MARVEL’S Thor: Love and Thunder proved to be a major success at the box office, grossing a remarkable US$760 million (RM3.5 billion) worldwide.
However, despite its financial triumph, many Marvel fans were left disappointed by the film’s humorous tone and bland visual effects, as conveyed by writer-director Taika Waititi.
Even Thor himself, actor Chris Hemsworth, acknowledges the negative reception surrounding the fourth installment of the Thor series. In a recent profile with GQ magazine, Hemsworth candidly admitted that Love and Thunder became “too silly” for its own good.
Reflecting on the movie, Hemsworth remarked, “I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly. It’s always hard being in the center of it all and having any real perspective … I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”
Interestingly, Hemsworth also revealed that his biggest critics were his son’s friends, a group of eight-year-olds who provided their own critique of the film.
He shared: “It’s a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing my film. ‘We thought this one had too much humor, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good.’ I cringe and laugh equally at it.”
Despite the criticism, Hemsworth, who has portrayed Thor in a total of eight Marvel movies, is not opposed to future collaborations. Currently not contracted for any upcoming Marvel projects, he expressed his desire to explore other opportunities for a while.
However, if presented with a creatively fulfilling opportunity, he would happily reprise the role.
“I cherish the experience,“ Hemsworth expressed. “I love the fact that I’ve been able to do something fairly different throughout the process. Thor 1 and 2 were their own thing, Thor 3 and 4 were a very different feel … and then even Avengers, the Lebowski Thor, the Infinity War Thor, due to different directors and I think mostly my own need to do something different.”
Hemsworth will next be seen in Extraction 2, which will be released on Netflix on June 16, 2023.