Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally, and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization. (1)
Review
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Hello, Movie Buffs!
I enjoyed the first Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013) is an even bigger, darker and bolder follow-up film. And now we have the most recent addition, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), which manages to be a strong contender for the funniest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, possibly even better than Guardians of the Galaxy, and the best MCU film to date. Ragnarok finally gives Thor the solo film he deserves, one full of laughs and plenty of heart, and the film itself comes out in a time where people are starting to wonder if we have reached the end of MCU films. However, we can’t end a sub-genre when the films keep reinventing themselves with every new film. Director Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows) balances humor, action, and drama with ease and it shows in the compelling and well-structured story.
While the film is titled Ragnarok, the film itself is only loosely based on Norse mythological event, foretold to involve a great battle, the occurrence of various natural disasters, and ultimately results in the death of a number of known figures - including Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki. Let’s face it, most films rarely stay true to their roots and personally I believe that changes should be made for the sake of the film. For example, in Norse mythology, Fenrir (a giant dog) and Hela are the offspring of Loki. Now considering the direction that the Thor films have been following it would be strange if Marvel decided to stick with the real mythology. Loki is already a well-established character and I believe that many fans would have found it strange if Marvel changed Loki’s past by introducing Fenrir and Hela as his offspring. In fact, this would result in too many questions, plot holes, and flaws to do the film justice.
Phase 3 (2016 – 2019) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us some truly great films (Recent: CA: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Ragnarok. Upcoming: Black Panther, Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers 4) and coming from a big Marvel fan I appreciate that. The special effects are dazzling and have a purpose throughout the film rather than just being thrown in for the sake of saying that it was there. The visuals are colorful and extraordinary, and I believe that Ragnarok is the by far the best Thor film visually. Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (Blue Jasmine, The Road) combines his cinematography with the visual effects and creates an almost psychedelic platform for the action sequences. Ragnarok is both funny and dramatic. I am glad that they saved the comedy for this last solo Thor film as it contrasts nicely with the previous Thor films which were all pretty serious, including Thor’s character. Considering Thor’s brutish and comedic nature in the Avengers films, a more serious side to him, while good in some instances, doesn’t work out in the long run. In my opinion, it was a great move, as it worked well with the more emotional moments in the film. Here all the comedy was used in the right places but it’s not just about the humor that makes Thor: Ragnarok so great though. In Thor: The Dark World (2013), the action is thrilling and breathtaking with plenty of dark-natured tension that allows for more emotional moments to be genuinely moving. The action is driven by the retro vibes of Mark Mothersbaugh’s (21st Jumpstreet) catchy music score is right up there with Guardians of the Galaxy, not to mention that the iconic Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song is the film's anthem and kick-start the film’s final battle.
Coming to the performances, Ragnarok features a strong ensemble cast that is even more expansive in development in this film. Chris Hemsworth stays true to the cockiness and naivety of his character while also giving us the chance to show us the real "God of Thunder" by demonstrating how powerful he is without his hammer (not a spoiler if you saw the trailers). Tom Hiddleston (Thor, TVs The Night Manager) returns in his portrayal of Loki and he once again delivers Loki’s eloquent and serpent-like malevolence perfectly, also Loki’s horrified reaction to seeing Hulk again after the events of Avengers (2012) was hilarious. Mark Ruffalo (Avengers, Now You See Me) is a strong presence and did some great work as the Hulk. We have seen what Ruffalo can do as Bruce Banner but this time thanks to improved CGI we get to see Ruffalo give us Hulk’s personality. Newcomer Tessa Thompson (Selma, TVs Westworld) as the fiery ex- Valkyrie shows plenty of potential in becoming a fan favorite and her performance was pretty good. I really enjoyed Cate Blanchett (The Lord of the Rings, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Hela (the god of Death), and it’s clear that she relishes in the character by making her menacing, entertaining and oddly routable. She is not just posing a threat and has an interesting personality but she is also one of few Marvel villains to have a character arc that is not lacking. Since most superhero villains are left flat, it’s nice that the epic fight sequences fit well with the serious moments. I mean hey, if the heroes can have some fun, why can't the villains have some as well?
Overall, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) is entertaining from start to finish as it captures the humor and light-hearted fun of Thor’s character that has mostly been overlooked in the previous two films. Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered another major hit without having to use the exact same formula since 2008. If that were true then people would not have been following all the MCU films over the past 9 years. Director Taika Waititi did an amazing job both behind the camera and in front of the camera as the minor character Korg. As with any Marvel film, there are bound to be insightful scenes after the credits and the post credit scene in this film is huge as it pertains to the upcoming MCU film, Avengers: Infinity War (2018). If this is to be the last Thor movie, then they gave him a great one to bow out. I highly recommend this film for everyone to see. NOTE: Be ready for a few surprising character outcomes and cameos.
***Marvel Cinematic Universe (In order of how you should watch them)***
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Untitled Avengers film (2019)
Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel (2019)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (TBA)
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Untitled Avengers film (2019)
Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel (2019)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (TBA)
"YES. We know each other. He's a friend from work."
- Thor [When he reunites with Hulk]
Final Vote
Worth Seeing: 4.8 of 5 star
Worth Buying: 4.8 of 5 stars
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Movies Similar
Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Avengers (2012)
Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers 3: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers 4: Untitled film (2019)
Black Panther (2018)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (TBA)
Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (2019)
Thor (2011)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Cast & Crew
Directed by Taika Waititi
Writing Credits Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Stan Lee (comic), Larry Lieber (comic), and Jack Kirby (comic)
Produced by
Victoria Alonso ... executive producer
Brian Chapek ... associate producer
Louis D'Esposito ... executive producer
Kevin Feige ... producer
Thomas M. Hammel ... executive producer
Stan Lee ... executive producer
Brad Winderbaum ... executive producer
Music by Mark Mothersbaugh
Cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe
Film Editing by Zene Baker and Joel Negron
Casting By Sarah Finn and Kirsty McGregor
Production Design by Dan Hennah and Ra Vincent
Art Direction by Bill Booth, Brendan Heffernan, Richard Hobbs, Alex McCarroll, and Laura Ng
Set Decoration by Beverley Dunn
Costume Design by Mayes C. Rubeo
Production Management Jennifer Cornwell, Paddy Cullen, Danielle Daly, Pip Gillings, Louis Polak, Jennifer Teves, Jesse Torres, and Jamie Whitfield
Cast:
Chris Hemsworth ... Thor
Tom Hiddleston ... Loki
Cate Blanchett ... Hela
Idris Elba ... Heimdall
Jeff Goldblum ... Grandmaster
Tessa Thompson ... Valkyrie
Karl Urban ... Skurge
Mark Ruffalo ... Bruce Banner / Hulk
Anthony Hopkins ... Odin
Benedict Cumberbatch ... Doctor Strange
Taika Waititi ... Korg (voice)
Rachel House ... Topaz
Clancy Brown ... Surtur (voice)
Tadanobu Asano ... Hogun
Ray Stevenson ... Volstagg
Zachary Levi ... Fandral
Luke Hemsworth ... Actor Thor
Sam Neill ... Actor Odin
Charlotte Nicdao ... Actor Sif
Matt Damon ... Actor Loki
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