Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 16, 2022

There are so many films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it's getting hard to keep them all straight. They are coming fast and furious (has there been a crossover with The Fast and the Furious yet? Vin Diesel could get double pay...) and at a relentless pace; it seems like there's always one at the multiplex or another one just around the corner. There's a certain tonality to them all, too, a certain cookie-cutter characteristic that is beginning to emerge from the overexposure and centralized production. Not so with Thor: Love and Thunder, however. Here is a film, from Director Taika Waititi (who also helmed Thor: Ragnarok), that takes the mold and all but puts a clown mask on it; the film is intentionally humorous well beyond the normal confines of the MCU's comic relief. It's basically a backwards approach, putting the humor and levity first and the "serious Superhero" stuff second. It works, broadly, but is it enough for the film to really stand apart from the MCU sprawl?

Some spoilers for this film and previous 'Thor' films appear below.

Gorr (Christian Bale) has just lost his daughter, but he has not lost his faith. But when he confronts his god in hopes of receiving his eternal reward, the god scoff at him. The vengeful Gorr, armed with the powerful god-slaying Necrosword, kills the god and vows to kill all others. Meanwhile, Jane Foster (Natlie Portman) is dying of cancer. However, the shattered Mjolnir, now a tourist attraction, calls to her and transforms her into "Mighty Thor." She, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (voiced by Taika Waititi), and Thor himself (Chris Hemsworth) team up to battle this new and suddenly unstoppable villain.

For better or for worse, Thor: Love and Thunder is all over the place for the sake of being all over the place. It’s concerned with flash and curiosity and oddity rather than building a coherent superhero story. But…the MCU is so stuffed with just that that this film’s tonal shift is actually, in some ways, a very welcome one. The focus on humor first – not corny jokes but just a steady barrage (as opposed to the odd aside) of situational humor – sets it apart from the pack while still delivering all of the usual MCU action and character elements that fans demand. This is definitely on the fringe of the MCU while remaining one of the most mainstream of the franchises within it. It’s a very interesting juxtaposition to say the least.

That said, there’s a certain disconnect from reality here, “reality” being whatever it may be within a fictionalized Superhero universe. The film just can’t bridge the gap it builds within itself, or with the rest of the MCU. Dark themes aplenty dot the film, yet they often feel weightless under the barrage of borderline slapstick and incoherent imagery that abounds throughout the film. World-spanning cameos to both the MCU and the larger realm of mythology can’t find solid footing in the film. Action is present in large scale but never really delights; it’s just repetitively tiresome and it’s what is happening around the fringes that really makes the action work.

The film is certainly a production design bonanza and a special effects delight, but these things are not enough to elevate the movie beyond its core; after all, such are expected staples of an MCU film, and from the raw technical perspective things don’t disappoint. Cast and performances are fine, but Hemsworth can’t quite bring perfect balance to the levity that abounds and the darker and more serious personal, and world, concerns his character faces throughout. Portman does a better job because she’s not laden by the humor. Christian Bale is terrific as the villain in yet another fully transformative role for the versatile actor.

Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Disney delivers Thor: Love and Thunder to the UHD format with a well-rounded 2160p/HDR UHD presentation. The picture boasts superior clarity and color reproduction compared to the counterpart Blu-ray (included in this set). The UHD sees gains in all the expected areas and stands as the clear winner for its overall image excellence. Even without conducting an A-B comparison and simply watching the movie again following the Blu-ray reveals an obvious increase in sharpness and image clarity. Details are tighter, clarity is firmer, and sharpness is greatly refined. There's actually quite a bit of gain here, bringing an even heathier sheen to the picture that accentuates details and environments to their fullest. Clothes and costumes are suddenly rendered much cleaner and more complex. Skin lines and hairs appear firmer and more tactile, and environments more stable and pleasing. Color excellence is enhanced as well, bringing here, under the HDR parameters, an increased sense of vitality, depth, punch, liveliness, and vividness. Blues, reds, greens, and all of the mainline colors just leap off the screen, and of course some of the electric blues and yellow (yes, yellow) blood examples are far more gorgeously presented here than what the SDR Blu-ray can offer. Black level depth sees gains here, while crispness and vitality are boosted, and skin looks even fuller, healthier, and more natural than the Blu-ray. What little bit of noise the image carries is managed better here, too, and there are no encode artifacts of which to speak. This is a very good UHD presentation from Disney.

Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with most recent Disney UHD audio presentations, the Dolby Atmos track proves a bit better than the Blu-ray's DTS 7.1 lossless offering. Here, things are a little less timid and held back at reference and the low end finds a bit more weight. The track is still less than ideal but it is clearly superior for delivery volume, intensity, and low-end work. Compared to the Blu-ray, the sense of liveliness, stage fullness, and bottom end support are tangible; none of these things reach ideal, but the increase is certainly most welcome in supporting the movie. As with the 7.1 track, the sonic landscape is awash in surround content with no shortage of discrete and distributed sound effects that swirl and swing and totally engulf the listening area in the film's frantic sound design. Overall clarity to these elements is spot-on. Music charges through the full sonic landscape as well, delivering impressively engaging elements alongside pinpoint clarity for the duration. Dialogue is clear and center focused with fewer volume and prioritization issues compared to the Blu-ray.

Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Thor: Love and Thunder contains no extras on the UHD disc itself, but the bundled Blu-ray offers an audio commentary track, three featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel: a textbook definition of a basic supplemental suite. Disney has bundled in a Movies Anywhere digital code. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Hammer-Worthy: Thor and Mighty Thor (1080p, 5:36): This piece begins by looking at the importance of doing something "different" and "surprising" with the film. It looks at Natlie Portman's role in the film, her performance and physical training, Hemsworth's physique, costumes, cast camaraderie, and more.
• Shaping a Villain (1080p, 6:11): A closer look at Gorr and Christian Bale's performance.
• Another Classic Taika Adventure (1080p, 7:53): Exploring the director's work on this film, the franchise, and the unique "comedic voice" he brings to the franchise. The piece also looks at the film's duality between heart and soul and the big arcs of action and adventure.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:45): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:45 total runtime): Included are Looking for Zeus, Wasting Time, A Safe Vacation, and Fighting for You.
• Audio Commentary: Director Taika Waititi talks up the film.

Thor: Love and Thunder 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thor: Love and Thunder is certainly its own animal, blending familiar MCU strides with Taika Waititi's personal brand of cinematic shenanigans, resulting in one of the most unique films in the growing list of familiarly structured MCU pictures. It does enough to satisfy the broader dramatic and action demands as well, but this one is about the laughs first and foremost. Disney's UHD delivers tip-top video, audio that is better than the Blu-ray, and an average allotment of bonus content. Recommended to franchise and MCU fans.