I’ve always loved Marvel projects. They usually have a formula they follow, so you know what you’re getting yourself into before you even sit down to watch one. On the rare occasion that they don’t follow this formula, they’re often still enjoyable to watch, to be honest, like Eternals and WandaVision.

However, some exceptions make that “always” more like “most of the time.” Thor: Love and Thunder, for example.

The film opens with the origin story of its villain, Gorr (Christian Bale), which explains why he wants to kill every God in the universe. After this, the audience soon reunites with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who currently travels with the Guardians of the Galaxy, saving various groups and planets across the universe. He leaves the Guardians once he hears of Gorr’s plans. On Earth, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) has been diagnosed with cancer, and she realizes that Thor’s broken hammer, Mjolnir, might be her only cure. Once she takes the hammer’s power, she ends up helping Thor fight Gorr with the help of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who now rules as King of Asgard. The ending is as typical as ever (even if it’s pretty cute).

Now, the spoilers begin.

After watching Thor: Ragnarok, a nearly perfect Marvel movie, on several occasions for the past 5 (wow) years, I had grown pretty high expectations for Taika Waititi’s direction in Thor 4. Yet, he and his fellow writers managed to disappoint me.

As much as I love the Mighty Thor that is Natalie Portman, this movie would’ve benefited from Jane Foster having more screen time dedicated to her significance in the MCU rather than just her love story with Thor. Because we get so much character development from Jane with no outcome, her character feels incredible to watch but pointless to the future of the MCU itself. Some might argue that this proves Love and Thunder to be a great standalone film (and maybe they’re right!), but I wish I felt a change from the start to the end, and I never did.

Another complaint I have about Thor 4 was its lack of Valkyrie. Since her entrance in Ragnarok, Tessa Thompson’s character has been a staple of fun and boldness in Marvel. Yet, in Love and Thunder, we don’t see much of her fights or quippy remarks. Its trailer was misleading in how much Valkyrie the audience would see, showing her repeatedly throughout. Also, the audience was promised a more obvious representation of the LGBTQ+ community through Valkyrie than given; a kiss on a girl’s hand and a complaint about an ex aren’t much.

My final criticism of this film lies in its humor. Simply put, it felt forced, yet somehow managed to make the entire first third (or so) of the movie a joke. At this moment, it’s difficult for me to recall that first third, and I genuinely believe it’s because of the humor making it feel pointless. No exaggerations.

There are some things I liked about Thor: Love and Thunder. I loved watching Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson when they had proper screen time. I loved the 80s rock music used. I loved its perfect circle of an ending. Yet, these things don’t make up for its lack of growth of Thor himself, its improper use of characters, nor its (at some points) strange tone.

And for these reasons, I must say that my Marvel fatigue has begun.