Thor: Love and Thunder UHD Review

Taika Waititi directs another Thor adventure with Thor: Love and Thunder, now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray from Disney.

The Production: 4/5

Taika Waititi was just what the Thor franchise needed within the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he directed Thor: Ragnarok, bringing in a healthy dose of humor that allowed star Chris Hemsworth to display his comedic skills front and center rather than as a supporting character in films like Vacation and Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. And with this latest entry, Thor: Love and Thunder, former love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, who had a falling out with Marvel on Thor: Dark World) returns with a very satisfying and heartfelt character arc.

Plotwise, the story is fairly simple. After praying constantly for his god to save his deathly ill daughter, Gorr (Christian Bale) stumbles upon an Eden-like oasis after his daughter dies, only to find his god Rapu (Jonny Brugh) only interested in his worshippers sacrificing themselves to him. But Rapu has the Necrosword, which Gorr finds and eliminates Rapu, and thus begins his mission to wipe out all gods throughout the universe. Meanwhile, Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are unknowingly cleaning up skirmishes that were started after the planet’s gods are destroyed by Gorr. Realizing the increase in requests for help, Thor and Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) decide to split up, with Thor and Korg (Taika Waititi) off to assist Sif (Jaimie Alexander), taking the giant goats King Yakan (Stephen Curry) has gifted them. All of this eventually leads Thor back to New Asgard, finding himself in the middle of a battle between the Asgardians led by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) against Gorr and his shadow monsters. Helping out is Jane, decked out in Thor’s old battle clothes and his long lost hammer, Mjolnir. When Gorr kidnaps the children into the Shadow Realm, Thor, Jane, Valkyrie, and Korg team up (with the giant goats) and venture off in search of Gorr and the children.

The tone for Love and Thunder is set just after the opening prologue with Gorr, as Korg recaps the events since the first Thor movie as a folk tale narrated toa group of children. There is a lot of humor and running gags in the film (such as Thor’s battle axe Stormbreaker’s jealousy of both Jane and Mjolnir), but there is underlying drama as well, and Waititi keeps those balanced nicely, even tossing in a little horror. There are also some wonderful supporting roles in the film, including Russell Crowe as a crazed and uncaring – and very funny – Zeus (as seen in the trailers), Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, and Melissa McCarthy as the New Asgardian acting troupe; and cameos from Thor favorites Kat Dennings as Darcy and Stellan Skarsgård as Selvig. Ultimately, Thor: Love and Thunder has a lot of heart.

Video: 4.5/5

3D Rating: NA

Thor: Love and Thunder was captured in 4.5k resolution on Arri Alexa LF IMAX and Alexa Mini LF IMAX cameras and completed as a 4K digital intermediate in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with some sequences opened up to 1.90:1 for its IMAX engagements and Dolby Vision for its premium theatrical bookings. The UHD disc release presents the film in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio for its entirety, with only HDR10 for high dynamic range. The HDR and wider color gamut benefit director Taika Waititi’s use of bright colors throughout most of the film as well as deeper blacks and more controlled contrast (the night time battle in New Asgard and the visit to the Shadow Realm really stand out on the UHD disc while the Blu-ray is often muddy). There is also a slight uptick in fine detail compared to the 1080p Blu-ray.

Audio: 4/5

The default Dolby Atmos track is decent, but suffers from the usual Disney handicap unless you bump the master volume up a few notches. Once the volume is adjusted, the mix becomes a bit more immersive, with sounds appearing above and around you with pinpoint accuracy. LFE is decent, adding some nice low-end to the many Guns N Roses needle drops sprinkled throughout the film, plus giving some heft to explosions and crashes (it could be a bit better). Dialogue is clear and understandable.

Special Features: 2/5

As expected, the UHD disc is movie only, but the included Blu-ray has a few special features included.

Audio Commentary with Director Taika Waititi: Waititi’s commentary tracks are hit and miss, often with long periods of silence. This one isn’t all that different.

Hammer-Worthy: Thor and Mighty Thor (1080p; 5:36): As one would guess by the title, this featurette takes a look at the characters of Thor and Jane.

Shaping a Villain (1080p; 6:11): A look at Gorr and the actor who portrays him, Christian Bale.

Another Classic Taika Adventure (1080p; 7:53): The cast and crew discuss working with Taika Waititi.

Gag Reel (1080p; 2:45)

Deleted Scenes (1080p; 7:45): Four scenes have been included.

Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy in UHD on Movies Anywhere.

Overall: 4/5

Thor: Love and Thunder is the most heartfelt of the Thor films, with some wonderful comedic and dramatic moments.

Thor: Love and Thunder [4K UHD]

(11205)

$12.45

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Todd Erwin

Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.