Review: “Thor: Love and Thunder” shows that Marvel can be happy in other genres

A feature opening this week brings romance to the fore; other films have embraced horror and science fiction as prominent forms

with the exception of Captain America: Winter Soldier, embracing thriller as few hero films have ever done, Marvel seemed to have created a genre of its own for its films. It is a mixture of action, adventure and fantasy, always permeated by the “Marvel formula” of making films, with incessant jokes and characters always with the same personality. But, from 2022 onwards, things have changed: science fiction in eternalterror Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madnessand now the romance in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Debut of cinemas this Thursday, 7th, the feature film shows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in a difficult time: After losing almost all of his family and the hometown of Asgard, he is on his way. Things change, however, when a shadow creature (Christian Bale) starts killing the gods, and especially when old flame Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) resurfaces. However, no longer as the brilliant scientist that she is, but also as the Mighty Thor, the female version of Marvel’s Norse god.

At this point, director Taika Waititi turns the film into a true romantic saga. We do not go into the matter here whether the feature film is good or bad. The fact is that Marvel is giving more and more freedom to directors and screenwriters to look for new languages ​​to tell stories that ten or five years ago would have been told in a pasteurized way, focusing on elements that give unity to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and that , if they weren’t memorable, they would be competent at making rice and beans.

Change tone, try again

This shows, once and for all, how Marvel doesn’t feel comfortable repeating the same old stories and, more importantly, indicates that head producer Kevin Feige knows you can’t always bet on the same format. In its 29th film, not counting the series for Disney +, Marvel needs to be more daring, to take more risks. The first attempt was to hire award-winning director Chloé Zhao (nomadic land) for the command of Eternos, a film that brings an unseen visual refinement and focuses on a typical science fiction story.

Then came the strongest turning point Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness: Director Sam Raimi (2002’s Spider-Man) took control of a movie fraught with MCU obligations, as an in-depth presentation of the multiverse. However, he was able to make his mark by inserting elements of horror in the terrifying portrayal of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and even with a zombie of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). It’s the latest, undoubtedly, that Marvel has made it into the genre.

Thor: Love and thunder It also has many outstanding issues in the MCU to resolve, such as Thor’s situation in a devastating context, and adds other elements as well, such as the villain’s family drama. But what takes over in history is love, redemption, passion. This is what drives the narrative: Bale’s villain, despite his actions against the gods, turns out to be just a thorn in the side of a love story between Thor and Jane that had everything to go right. It is, in short, a story that seeks love in its central goal.

The public, on the other hand …

The only problem is that, even with these forays into other genres, the wonder continues to struggle to please an audience that was previously accurate. In terms of the box office, eternal And Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness did not like. The former was about $ 400 million, while the latter surpassed $ 900 million, a more expressive result, but below Marvel Studios’ magical $ 1 billion figure.

On sites that aggregate movie reviews and ratings, there are more problems. Eternals only got a 47% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.3 score on IMDb. Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness fared a little better but still inconsistent: 74% approval and 7.1 on IMDb. Thor: Love and thunder also opened below expectations, with 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. With that, the question remains: Will Marvel continue to look for the best way to dare? Or will the future inevitably return to the formula? To check.

Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.