Thor: Love and Thunder

 The space Viking has returned.

Chris Hemsworth once again embodies Marvel's version of the Norse God of Thunder in Thor: Love and Thunder. Taika Waititi once again helms another a rollicking space adventure. It nearly buckles due to its villain's plans, but he's quite spectacular. Let's see why.

Gorr (Christian Bale) lost his planet, his daughter and his faith in his God, Rapu (Jonny Brugh) after an apocalyptic famine. He actually meets Rapu, who couldn't care less about his plight. He picks up the cursed Necrosword, a God-killing weapon, and quickly dispatches Rapu. He goes on a galactic God killing spree with his new sword and shadow monsters. The Galactic order is disrupted by "the God-Butcher," and Thor, now a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, leaves the group to help.

Meanwhile, Thor's former mortal love, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has terminal cancer. She seeks out Thor's shattered hammer Mjolnir to help her after Earthly treatments fail. The hammer pulls itself together and makes her "The Mighty Thor" just in time to help regular Thor fight Gorr when he stops by New Asgard and steals their kids. The two Thors and company head off to find the kids before Gorr reaches the Supreme Being, Eternity, who can make his total Galactic Deicide a reality.

Gorr is a standout Marvel villain. The prologue effortlessly shows him turn from desperate to vengeful. The next time we see him, he's a jovially sinister madman, though it's excusable as due to the Necrosword's influence. Bale is simply having a blast as the possessed-Gorr and is quite sympathetic as the normal Gorr. The movie could have helped him had it given him a plan for the kids (like throw them in a black hole) or had it not regulated his Galactic Deicide campaign to mostly off-screen. But I appreciate what's there.

What can I say about Thor? His personality is reliably Marvelous as he comes to terms with his loneliness. Jane, meanwhile, is sympathetic as she comes to terms with her approaching mortality. Their rekindled romance is rather involving, especially when Korg (Waititi) narrates a montage of their time together set to ABBA's Our Last Summer. Her terminal cancer probably shouldn't have been used in her first movie back as a main character. But I digress. At least the end credits give her a strong coda. Amongst their supporting cast, the easiest standout is Russell Crowe as a delightfully hammy Zeus.

There is much to love about the technicals here. The makeup team deserves an Oscar nomination for bringing Thor "from Dad Bod to God Bod" and Gorr from sun-scorched human to chalk white ghoul. Production Designer Nigel Phelps' best work includes Eternity's domain, the Shadow Realm, and the Gods' Omnipotence City. The Shadow Realm is a visual standout as it's mostly in black-and-white save for some glimpses of color. There's some good costume designs by Mayes C. Rubeo, though Thor's new outfit is quite tacky with the helmet on.

There's quite a bit to love about Thor: Love and Thunder. It's funny, creepy, visually splendorous and endearing all at once. The Guardians of the Galaxy's brief appearance easily builds anticipation for their Volume 3, while the mid-credits promise another Olympian in Thor's future. Its narrative isn't perfect, but it's not the catastrophe some people think it is. It aims to please and I think it succeeds.