First Thor: Love and Thunder reactions claim it blows "every Marvel movie out of the water"

gamesradar.com:

The first reactions to Thor: Love and Thunder are in. According to some, it not only tops director Taika Waititi’s previous MCU effort Thor: Ragnarok – but could be one of Marvel’s very best.

Thor: Love and Thunder is "absolutely AMAZING," according to one who attended the world premiere (opens in new tab). "It blows every other Marvel movie out of the water, and doubles down on the Ragnarok charm."

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff (opens in new tab) describes the film as "a wacky, high energy delight with a cast full of aces crushing one scene after the next."

Another wrote (opens in new tab) that Thor 4 "is the perfect blend of Taika at his best with comedy and a punch to the gut all in one. I left this movie emotionally satisfied while also sobbing and just perfection."

The Wrap’s Drew Taylor (opens in new tab) was similarly effusive, saying it "might be [his] favorite Marvel movie and it also might be their very best. A sublime mixture of extreme silliness, dreamy surrealism and genuine emotion, with some of the most visually inventive set pieces in the MCU."

Natalie Portman, who is returning to the Thor franchise, this time as The Mighty Thor, received plenty of plaudits. Critic Scott Mantz described her (opens in new tab) as a "total badass" and that Love and Thunder was "even better than Ragnarok." One also loved (opens in new tab) the "buddy cop-esque" dynamic between Portman and Tessa Thompson’s Vakyrie.

Christian Bale – who plays Gorr the God Butcher – is also in for high praise. "Christian Bale was hugely anticipated as Gorr, and he delivered," commented one (opens in new tab). "One of the best villains in the MCU." Another added (opens in new tab) that he was “top tier.”

Lightning didn’t strike twice for Taika