Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder finds the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – one of self-discovery. But his efforts are interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.
For in-depth thoughts on Thor: Love and Thunder, please see my colleague Tia Fabi’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Thor: Love and Thunder offers a stunning uptick in quality over the already impressive accompanying Blu-Ray. With the vibrant and colorful aesthetic on full display, you are grateful to have HDR to find the nuance within each shade and beam it out of the television and into your eyeballs with a stark immediacy. The HDR enriches every color in a way that will make you want to throw this on as a reference disc. Whenever Thor is on screen with his companions, things get especially dazzling, such as the early sequence with the Guardians on the planet with very colorful structures. Skin tones also appear more natural with crisp detail apparent on faces such as stubble and scrapes.
The highlights in the film are also more firmly defined with white levels more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The elements in the film taking place at night or in shadows are more distinct and finely delineate thanks to deep black levels. One sequence of particular note is when our heroes first confront Gorr The God Butcher in his desaturated world, which this transfer handles with tremendous accuracy. Fine detail in the fun costumes and inventive production design are more apparent than ever with this increased resolution. This 4K UHD presentation is a knockout on all fronts with gains in every conceivable category. The Blu-Ray is a good choice, but Disney has delivered something special with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a strong Dolby Atmos presentation that delivers pretty effectively throughout. Environmental details are plentiful and are dispersed well in the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels take on a grand amount of information which adds a distinct sense of space to this action-packed tale. The soundtrack, and to a lesser extent the score, are a very important part of the film’s identity, and it permeates the room with force. The sounds of traveling through to different worlds and scenes of chaos provide an all-encompassing soundscape that radiates throughout all the speakers. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements
After a more character-driven opening, the movie kicks into high gear with an action sequence with the Guardians in which you truly get a sense of the nuance on display. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. The low end could potentially be provided with a bit more heft, but what we are given is no slouch by any means. Most should feel satisfied with this audio journey.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director/Writer Taika Waititi provides a really entertaining commentary track in which he discusses his inspiration for this storyline, the cameos small and large, the fun details added to certain environments, the elements of the script that evolved quite a bit, the links between the films, elements brought in from Norse mythology, working with digital environments and more. If you are a fan of Waititi’s humor, this is well worth a listen as he brings a lot of personality to this track.
- Hammer-Worthy – Thor and Mighty Thor: A six-minute featurette which takes a look at the dynamic between Thor and Jane, who appears as Mighty Thor. There is a large focus on the decision to have Portman return to this role, the training that went into preparing both of our performers, the costume designs and more.
- Shaping A Villain: A six-minute piece which focuses on the introduction of Christian Bale as Gorr The God Butcher, the motivations behind the character’s actions, the dynamic between Bale and Waititi, bringing Bale into the MCU, developing the character and more.
- Another Classic Taika Adventure: An eight-minute look at the tone that Waititi brought to the character of Thor from his introduction with Ragnorak and onto Love and Thunder. There are some great insights into what exactly Waititi brings to the set and how he gets the best out of his performers.
- Gag Reel A nearly three-minute collection of flubbed and forgotten lines, goofing around on set, ruined takes and more that is quite delightful.
- Deleted Scenes: Four unused scenes totaling eight minutes are included here featuring the gang running into Dionysus on the way to find Zeus, Thor having a conversation with Star Lord and Mantis, an extra scene with Zeus and more. There are some unfinished special effects in some of these scenes.
Final Thoughts
Thor: Love and Thunder is a rollicking tale which blazes through character development quite expediently in a way that makes you wish the movie could have taken a breather for more quiet moments, but one cannot deny that it is a fun time. It feels right to have Jane reintroduced to this universe after being in a more passive role in the past, and Mighty Thor proves to be a highlight of the film, Yet, the real scene-stealer is Christian Bale, who proves to be one of the most memorable villains we have seen from the MCU in some time. While there is room for improvement, this is among the stronger titles from Phase 4. Disney Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a grand A/V presentation and a decent assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the MCU, feel free to add this to your cart. Recommended
Thor: Love and Thunder will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on September 27, 2022. The film is currently available on digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.