Someone is slaughtering the gods. Thor, bummed out by his breakup with Jane Foster, takes up the job of finding out who this is, but finds complications involving a new Goddess of Thunder, kidnapped kids and recalcitrant gods.

Thor was a difficult character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A literal god, he was vulnerable to bombast and ridiculousness. In his first film outing, director Kenneth Branagh got the balance just right, but the second film, THOR: THE DARK WORLD went dark and gritty and was less popularly recieved. Writer/director Taika Waititi brought the series back to the top of the Marvel pile with THOR:RAGNAROK, a buddy picture that relied heavily on comedy to leaven some very dark developments. THOR:RAGANAROK was hugely successful, surfing the same popularity as the similarly-toned GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, so there is no surprise to find Waititi back in the chair for the first solo character fourth outing in the MCU. And the principle is, if it ain't broke don't fix it. In fact, just do more of it.

Unfortunately, that approach has introduced tonal imbalances and steered the film close to a parody of the entire MCU. One of the things that has allowed the the series to flourish has been its belief in its internal world-building, in its characters and in its storytelling. Making a knockabout farce runs the risk of ridiculing something that might not stand up to the ridicule. Comedy is one thing, but silliness is quite something else.

And there is silliness in this film. The destruction of the temple is silly, the screaming goats are silly, Zeus is silly, Asgard as a theme park is silly, Thor's love triangle between his old hammer and his new axe is silly. On the other hand, Jane Foster has cancer. That's a tough tonal shift right there. though it does give Natalie Portman the chance to buff up and become the all-new Thor. Then there's Christian Bale, playing Gorr the God Butcher absolutely straight, a tortured, bereaved father on a righteous rampage of vengeance. It's a good performance, but it appears to be from an entirely different film.

Which is not to say there are not things to like. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson are all likeable screen presences, some of the humour lands well and the effects are all up to the expected standard from Marvel Studios. There are also cameos from a lot of fan favourites. It just about manages to get through the silliness and the darkness, but there are signs that perhaps this character needs to find a new direction and tone.

THOR:LOVE AND THUNDER does enough to keep the fans on side, but after THE ETERNALS, there are signs that Marvel's golden touch is losing some of its lustre.