Asgardian god Thor returns to the MCU this summer in his fourth solo film, Thor: Love & Thunder. And returning with the hammer-wielding hero is the director of his last solo film, Taika Waititi. 

After the first two Thor movies received a bit of a lackluster response from audiences, Waititi’s Ragnarok proved a resounding success. Now, the director hopes to enchant audiences again with another Marvel feature.

But despite the success of Ragnarok, Waititi wanted to do something different with Love & Thunder.

“What I didn’t want to do is just make Ragnarok again, because that’s been done,” Waititi told Entertainment Weekly. “I needed to do something more interesting for myself to keep the whole thing ignited and to make sure that I’m feeling creatively stimulated.”

Ultimately, Waititi decided he wanted Love & Thunder to see Thor somewhere we haven’t seen him before. He intends the fourth movie to tap into some deeper themes.

“Ragnarok felt a bit like a party,” Waititi said. “It was quite festive. This one is still fun, and it’s got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it’s about something a bit deeper than the last film. It’s not a serious film, and it’s not a drama, but we do deal with ideas that I think a lot of humans deal with — universal themes about love and loss and our place in the world. Everyone sort of asks this question in the film: What is your purpose? What is the reason that you’re a hero, and what do you do when you have these powers?”

Waititi likens Thor’s latest adventure to “a midlife crisis film.”

“That’s the question we ask everyone: Are we doing the right thing, and are we doing all we can in the world? I think right now, while the world is still healing from this pandemic, it’s a good question to ask,” explained Waititi. “It’s like, well, are we doing enough to look after each other and to look after ourselves?”

Still, don’t let these deep questions fool you; Thor: Love & Thunder still sets out to be a good time. Waititi compares the visuals for the film to ‘80s adventure flicks like Conan the Barbarian and Beastmaster.

“I guess the biggest difference would be that it was my first time playing in the Marvel sand pit on Ragnarok,” Waititi concludes. “This one, I felt like I’ve got a little more experience and knew how to shoot this a lot more efficiently.” 

Fans can experience the difference for themselves soon. Thor: Love & Thunder premieres in theaters July 8.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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