With 2022’s Love and Thunder, we reach a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) milestone, as Thor becomes the first character to make it to his fourth standalone movie. The film reunites the series with Taika Waititi, director of 2017’s Ragnarok, the God of Thunder’s prior solo tale.

When we last saw Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at the conclusion of Endgame, he went off with the Guardians of the Galaxy for intergalactic adventures. These end when Thor receives an alert from fellow warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander) that a “god-killer” named Gorr (Christian Bale) will soon threaten New Asgard.

As Thor rushes to the rescue, he discovers that his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) now possesses her own powers. Stricken with cancer, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir protects her.

This gives Jane her own godlike abilities. Along with others, the reunited lovers attempt to battle this new threat.

With Ragnarok, Waititi brought a much more comedic tone to the usually stuffy Thor character. Plenty of fans liked this semi-insolent approach to the franchise, but I did not.

This doesn’t mean I demand that Thor exist as humorless and somber 100 percent of the time. No, I simply thought Waititi took Thor too far away from the role’s roots.

Given that film’s success, it seemed unlikely that Thunder would veer from Waititi’s template. I feared Waititi would double-down on the wacky nature of Ragnarok and turn Thunder into a complete farce.

To my pleasant surprise, this proves inaccurate. While Thunder still offers some of the snarky and ironic humor of its predecessor, it manages a much more serious vibe as well.

Indeed, Thunder launches with plenty of darkness in its first act. The prologue introduces Gorr as a character near death and emotionally bereft after the death of his daughter, and then we soon learn of Jane’s Stage 4 cancer.

Not really the stuff of which frisky comic book adventures are made, right? While Thunder doesn’t focus on these dark elements, they nonetheless add depth to the tale and give it a dramatic feel absent from its immediate predecessor.

Waititi also manages to integrate the comedy better than in Ragnarok. In that one, the wacky moments came across as forced and self-conscious, but here they blend in a more natural manner.

The return of Portman helps, as she shows a good connection with Hemsworth. Her absence took away from Ragnarok, so her presence here brings extra heart to the proceedings.

Thunder loses some points due to its scattered narrative. At its core, it comes with a pretty straightforward plot, but the film tells its tale in a messy manner that means it can ramble at times and threaten to go off-course.

The movie also tends to lose track of its antagonist too much of the time. Bale creates a truly intimidating character, and one with some depth, but the movie leaves him on the sidelines too often – so often that we occasionally forget he exists.

Nonetheless, Thunder does more right than wrong, and that makes it arguably the most satisfying of Thor’s four solo adventures. Granted, none of the prior three knocked it out of the park, but I still find Thunder to deliver a pretty engaging adventure.

Footnote: I shouldn’t need to tell you this, but the movie includes added material both during and after the end credits.

Thor: Love and Thunder appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. A true 4K product, this became a terrific image.

Overall sharpness seemed strong. Virtually no softness impacted the image on a few occasions, so it remained tight and concise.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies. Both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

Like most other modern action movies, Thunder opted for an amber and teal orientation. These choices didn’t overwhelm, though, and the Blu-ray depicted them in an appropriate manner, with some other varied hues at times as well. HDR added impact and power to the colors.

Blacks showed good depth, and shadows offered largely nice clarity and smoothness. HDR gave whites and contrast extra power. In the end, the movie provided strong visuals.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Thunder brought us a stellar Dolby Atmos soundtrack. As one would expect, the soundscape opened up best when it indulged in its many battle sequences.

These used the various channels in a vivid, immersive manner that placed the elements in logical spots and meshed together well. The track gave us a strong sense of place and action.

Audio quality also pleased. Speech remained natural and distinctive, while music was full and rich.

Effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with tight low-end. I liked this mix quite a lot.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos audio added a bit more range and kick.

As noted, this disc brought a true 4K image, and it surpassed the Blu-ray in terms of definition, colors, and blacks. While the BD worked fine, the 4K topped it easily.

No extras appear on the 4K disc itself, but on the included Blu-ray copy, we begin with an audio commentary from co-writer/director Taika Waititi. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story and characters, connections to the comics, cast and performances, music, and connected topics. P> Prior Waititi commentaries offered little substance, and unfortunately, that proves accurate here as well. Like in the past, Waititi tends to joke around and tell us only a handful of actual filmmaking insights.

Partway into the track, Waititi’s young daughters join him, and they provide entertainment. Unfortunately, their breath of fresh air can’t elevate this less than informative track enough to make it good – or even mediocre, as we simply get next to no actual filmmaking information from Waititi.

Four Deleted Scenes span a total of seven minutes, 45 seconds. None of them prove crucial, but that doesn’t mean they lack value.

In particular, two of the sequences offer more of Thor with the Guardians of the Galaxy, so those boast amusement. The other two prove enjoyable as well, even if none of them offer anything important to the story.

Three featurettes follow, and Hammer-Worthy runs five minutes, 36 seconds. It brings notes from Waititi, executive producer Brian Chapek, producer Brad Winderbaum, stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner, costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo, and actors Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth.

The program looks at the return of Jane/Portman to the series as well as Hemsworth’s training, and costumes. We get a mix of decent notes as well as happy talk.

Shaping a Villain fills six minutes, 11 seconds with remarks from Waititi, Portman, Hemsworth, Rubeo, Chapek, Winderbaum, producer Kevin Feige, creature and prosthetics designer Adam Johansen and actors Christian Bale and Tessa Thompson.

“Villain” covers aspects of the Gorr character. It becomes another combination of praise and insights.

Next comes Another Classic Taika Adventure, a seven-minute, 53-second reel that involves Waititi, Winderbaum, Thompson, Hemsworth, Feige, Portman, Bale, and director of photography Barry Idoine.

With “Classic”, we look at Waititi’s impact on the Thor universe, Hemsworth’s take on the role, and related domains. Expect another decent but erratic piece.

Finally, a Gag Reel goes for two minutes, 45 seconds. It delivers the usual goofs and silliness, so don’t expect anything out of the ordinary from it.

While I thought Ragnarok pulled the franchise too far from its roots, Thor: Love and Thunder brings a better balance. It melds comedy, action and drama in a satisfying manner that makes it a nice bounceback after the prior flick. The 4K UHD comes with strong picture and audio along with a mix of bonus materials that becomes a letdown due to yet another weak Taika Waititi commentary. If Thor returns for a fifth adventure, this one leaves me eager to see where it goes.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER