Ben Franklin famously said in a letter to his friend Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes and a new Marvel movie coming out every month.” He may not have said that last part, and Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, may have uttered it. The newest Marvel creation, Thor: Love and Thunder, is out and ready to rake in more cash for Disney.
If you’ve read my blog in the past, you know I love all things related to comic books. Comic books take me back to my youth and I’ve passed my love of superhero-related things on to my kids. I find great enjoyment in watching superhero movies with my children.
We’ve been anticipating Thor: Love and Thunder for months and ate up all the teasers thrown at us. I was especially looking forward to Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr The God Butcher. And Bale delivered, as one would expect of him. In fact, my favorite moments of Thor: Love and Thunder are Gorr’s scenes. When you add a new villain to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they have to be larger than life and creepy. Bale is all those things and then some. In order to be a great villain, the character needs to have the audience identify with him, feel sorry for him, and then be able to justify their actions. After Gorr loses everything he’s ever loved, one can see why he takes on the Gods. (I’m not spoiling here, it’s in the synopsis.)
Other than Bale’s performance, Thor: Love and Thunder is just like most of the other Marvel movies. It’s funny, has a ton of action, gives you heart-tugging scenes, and an epic battle of good versus evil. For those like me that love Marvel movies, you’ll enjoy this one. It’s not in my top 10 Marvel movies, but I did like it. I enjoyed Thor: Ragnarök more. However, Gorr is in my top 5 Marvel villains.
Let’s get into it: Is Thor: Love and Thunder appropriate for kids?
Parents can answer this question for their own children, as all children have different levels of sensibilities. A parent knows their child the best and probably has already decided if they will take their kids to see Thor: Love and Thunder. If your child watched the other Thor films, they should be fine with Thor: Love and Thunder. If your child hasn’t seen a Thor movie, show the other films first before heading to the movie theater. Gorr is creepy and will scare younger kids. There’s more swearing in this movie, which I was actually a little surprised at. The violence is like other Marvel movies, with intense battles and lots of death.
In brief:
Action: It’s a superhero movie, so there’s a lot. There are many battles and people die, both good and bad. Similar to Ragnarök.
Language: A lot of “S” words and a few others. Similar to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Sex: None, but there are sexual innuendos and you see Thor’s bare butt.
Scary Images: This is where many kids will have a problem. It’s not as scary as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but Gorr and his shadow army are horrific. If you have little ones, be prepared to hold them close and cover their eyes. If you have a sensitive viewer, wait to watch it with them on TV when it’s not as loud and you can stop the movie if it’s too much.
