From Scott Mendelson’s 7.5 Forbes review of Taika Watiti‘s Thor: Love and Thunder: “[Pic] tells a tale of a title character who has lost his drive, his purpose and his mojo. Frankly, it shares those core problems and becomes a metaphor for Marvel’s entire ‘Well, what now?’ Phase Four.

“It has the feel of a party that no one wants to be at, or a film that only exists because Marvel needed a safe sequel amid franchise starters, with the head DJ furiously shouting at the guests to dance, laugh and act like they are having a fun time.

“Like X-Men: The Last Stand, Thor 4 attempts to adapt two fan-favorite comic arcs into a single too-short (110 minutes plus credits) feature and gives both short shrift. It mistakes abstract concepts for deep-dive storytelling. It is fatally hobbled by a super heroic lead who has become cringe-inducingly incompetent since his last adventures.

“Thor: Love and Thunder is an unnecessary sequel, existing only because its predecessor was unusually well-received even by those who weren’t all-in MCU fans. Like too many of the most recent MCU projects, it only exists because Disney can’t afford to stop this train. Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson and Guns and Roses tunes aside, this fourth Thor is a real chore.”