Another example: Deadpool 2 is primarily a comedy but has SO many emotional moments, some to the point of tears. Why couldn't they balance out the serious and the funny? A good example: Guardians 2 is so funny and can get pretty goofy, but it has tons of serious and emotionally powerful scenes. I can only imagine how amazing it would have been if they treated the God Butcher like The Dark Knight treated Joker. I can only imagine what could have been if 40% of the movie was dedicated to that character. Especially after an amazing opening scene that made me think this movie might be on a different level.

Wasting Bale like this is a horrendous decision. He gives a great performance, but the script does not flesh him out, does not explore his character, and in effect, turns him into another forgettable MCU villain. Until I realized he's barely in the movie. Even with all the amazing talent in this remarkable MCU cast list, IMO Bale stands out above them all. He is my favorite actor ever, and has been for the last 15 years. I don't watch trailers and didn't know Christian Bale is in this movie. But my biggest disappointment is the villain. There are some beautiful shots, but not nearly as often as the artwork in the previous ones. By comparison, Ragnarok has multiple action scenes that make my jaw drop. Other than the comedy, a lot of Love and Thunder doesn't feel fully natural. I didn't laugh the first time or the 20 times after.

And don't get me started on a repeated joke involving two goats that made me think of Jar Jar. it kind of feels like they're turning Thor into a joke. Combine that with some odd decisions later in the movie and. And there isn't nearly enough serious to balance out the comedy. So much of the humor is predictable and goofy, to the point of bordering on cartoonish.

Love and Thunder goes so far past Ragnarok in every way. I enjoyed the infusion of style and almost all of the humor works.

Then they went in a new direction with Ragnarok, and I was completely on board. Many people view the first two as bottom tier MCU but I think they're beastly and beautiful in a Shakespearian way, while also being funny and visually stunning. For reference, I loved all of the previous Thor movies. As a big-time MCU fan though, Love and Thunder is highly disappointing, even more so for an OG Avenger. This review will come off as very negative, but I had a decent time, laughed a lot, and was fairly entertained.

Saw 4 dual audio