‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Is ‘Deeper’ Than ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, According to Taika Waititi
Following the premiere of Doctor Strange 2, the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film release is Thor: Love and Thunder. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor will be the first MCU character to get a fourth solo film. And following the popular Thor: Ragnarok, fans are excited to see what director Taika Waititi has in store for the God of Thunder’s next outing.
Taika Waititi compares ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Taika Waititi explained how he approached directing Thor: Love and Thunder following Thor: Ragnarok.
“What I didn’t want to do is just make Ragnarok again because that’s been done,” he said. “I needed to do something more interesting for myself to keep the whole thing ignited and to make sure that I’m feeling creatively stimulated. I thought, ‘What’s the least expected thing with this franchise?'”
According to the website, the answer was love. So Waititi started crafting the fourth Thor film as a romantic comedy while staying true to its superhero roots.
“Ragnarok felt a bit like a party,” the director added. “It was quite festive. This one is still fun, and it’s got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it’s about something a bit deeper than the last film. It’s not a serious film, and it’s not a drama, but we do deal with ideas that I think a lot of humans deal with — universal themes about love and loss and our place in the world.”
Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi concluded, “Everyone sort of asks this question in the film: ‘What is your purpose? What is the reason that you’re a hero, and what do you do when you have these powers?'”
Taika Waititi further teases ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Taika Waititi further described the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder.
“It’s sort of like a midlife crisis film, really,” the director shared. “That’s the question we ask everyone: ‘Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing all we can in the world?’ I think right now, while the world is still healing from this pandemic, it’s a good question to ask. It’s like, well, are we doing enough to look after each other and to look after ourselves?”
As fans saw in the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, Thor is looking for his place in the world following Avengers: Endgame. He says, “I want to choose my own path. Live in the moment. My superhero-ing days are over.” So based on the video and Taika Waititi’s comments, Thor will be going on a journey of self-discovery in the upcoming film.
Everything we know about the fourth ‘Thor’ film
Unfortunately, Thor’s peaceful story will abruptly end when a new threat enters the picture in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder. The movie’s official premise reads:
“The film finds Thor on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced — a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who — to Thor’s surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”
The film stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster/Mighty Thor, Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher, Taika Waititi as Korg, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, Russell Crowe as Zeus, and Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster.
The Guardians — Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot — also appear in the MCU movie.
Thor: Love and Thunder premieres exclusively in theaters on July 8.
