‘Thor: Love and Thunder’: The movie Chris Hemsworth admits was “too silly”
As a central figure in the Marvel phenomenon, Chris Hemsworth has more than earned the privilege of speaking openly about his past roles. While many of his roles have become widely celebrated, the reality is that Hemsworth has a keen sense of what makes a successful project and can distinguish between potential blockbusters and box office flops.
While the actor deserves recognition for his talents beyond the Thor movies, it’s undeniable that this role was the catalyst that propelled him into the mainstream, earning him a place among other major players. As a result of Hemsworth’s portrayal, Thor has become one of the most significant contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the character featuring prominently in several films outside of Thor, including The Avengers movies.
However, while the actor recognises the positives that playing Thor has brought into his life, he also expressed reluctance to continue in a role that becomes exhausted or lacks narrative quality. In an interview with GQ, he explained the process between the first two and second two as having “a very different feel,” adding that he “got sick of the character pretty quick every couple of years” due to the urge to explore different projects.
Reflecting on the shortcomings of 2022’s divisive Thor: Love and Thunder, he admitted that he would “cringe and laugh” while watching it, adding that “It just became too silly”. Perhaps this could be tied to the amount of fun they had on set or the fact that you never really can tell how a Marvel movie will perform once it has been released. Nonetheless, most people would probably agree that the films decreased in quality as they went on.
That said, the movie performed quite well: not only was it one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but it obtained what many might call ‘Marvel immunity’, which suggests that even if a film isn’t as good as its counterparts, there’s always the likelihood that it will perform well financially due to the consistently high interest in Marvel movies.
The decrease in narrative quality of Love and Thunder, however, can be pinpointed to a lack of seriousness and connection to the source material. The director, Taika Waititi, even admitted that he doesn’t “do any research” into these types of movies and instead follows his instincts regarding characters and narratives. While this may sometimes result in better movies, when it comes to Marvel, there probably ought to be some level of contextual understanding for it to do well. If you haven’t become immersed in the comics, die-hard fans are likely to be let down.
Of course, fans expect certain things from the Thor movies, and Waititi seems more geared towards deep-thinking filmmaking rather than the endless Marvel churn. “I don’t know half the characters,” he once said, so perhaps it’s best that he explores and creates his own worlds rather than perpetuating well-established ones.
Watch the trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder below.
