Taika Waititi is the kind of director whose work screams character, his films signed with his comedic Midas touch. Sadly, it is hard to see his charismatic gold amidst the dull Marvel exterior.

The first time I watched What We Do in the Shadows (co-written and co-directed by Taika Waititi), I was blown away. I didn’t expect to fall in love with the film so easily, but after reading the premise I was smitten: a mockumentary following a group of out-dated vampires sharing a flat in present-day New Zealand. It reminded me of Edgar Wright’s own comedy-horror Shaun of the Dead; it knew when to focus on the litany of horror tropes but did so to elevate the humour, choosing a menacing and hilarious narrative over the tired and ‘scary’ alternative. What We Do in the Shadows is a charismatic film, one that has passion and personality which are qualities seen across Waititi’s quirky career. Except when it concerns Marvel.

Waititi picks up Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) story where it was left off: joining the Guardians of the Galaxy for some interstellar shenanigans. But, after quickly back-tracking on the idea, Thor leaves the Guardians within the first five minutes of the film to go off on his own adventure, Korg (voiced by Taika Waititi) following him back to Earth/New Asgard to face off against Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). There he meets his old love Jane (Natalie Portman), now going by the name Mighty Thor ever since Mjolnir reformed and deemed her worthy, giving her the powers of her new namesake. Along with Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), the quartet must save the universe the only way Marvel knows how to: with a weak plot and a lot of awkward one-liners.

Thor: Love and Thunder begins on a charming recap of Thor narrated by comic-relief Korg; an unexpected dose of light humour to build up the oncoming excitement. But when the speech ends and the handful of quaint gags stop, the unending series of humourless jokes start as they plague the film at every corner. Whether it is a pre-war pep talk or an action montage, there must always be some form of out-of-touch banter to ruin any flow that the scene had just accomplished. And the process repeats, Thor acting like an egotistical pre-teen at every opportunity while the rest of the cast are photocopies of the same worn-out joke book.

For example, roughly halfway into the journey, the gang visit a planet of gods to warn them of the upcoming danger. After meeting Zeus (Russell Crowe), they are effectively laughed out of the room which, while understandable and certainly predictable, is a hard scene to watch. Zeus is cocky, arrogant, and has an accent that sounds like a bad mix of Italian and Russian coming out of a Greek god’s mouth, but he is nothing more than a one-note character placed there just to be laughed at. Unfortunately, all the laughing happens on-screen instead of off it; women faint as they see Thor naked while the rest of the team joke from the side-lines – their wit composed of playground jabs.

It’s as if Thor has become Guardians of the Galaxy Lite. While there are rare moments of joviality – mostly the sub-plot love triangle between Thor and his weapons – most jokes are throwaway lines that have no effort put into them while the drama is told rather than shown. I know that Thor and Jane are meant to be in love, but I rarely saw it as their chemistry is nothing like the human connection they shared in previous films. Even back then their relationship was weak, but now it is close to non-existent.

Whosoever holds this hammer shall possess the power of Thor… Natalie Portman. Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

However, the biggest slap in the face is Jane and her stage four cancer. While it is a simple and effective plot device to create an empathetic link with her, seeing her getting treatment minutes after Thor pulls a Jean-Claude Van Damme and does a split between two spaceships is a grinding gear shift that sends the film into a spiral. How am I meant to care for these characters when they feel like a secondary school essay; scenes weakly tied together by the quick and easy use of an “and then”? The same applies to the music and its poor attempt to create nostalgia by throwing in a handful of Guns N’ Roses tracks, once again coming up short against Guardians’ stacked tape.

Thor: Love and Thunder is the 29^th entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (36^th if you include Disney+ shows) and is Waititi’s second dalliance with silver screen comics, but unlike the rest of his canon, Waititi’s Thor films are lacking. The spark that makes Eagle vs Shark so wholesome, or Hunt for the Wilderpeople so thrilling, or Jojo Rabbit so impactful; none of it is found here. Even Thor: Ragnarok has a slight indie charm to it as Thor and Loki bond over their brotherly hatred but Love and Thunder is a shadow of its disappointing predecessor; a rom-com Marvel action with shallow romance, cringey teenage comedy, mindless action that pretends to be plot-driven, and a lot of the same Marvel recipe that I have seen 35 times before.