I have thought about this movie, trying to remember all of its intricacies and key moments. Yet, despite giving myself ample time to ruminate, I still find it lacking in every way and only my disdain has grown. This is a bad film, not because I didn’t like what it wanted to do, but because it couldn’t accomplish anything it set out to do.
This was simply a dumb film and lacked any actual fun. Perhaps Waititi has completely lost his way or just didn’t care, as this film in its total and totality, all felt completely mailed in. From the concept, the story, the screenplay, the tonal quagmire, inadequate CGI, dull action and the lackluster acting - it is all minimal effort, and that lack of caring translates from the screen to the seat.
There is little here to get behind. When it isn’t inducing yawns with its battles of shapeless indistinguishable gleep glop villains it is banking on jokes to carry the day. It is hard to think of a single sliver of legitimate humor beyond the “God of Dumplings” bit. It wasn’t for lack of trying but, more often than not, they were grating and insufferable. The one note meme of yelling goats bleating throughout the runtime is spot on and indicative - monotonous tired non-jokes, meant as winking nods to meme culture, that trample on and chew up any enjoyment.
It’s like it expected to get by on charm and baked in MCU love without striving to make something worthy and enjoyable. This is in style and substance. It dumbed down and sterilized the magic of Ragnarokwhile providing nothing for the main character. Thor is beyond himbo here into blithering idiot, without real aim or growth. I think it is double trouble with Jane. For one, she has been a nothing character from the get go; simply a generic love interest. She was the damsel in distress for Thor 2. Now, like in the comics, she has become The Mighty Thor. But unlike the comics, they haven’t gone farther. They have given her the personality or agency that the character deserves. Likewise, you really neuter both the impact on the character and the legitimacy of her illness when you don’t embrace the horrors of cancer. I’m not asking for 2 am pain filled sobbing sessions or constant humbling vomit but show this as a real and true devastating condition, not just a “bags under the eyes and weak bad hair day”. Completely lame.
Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is given less than nothing to do. After some real impetus and pathos in Ragnarok, she simply flits in and out as the replaceable 3rd wheel. But there are no emotional beats or character moments for her to capitalize upon, she was simply written as “be there”. How disappointing.
Another empty gesture is the Guardians inclusion. Obviously the director didn’t want them, they are completely superfluous, and felt like they were something the writers were stuck with as a side effect from the last Avengers film. Just don’t even include them if you didn’t want to use them.
Russel Crowe is doing his “eet’s uh meeeyah, Mari-oh wait…aZeusa!” A bloody joke, figuratively and literally, but it doesn’t work. Poor taste and even worse execution.
The story is extremely weak, at every level, easily pointed out as when the cold open villain intro is the high point of the film. Its impact is also gutted when A. We don’t actually see him perform his nom de guerre function and B. When he reaches his goal and flips on the Beatles meets Interstellar“love is all we need” axis. How cheap, unearned, and altogether dumb. Bale was the only one seemingly trying to perform but his story is sliced at the knees in the end.
The cosmic macguffin was a whatever, but it becomes null and void when we are told “it’s impossible to get to”, they have to all work super hard to get there, but then it is a mere skip away when the peril comes. Also, if such a wishing being was known, why not use it before (coughThanoscoughEndgamecough). Or how about using any of these gods who are meant to protect people? This time, unlike Eternals, they don’t even bother to try and explain. It’s another layer of super powerful “anything goes” - kind of another layer of “who cares?”. A molded stakesless disaster.
I think I feel so harshly about this film because I know the story of Gorr, I know the story of Jane, and I think what Taika brought to Thor previously really popped & was very fun; but this was a failure on all fronts. This might be the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Phase 4 has been a mewling mess and I don’t know if I want to dive in again. Could be one MissCU too far.
