor’s movies have been.  I especially loved the comic accuracy of Jane Foster’s Might Thor, and the ending her character deserved. Getting to see Heimdall in Valhalla was awesome. Gorr was a truly fearsome villain that we hadn’t seen in awhile, and he really made you feel for him, especially at the end. His character redemption made perfect sense. Love’s presence in the end was a little confusing to me, as she is a solely MCU character, but I am excited to see what they do with her character.  The representation hit home for me with Valkyrie being King, her blatant bisexuality, Korg’s comic accurate homosexuality, Heimdall’s son being seemingly transgender, and, something I noticed but didn’t see mentioned by anyone, was that Meik’s pronouns had changed from Ragnarok and Endgame.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever “They shouldn’t have given the Black Panther title to Shuri! They’re turning all the men into women to be woke!” Shut the fuck up please and thank you and pick up a goddamn comic book. Aside from No Way Home, this was the best fucking MCU Phase 4 movie, and is up there with the best MCU movies ever in my opinion. It was raw, and emotional, and gorgeously cinematic in every way possible. Surprisingly, we get a tie in to our Street Level/Classic Avengers characters by the presence of Valentina de Fontaine, who had only previously appeared in the The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Hawkeye. This was also a set up for Mutants. Namor states that he is mutated and different from his people, hence why he is more powerful, has different physical quirks, is essentially immortal, and is treated like a god amongst them.

I will be going into more detail about the TV shows and specials later in another post.

[courtneysmovieblog]

I posted 2,650 times in 2022

455 posts created (17%)

2,195 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@magiclovingdragon

@the-blue-fairie

@musicalhell

@thedisneyhub

@imposterogers

I tagged 2,645 of my posts in 2022

#chucky - 268 posts

#thor love and thunder - 233 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 187 posts

#sharon carter - 150 posts

#godammit mcu - 130 posts

#stranger things - 108 posts

#multiverse of madness - 104 posts

#rip - 80 posts

#seriously - 72 posts

#encanto - 72 posts

Longest Tag: 44 characters

#reblogging because i want this bitch to lose

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I have no problem with Lightyear and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command co-existing in the same universe because it wouldn’t be the first time a movie was kid-ified into a cartoon that had little to do with the original story. Case in point: Beetlejuice.

142 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

#4

Post on a message board: “I wonder how Jane will become worthy of Mjolnir. They made such a big deal about Steve being able to hold it in Endgame, and Jane wasn’t even interesting or special in the last two Thor movies.”

*left eye twitches*

“Worthy” Endgame Steve proceeded to abandon Bucky and Wanda, screw over Sharon, and rearrange history just so that he can hijack Peggy’s life, and people are questioning that Jane isn’t good enough for the hammer?!

254 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

#3

Thor and Jane had a way better love story than Steve and Peggy, but nobody is ready to admit it yet.

838 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

#2

Top 10 favorite moments in “Hocus Pocus 2″

1. The Sandersons getting a way bigger entrance than they did in the first movie, complete with a musical number. “Who are they performing for?” All of us.

2. The Walgreens scene. Laughed my butt off that even though they didn’t know what a photo was, they were quick to pose.

3. Young Winnie, who was absolutely perfect casting. Also, Hannah Waddingham as Mother Witch, which was perfect casting.

4. Winifred and Mary’s horrified reaction to Siri, aka the “woman trapped in a box.”

5. The costume contest. The Sandersons might be evil, but even they don’t seem to have a problem with drag queens.

6. “One Way or Another.” Not the same as “I Put A Spell On You” but having the Thriller-like dance made up for it.

7. Sarah briefly standing up for herself. 

8. All the callbacks to the original movie, including “Amok, amok, amok...”

9. Gilbert’s subplot of thinking the sisters were “misunderstood,” which actually it’s a pretty clever way of throwing shade at Disney’s villain apologia trend.

10. Tony Hale as the mayor. All the poor guy wanted was a candy apple...

856 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Jane and Valkyrie just chilling and enjoying naked Thor like

2,122 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[imfuckingblue]

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[legion1227]

Thor: Love and Thunder Review

A superhero movie dropped this past weekend about a protagonist with godlike powers. I don't plan on viewing it until it reaches digital or a streaming service. So let's talk about the other superhero movie with a protagonist with godlike powers that dropped earlier this year: "Thor: Love and Thunder"!

"Thor: Love and Thunder" is the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU has been running for about fourteen years now, and it doesn't seem like slowing down any time soon. Along with the nine Marvel shows on Disney+, I understand how some people are experiencing Marvel fatigue. Personally, I'm not. I've enjoyed most of the projects they put out, some more than others. "Thor: Love and Thunder" is a movie I liked, but I understand how some are not fans of it.

"Love and Thunder" follows Thor on a quest for inner peace. While trying to find himself, his journey gets interrupted by Gorr, the God Butcher, who's wandering around and murdering gods. With the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, they look to combat the threat of Gorr. It was nice to see Korg, Valkyrie, and Thor again since Avengers: Endgame. Korg and Valkyrie were some of the best parts in the last Thor movie, Ragnarok, and while their roles were smaller in Endgame, they were still enjoyable. Meanwhile, Thor's been coming off the heels of a fascinating character arc that started with Ragnarok. The directions Thor could go were seemingly limitless at the end of Endgame. And the return of Jane Foster after not seeing her on-screen since "Thor: The Dark World" provided intrigue. Almost a decade since Natalie Portman starred in a Marvel movie. She finally made a grand return.

And for the most part, I liked Jane in this film. One of my favorite scenes in the movie has to be when Korg narrates Thor and Jane's relationship, showing how close they were before drifting apart and eventually breaking up. I thought the execution was well done, from showing the gradual separation to Korg's endearing narration. She had some corny dialogue, like telling Gorr to "Eat my hammer" in the climactic fight, but I don't believe that completely derailed her character, though corniness seems prevalent throughout the movie. Comedy can be subjective, of course. Some will find "Love and Thunder" hilarious, but I feel it falls flat in that aspect. In the beginning, Thor saves an alien race, and in return, they gift him two goats that are always screaming. Screaming goats were uproariously funny to me ten years ago when mixed with songs like Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," but not as much these days. The jealousy Thor's Stormbreaker feels over Thor fawning over Mjolnir or Jane doesn't do much for me, either.

But to focus on a positive, Christian Bale's performance as Gorr is an entertaining romp! The opening scene is an emotional and exciting start. Bale is excellent in the shadow realm as well. In general, everything that happens in the shadow realm is a plus. Thor, Valkyrie, and Jane infiltrate the world before engaging the antagonist in a duel head-on in black and white, contrasting all the pretty colors that pop out in the numerous scenes that came out beforehand, providing the best setpiece in the film. What the movie lacks in comedy, it does make up for in engaging fight scenes. The climax is another exercise in corniness, what with the children joining the fight, but it's a cute watch nonetheless. By the end of the film, Thor is in an intriguing place, just like he was in "Endgame," and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with Thor in the future.

It's better than the first two Thor movies, but I definitely wouldn't put it above "Ragnarok." They knocked it out of the park with "Ragnarok," and maybe we put expectations too high for "Love and Thunder" to be just as good, if not better. It's not. But it's still pretty good. 3.5/5