Among the criticisms of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” there is the phrase “too much comedy.” However, if the problem is that there is too much laughter, I do not agree with that statement. What bothers me is not the number of jokes, but the fact that the film moves on to other stories too quickly when someone is suffering.
Gorr, a father who has lost his daughter, is mocked by a god instead of receiving help, and his former lover, Jane, is undergoing cancer treatment. Thor, who had lost his purpose in life and was wandering, meets Jane again, but the film does not dwell on the fear of this reunion for long. While a goat screams and weapons show jealousy, the time remaining for the two of them continues to diminish.
I don’t want to claim that the love in this movie is fake. The hammer, Mjolnir, which grants its power to a worthy individual, gives Jane strength, but it doesn’t cure her illness. I was more tense when Jane returned to her sickbed than when the hammer flew, and I wanted to hear more about her story.
The schedule for saving the universe is ample; there is only no time for sadness. I believe this movie is not about a lack of love, but about not knowing how to stay by the side of someone who is suffering because of love.
It was not ruined because there was too much laughter
I want to extend the moments of sadness in this film rather than simply reducing the humor. There is a difference between having funny scenes and quickly moving past painful feelings.
It is ridiculous to put on a false front in front of someone you love. When you want to become closer again, but are afraid of being rejected, jokes often come out before genuine feelings. Thor’s clumsiness often serves to reveal such feelings.
I disagree with the demand that Thor must always have a serious expression when he reunites with Jane. The fact that the two people are smiling does not mean that their illness becomes less serious. Rather, the desire to laugh together makes the prospect of separation even more frightening.
The problem lies in what follows the laughter. Just as one tries to understand the fear hidden behind the joy, the film presents another source of amusement. Every time one feels the urgency of the reunion for Thor, the attention is diverted elsewhere.
The idea of a weapon being jealous playfully reveals Thor’s lingering attachment. But if the joke is repeated too often, it fails to sufficiently reveal his feelings for Jane. More than showing him being conscious of his old weapon, what is needed is to show his fear of losing his former lover again.
The goat’s cries, in themselves, are not wrong. It is natural for absurd sounds to accompany absurd adventures. However, as the humorous moments created by the cries repeated, my feelings of concern for Jane’s well-being also kept being interrupted.
The introduction of Gor is evidence that the film understands how to move at different paces. Instead of offering comfort to the father who has lost his daughter, a god treats Gorr coldly. This aspect may not immediately make one like Gor, but it helps to understand what broke him.
I hoped that Thor and Jane would also be given enough of that understanding. The mere fact that the two people met again does not automatically lead to the belief that they are in love again. It takes time to see both the feelings of wanting to approach each other and the feelings of hesitation.
Only with that time do the risks become personal rather than someone else’s concern. The word “cancer” describes the situation, but it doesn’t automatically bring you closer to the person. It’s not a request to stop laughing, but a request to see the person more fully.
The person I wanted to see for longer was Jane. This is because the power she gained was not a free gift given to a sickly body.
Jane’s power comes with a real price
Jane’s character demonstrates that the stronger one becomes, the more dangerous a weakened body can be, which is a key reason to believe in the love portrayed in this film. The act of saving someone can harm one’s own body, and therefore, such a choice carries a weight far greater than words can express.
Mjolnir grants the scientist Jane, who is undergoing cancer treatment, a powerful hero’s body. However, simply wielding the hammer does not complete the treatment. While fighting as a hero, Jane’s human body remains unprotected.
I like this distinction. If Jane’s suffering had disappeared the moment she gained special powers, her pain would have been limited to the preparation for becoming a hero. The film presents powers while also leaving unresolved problems that cannot be solved with those powers.
Therefore, Jane’s strong and vulnerable sides should not be viewed separately. The Jane who fights and the Jane who needs treatment are the same person. While one side may seem more appealing, it is easy to forget the other, but what the film truly needs to capture is the distance between those two sides.
My feelings as an audience member also shifted during that time. While I believed in Jane’s strength when she faced her enemies, I could not wholeheartedly welcome that strength when she returned to her ailing body. I was more concerned about whether she could fight again than whether she would win the next battle.
Here, love does not only involve Jane becoming closer to Thor. It is also important for Jane to help others. Even though she knows that her own body is in danger, this does not mean that her desire to help disappears.
I do not want to simply say that this feeling is beautiful. Those who choose treatment are not necessarily less courageous. The reason for Jane’s choice is not because the physical risk has disappeared, but because she turns toward someone while leaving that risk in place.
Gorr, too, is a character brought down by love. After losing his daughter and being mocked by a god, he turns his pain into revenge. The difference between Jane, who tries to save others, and Gore, who tries to harm others, becomes clear here.
