Among the Marvel Cinematic Universe's group of central mainstay characters, Chris Hemsworth's Thor has become one of the most crucial linchpins of the entire sprawling saga. One of the few remaining members of the original Avengers team still involved in the story, the new trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder has become an internet sensation, with the film set to do big business come this summer. But Thor was not always such a beloved character among fans; his first two films, Thor and Thor: The Dark World, were both met with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. That is until Taika Waititi came along.
Writing and directing Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi gave the continuing adventures of the Asgardian god an entirely revamped style and tone that leaned harder into the absurdity and levity inherent to the character and Hemsworth's acting chops. At the time, Waititi credited John Carpenter's seminal cult classic Big Trouble in Little China as a primary source of inspiration for Ragnarok, and now, it looks as though Waititi is doubling down, with Thor: Love and Thunder cranking that pervasive influence up to new levels.
Big Trouble in Little China is a John Carpenter Masterpiece of Insanity
The '80s were a strange time for John Carpenter. Hot off the spectacularly unprecedented success of 1978's Halloween, Carpenter came racing out of the gate with classic after classic, delivering Someone's Watching Me!, Elvis, Escape from New York, The Fog and The Thing within just the next handful of years. Despite 1982's The Thing being one of the most masterful science fiction horror films ever put to screen, as well as a personal favorite of Carpenter himself, the film flopped at the box office and was initially met with scorn and derision by critics of the time. This led to Carpenter continuing to deliver excellent work throughout the '80s but deviating from his established oeuvre with films like 1984's romantic-drama Starman and the electrically defiant genre mix of Big Trouble in Little China in 1986.
Featuring frequent iconic Carpenter collaborators, such as Kurt Russell and cinematographer Dean Cundey, Big Trouble in Little China was a rambunctious melding of the traditional martial arts films that Carpenter grew up on, slapstick comedy, and supernatural horror, with a love story thrown in for good measure. It's an absolutely bonkers maximalist, rip-roaring thrill ride of a film. A huge part of why it works so well is Kurt Russell's phenomenal performance as the lead, Jack Burton. Burton is a completely clueless everyman who Carpenter uses to actually subvert the traditional white savior role; he's a bumbling buffoon who happens to be at the center of this fantastical story that is played completely straight.
This is where Waititi found such palpable inspiration for his take on Thor in Thor: Ragnarok, saying, "The thing I love about that film is Jack Burton, all he wants, his only thing that he wants, is to get his truck back. Something so simple and all this crazy stuff is going on... That was one of the main focuses on that film. Thor is always on the back foot, asking the questions that we're asking."
Waititi's Thor Movies Turn the God of Thunder Into Jack Burton
This new take on Thor also happened to coincide with the fact that Chris Hemsworth, it turns out, is not only one of the most handsome leading men in Hollywood but also one of the funniest. As showcased in films like Vacation, Ghostbusters and Bad Times at the El Royale, Hemsworth has a fantastic understanding of utilizing physicality in his performances to heighten the comedy, and seeing him apply this to Thor throughout films like Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame has been truly wonderful.
Now, with Waititi back at the helm for Thor: Love and Thunder, it appears he has taken it as a personal challenge to outdo himself and the Russo brothers and provide an even more fantastical story to encompass an even more simplistically motivated Thor. In the new trailer, surrounded by gods of every variety and cosmically-cataclysmic stakes at seemingly every turn, Thor's primary motivation is Jane Foster. Natalie Portman's returning character seems happy to see Thor, but, true to form, Thor is utterly ecstatic to see her again and is even able to recall the exact amount of time since they last met.
Simultaneously, while Ragnarok gently nudged the aesthetic boundaries of the MCU into a more '80s-influenced Jack Kirby-esque territory, Love and Thunder looks to be quadrupling down on embracing an aesthetic that is committed to heightened cosmic shenanigans and genre-blending at every turn. As delightfully pronounced as Big Trouble in Little China's influence was on Thor: Ragnarok, it appears as if Taika Waititi has made Thor: Love and Thunder an even more ardently adoring love letter to Carpenter's cult classic in ways both internal and external.
Thor: Love and Thunder strikes theaters on July 8, 2022.