Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Thor: Love and Thunder review says that with non-stop action and quips plus loads of fabulous cameos, fans could be overwhelmed—in a good way.

Thor: Love and Thunder, the Norse god’s fourth solo film, is what I like to call a kitchen sink movie— it’s one where they they throw in everything, including the…

It’s quite the cinematic onslaught, which takes a few to get used to.

Chris Hemsworth, as always, is undeniably charming as Thor, but the film might have been more compelling if he, along with everyone else, would have been a a little less buffoonish, a little more serious.

You know how some superhero films take themselves so seriously you long for a moment of comic relief? Well, in this Thor iteration I longed for a moment of dramatic relief.

But if any film can get away that frantic pacing, it’s one written and directed by Taika Waititi, who always delivers tons of good, gregarious fun. Incidentally, he also delivers upbeat narration and voice work. He plays Thor’s faithful stone sidekick Korg.

This time around, we find Thor searching for his soul as he travels the universe with a merry band thwarting various bad guys, in particular one Gorr the God Butcher (an unrecognizable Christian Bale). Gorr wants to kill all the gods.

There’s never a dull moment as they cross swords, axes and hammers. Speaking of hammers, in a curious turn of events that doesn’t involve the meta verse, Jane (Natalie Portman) wields Thor’s Mjölnir. She can’t quite sell the irony like Hemsworth, but she spearheads an interesting plot point.

Among the most fun aspects of the film are the fabulously canny cameos. Look for appearances by Melissa McCarthy, her husband Ben Falcone, Matt Damon, a rather “puffy” Russell Crow, all the living, breathing the Guardians of the Galaxy, Hemsworth’s brother Liam (playing an actor playing Thor himself) and Sam Neill.

But the most engaging cameos of all, as well as the warmest and fuzziest moments, come from Hemsworth’s children. Hemsworth’s daughter India Rose plays the young daughter who sets everything in motion both in the beginning and the end; his son Tristan plays Thor as a child running across the screen; and his daughter Sasha joins Waititi’s and Portman’s kids among the captured children of Asgard.

The film was a rousing family affair to make, and can be a rousing family affair to watch, if you just cast aside your skepticism and go with the rollicking flow.

Rated PG-13

2 Hours 5 Minutes

Thor: Love and Thunder review — Trailer

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Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Thor: Love and Thunder review says that with non-stop action and quips plus loads of fabulous cameos, fans could be overwhelmed—in a good way.