I appreciate the choices made that place the two characters’ suffering side by side. Seeing Jane’s ailing body and Gor’s anger, one can understand why Thor is afraid to love again. So, how much of this palpable pain are the actors conveying through their facial expressions and voices?
Actors hold on to the people beyond the jokes
Hemsworth and Portman transform the grand reunion of heroes into a meeting between two people who are concerned about each other. Bale reminds us of how terrifying it is to lose a loved one, standing by their side.
Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, is spot-on when he uses his large frame to project a little bravado. In front of Jane, the former lover who wants to make a good impression on her emerges before the mighty god. His body is imposing, but his behavior is awkward, conveying even his desire not to let on how happy he is to see her.
I believe this awkwardness was essential for the two characters’ reunion. This is because a relationship that immediately becomes comfortable again after a reunion is not realistic. However, the film repeatedly uses humor to portray Thor’s clumsiness, which leaves less room to look into the anxiety beneath it.
Natalie Portman, who plays Jane, warmly captures Jane’s awkwardness as she searches for impressive heroic lines. She doesn’t instantly become eloquent just because she gains power. This awkwardness, a sign that she is still new to being a hero, allows Jane to remain relatable even when she is wielding a hammer.
In the hospital setting, her inexperience and other vulnerabilities become apparent. Because of Portman, who shifts between the body of a powerful hero and a body in need of treatment, I could not wholeheartedly welcome Jane’s actions. The fact that the desire to fight and the physical ability to fight are separate things continued to weigh on my mind.
Therefore, the most crucial aspect of the two actors’ performance lies not in the romantic dialogue. It resides in the moments between trying to appear impressive in front of the other person and the moments when one lacks the strength to even attempt such a display. If the film had allowed for a bit more development, it could have conveyed the urgency of their reunion even more effectively through that contrast.
Christian Bale, who plays Gorr, uses variations in his voice and facial expressions that reveal his teeth to portray a wounded father who instills fear in others.
Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie, the king of the community, interacts comfortably with Jane and avoids unnecessary romantic competition. While the hammer is busy competing in romance, the people are surprisingly mature.
The actors portray the worries and pain that remain beneath the jokes. There is no need to remove the laughter that comes when Jane contemplates heroic lines; that laughter shows that even Jane, who is suffering, has moments of joy.
Laughing next to tragedy does not constitute a wrong
I do not agree with the criticism that tragedy and comedy should not be mixed. However, I agree with the point that repetitive jokes interrupt the time needed to process painful feelings.
Even sad people laugh. It’s not as if someone who is ill spends the entire day only talking about their illness. Therefore, the image of Jane contemplating heroic lines does not clash with the image of her being in a hospital bed.
It is precisely because of this awkward, yet enjoyable, quality that we sense the everyday life Jane wants to protect. Beyond the description of being a patient, she possesses curiosity and a playful spirit. This kind of laughter brings Jane closer to her.
On the other hand, the goat’s scream is amusing due to the surprise it evokes. The jealousy of the weapons is also funny when it distorts Thor’s romance in unexpected ways. However, repeating the same joke does not necessarily deepen the relationship between the two.
The goat is not at fault. It was brought back too often.
The repetition is annoying not because of the size of the laughter, but because of what is missed in between. When worrying about Jane’s body, if you try to follow another joke and move on, you have to return to that worry again. A similar thing happens when thinking about Gorr’s injury.
In “Thor: Ragnarok,” directed and starring the same individuals, humor propelled the adventure forward. It is difficult to maintain that same pace this time. Here, the reunion of the lovers is just as important as the adventure itself.
My criteria for judging these two films are not based on the number of times they are funny. Instead, I consider whether the characters’ losses come closer after a joke. Even if a joke was well-executed in a previous work, there is no guarantee that it will be equally effective in this reunion.
This film must convince the audience that Thor has decided to love again. To achieve this, it must fully convey why the time spent with Jane is so precious. Being happy about the reunion and accepting the risk of losing her again are two different things.
It’s not as simple as just removing a joke and automatically creating a good romance. There needs to be a moment where the two people get to know each other. Whether it’s a face filled with unspoken concern, or a conversation where someone reveals their feelings, a human connection must be present.
I do not believe the film needed to be afraid of becoming serious. The emotions already present, stemming from Jane’s body and Gor’s anger, were sufficient to engage the audience. In particular, Jane needed more time to demonstrate her life outside of her reunion with Thor.
Jane’s life was needed more than the reunion
If the film had followed Jane for a longer period to understand why she wanted to fight again, the love story in the film would have been even more profound. What was lacking was not the reunion of Thor and Jane, but rather Jane’s life beyond that reunion.
