New 'Thor' movie is a fun jaunt into new territory — but here's where it falls short

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, the fourth "Thor" movie, involves two Thors with flowing blond hair — thankfully no multiverse travel is required to achieve this — and a run time that comes in at under two hours.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” continues director Taika Waititi's comedic tone from the cosmic adventure that was “Ragnarok” (2017) and brings us to where “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) left off.

Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is king of New Asgard and the face of the “dozy little fishing village turned tourist destination” in Norway. Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is back for the first time since “Thor: Dark World” (2013), but the astrophysicist has been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer since she and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) broke up.

Meanwhile, the God of Thunder himself is a leather-vested rocker who is adventuring the cosmos with his trusty weapon, Stormbreaker, and a “ragtag motley crew of desperados." Also known as: the Guardians of the Galaxy (returning for its third installment in May 2023).

But as he goes from “dad bod to god bod to sad bod,” Thor is missing something. In between all of his world-saving stunts, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), also known as Star-Lord, posits that the 1,000-year-old god doesn’t really know who he is.

This sets the long-haired immortal with bulging biceps on a journey to self-discovery, spurred by the stakes in this installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the lives of all of the gods in the universe.

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"Love and Thunder" opens with Gorr (Christian Bale), a god-fearing man and last of his kind, meeting the deity he worships after experiencing a devastating loss. When he learns about his god’s ambivalence toward his followers, a cursed sword presents itself to Gorr, allowing him to kill the god.

Now in possession of a deity-slaying Necrosword, Gorr vows that “all gods will die,” cementing himself as the God Butcher. As he and his shadow monsters descend on New Asgard, Jane Foster — newly minted as Mighty Thor — arrives in the nick of time to save the town and face her ex.

She comes bearing Mjolnir, Thor's broken ex-weapon that repaired itself upon deeming Mighty Thor worthy of wielding it. When Thor arrives on the scene, he discovers supercharged versions of both of his former partners-in-crime (Jane and Mjolnir, that is). During this awkward reunion, the  shadow monsters take the children of New Asgard hostage.

After a catchup on what happened to the couple between “Dark World” and “Ragnarok” — even superhuman beings aren’t immune to human breakups — the troupe sets off to stop Gorr from enacting his revenge. Thor, Mighty Thor, Valkyrie, Korg (the Kronan warrior from “Ragnarok,” voiced by Waititi, who is also the story’s delightful narrator) and a pair of screaming goats try to round up an army to save the Asgardian children and the race of immortals.

“Love and Thunder” doesn’t take itself seriously, employing soap opera-like acting and gags throughout. The more dramatic scenes are set apart in their tone and coloring, which has striking results.

Also, in a decision that can’t be divorced from real-life events, this Marvel storyline makes sure to highlight its LGBTQ characters in ways that feel natural for the characters.

‘Love and Thunder' brings star power  — including Hercules

The stars certainly show up in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which marks the first time a superhero receives a fourth solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Matt Damon reprises his role as Actor Loki, whose career, along with Actor Thor’s (Luke Hemsworth), seems to be thriving in New Asgard. They are rounded out with a cameo from a new actor who portrays Hela, their sister (and "Dark World" villain). Russell Crowe later dons gold-plated armor and a skirt — not to reprise his “Gladiator” role but to instead portray Zeus, the God of Lightning who holds court in Omnipotence City among a crowd of ever-diminishing gods.

Then there’s a recognizable face who brings Hercules into the MCU fold, but, well, that’s for you to wait through a couple minutes of credits to see.

The brightest — or darkest — star is Christian Bale, who is mesmerizing as Gorr. He brings out the complexity, intensity and fear factor required of a god-butchering villain with a tragic backstory, though his character’s arc ends in a far less interesting, even downright disappointing, way than it begins.

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How the girl power sputters out

Between Valkyrie ruling New Asgard and Jane Foster vanquishing shadow monsters as Mighty Thor, it seems early on as if the women would lead the way in “Love and Thunder.” It helps that, throughout, Thor is more often than not the butt of the joke.

Eleven years after the first “Thor” movie, it looks like he and Jane are finally equals — physically, at least, since the astrophysicist shows more mental aptitude than Thor’s constantly half-baked plans. However, Jane’s arc starts feeling less empowering as the storyline progresses.

First, she’s saddled with a cancer diagnosis (a plot point that is true to the comics). Then we learn that becoming Mighty Thor, transforming from a drab, sickly brunette into a strong blonde superhero, entails a sacrifice on her part.

By the end, her role feels like just another vehicle for moving along Thor’s character development.

And by the conclusion of the God of Thunder’s development in this storyline, one might wonder: Did he really find himself?

How many post-credit scenes are in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder?’

There is both a mid-credits scene and an end credits scene.

From zero to don’t even get your phone out during the credits, the mid-credits scene might be something to stick around for; it’s always exciting to see the reveal of an upcoming potential MCU character, but that’s something you may have already found out on social media.

As for the scene that comes after hundreds of special effects and animators’ names roll past, it’s likely a moment of closure that only fans of the MCU will care to stick around for.

'Thor: Love and Thunder' 3 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Taika Waititi.

Rating: PG-13.

Note: In theaters July 8.

Reach Entertainment Reporter KiMi Robinson at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How 'Thor: Love and Thunder' lets down its most interesting characters