Thor was probably the most underwhelming of Phase 1, Thor: The Dark World tried to go more fantasy and was mostly forgettable, and Thor: Ragnarok was a blast. Getting better all the time, so … what about Thor: Love and Thunder?

Good question. There’s a lot to love about the movie: Hemsworth’s sense of humor, Portman back and then some, Thompson’s awesome and slightly awkward Valkyrie. And of course Bale plays a solidly terrifying baddy in Gorr.

On the other hand, there is a lot of movie to get through here, probably more than a bit too much. A cancer plot, succession jealousy, a threat spanning across the Galaxy (or at least the gods thereof)–heck, the idea that gods are just a thing now, Thor unpacking even more trauma. It’s a lot to put into a single movie and it doesn’t quite work. It’s still a solid enough flick, but not nearly up to what Ragnarok did.

Still, pretty impressive for the first 4th solo outing in the MCU. Because that’s a thing we can say now.

Moments that I particularly enjoyed (minor potential spoilers):

• Bale’s Gorr (as I mentioned). He’s rather a solid actor.

• Most of the banter between Thor and Foster. Awkward as it should be, but fun. Especially the ones with Valkyrie in the mix or just watching shaking her head.

• Arming the children. You’re putting them directly in harms way, but on the other hand… what else are you going to do about it?

• The end scene with Love and Thunder. No idea where (if anywhere) they’ll go with that. But it’s cute.

Things that were weird:

• The little bits of the Guardians. I wish we had either more or less of them.

• The half idea of ‘gods’ in the MCU. What are they? Are they humanity’s gods for real? How does that work? I doubt it makes much more sense in the comics, but in the MCU, I would appreciate at least slightly more of a nod to continuity.

Overall, enough for a halfway up my ratings for the year. Not terrible, could be better.