Jane is a scientist undergoing cancer treatment, and she is a person who, after gaining strength, goes out to save others. Meeting Thor again is a significant event in her life. However, that alone does not fully explain what Jane wants to protect.
The original work explores a long period of time during which healing and heroic activities intersect. It follows the conflict of using one’s power to save others, which is harmful to oneself. The film compresses this conflict into a reunion with a former lover.
I do not blame this choice for deviating from the original work. A movie does not need to include every detail of the comic. However, it is regrettable that the time to understand Jane’s feelings was also omitted along with the other content.
It is clear that Jane wants to fight. What I want to see more of is the hesitation she experiences when her feelings clash with her ailing body. Knowing someone’s determination does not fully encompass understanding the person who has walked that path to reach that determination.
Even for Jane, who is receiving treatment, there are times when Thor is not present. If those times were extended, the reunion would become even more urgent. To understand what one endures when alone, one must also understand the desire to be together.
In my opinion, the movie feels rushed because it tries to include too many storylines. The revenge of Gor, Jane’s illness, and Thor’s reunion are all crammed into 125 minutes. Each time an event moves to the next stage, there is less time for the audience to process their feelings.
He declares that he will be responsible for the fates, loves, and deaths of the gods, all at once. Let’s hear Jane’s story first.
Saying that we should hear more of Jane’s story does not mean postponing Thor’s love. It means that we want to know more about the person Thor loves. Only then can we trust Thor’s feelings, even if there is a risk of losing her again.
The film already contains scenes that spark that sense of trust. When Jane, who had been fighting with her strength, returns to her sickbed, her previous achievements cannot be celebrated without reservation. The good start makes the subsequent rush to the next event even more regrettable.
While I rejoiced at Jane’s strength, there were also moments when I became worried because of that cost. However, those moments do not constitute a failure. It is because of those moments that I cannot abandon this film.
It makes you believe in love, then leaves too quickly
I believe in the love portrayed in this movie. However, I cannot say that the movie stayed with the suffering person long enough, because of that love. The feeling of wanting to love again is something that is realized through the time spent together, rather than through declarations.
The cost of Jane’s power and the weight of the wounds Veil protected are clear achievements. However, the repetitive jokes and the rushed reunion diminished the time available to process those emotions, so my evaluation is 3 out of 5 points.
It’s worth watching. If you enjoy quirky superhero comedies and are curious about Jane’s choices, even as she becomes stronger but still struggles to save herself, then I recommend it. The acting in the scenes where Veil threatens the children, with their uncomfortable horror, is not to be taken lightly.
On the other hand, if you want to follow Jane’s illness or Gor’s anger for a long time, I do not recommend it. The film does contain these stories, but just when you want to hear more, it keeps shifting to another joke.
It is better to focus on what choices are made after gaining power, rather than simply comparing who is stronger. Let us not view Jane’s heroic image and her sickly body separately. The lingering worries that remain after the excitement of the fight are the most honest emotions in this film.
The next film to be discussed is “Thor: Ragnarok.” It is useful to compare how the humor of the same director helps Thor, who is experiencing loss. Laughter can propel adventure, but it is different from helping someone stay beside a loved one.
I am not demanding a heavier “Thor” movie. I simply hoped that the humorous “Thor” would show a little more consideration for Jane’s pain. The ingredients for a good love story were already there.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can you understand it without having seen the previous Thor movies?
The central plot points are easy to follow. However, knowing that Thor and Jane were former lovers makes it easier to understand the awkwardness of their reunion. Watching “Thor: Ragnarok” first allows for a good comparison of how the director’s humor has changed in this installment.
How does Jane Foster obtain the power of Thor?
Jane becomes a hero through Mjolnir, the hammer that grants a worthy wielder the power of Thor. However, gaining a stronger body does not mean that cancer is cured. The fact that this power is harmful to the human body is a crucial factor in Jane’s decision.
Is this movie a faithful adaptation of the original manga?
No, it is not. It combines Jason Aaron’s story of Gorr with the story of Jane becoming Thor. While the original work extensively explores the conflict between healing and heroic activities, the movie condenses this into Thor and Jane’s reunion.
Can it be watched as a light comedy?
The film repeats nonsensical jokes, such as goat screams and weapon envy. However, it also depicts scenes of battling cancer, the death of a child, and children being threatened. If you are looking for a lighthearted adventure, it is important to keep these heavy themes in mind.
Are there any post-credits scenes?
There are scenes that show the fates of the characters after the main story, and scenes that foreshadow the next conflict. It is recommended to watch until the end of the credits rather than reading the content beforehand.
