Iron Man 3, Spider-Man 3, Terminator 3, Alien 3 and X-Men: Last Stand. They say that the third time isn’t always a charm in Hollywood, but Thor: Ragnarok is one of the exceptions. The premise of Ragnarok, the Norse myth of the end of times is very serious, but the film is anything but. It is perhaps the funniest film in the MCU. It’s like watching DC’s Powerless but much better and with plenty of action. Like the review said, Thor: Ragnarok is too fantastic, it seems more like a dream.
“Like a cosmic fever dream, Ragnarok is a disorienting cocktail of riotous color and batty antics that seem almost unreal after the fact. Try to fit it into an established mould at your peril, but roll with this and you’ll discover not only a top-tier addition to the MCU but one of the most flat-out enjoyable comedies of the year.
                    — James Dyre, Empire
Thor: Ragnarok has really pushed the boundaries of comedy in the MCU which is already full of humor to begin with provided to us by the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. We also know that the MCU has already worked on different film genres except for maybe a true action-comedy. It’s just strange that of all the Marvel characters, they really went with Thor whom we might consider the most serious of all the Marvel heroes. But here he is, after being set up to be the butt of jokes ever since he said his brother Loki was adopted as the reason for his mischief in the first Avengers film. DC may be doing the same thing with Aquaman since recent writers can’t think of what to do with water-based superheroes. What this film does is accept this build-up in great fashion. The culmination of making fun out of Thor. Perhaps they’ve made it too fun. To be honest, the first Thor was a bore; the second was just average because maybe Marvel has not been too sure of how to integrate the fantastical elements of the character to the more grounded MCU. So Marvel Studios decided to cut loose and let their imaginations run wild thanks to films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange.
Seriousness, action, and comedy aren’t easily put together with great success. This film has really gone all out on the fantasy element of the MCU putting together gods, aliens, technology, and magic. The contrast versus the more grounded roots of the MCU like Iron Man and the Netflix’s Daredevil really stands out. Thor: Ragnarok demands your suspension of disbelief and keeps you in that state with all the humor. This film does have its serious bits, some of which are a bit shocking, which I think blends fluidly in the film.
So, aside from expecting a few laughs from Thor: Ragnarok which the trailers have conditioned us to, what else can we expect from the film? Here are some minor spoilers which I trust won’t affect you while watching the film but are still interesting. First, Lady Sif is nowhere to be seen in this film despite it being about the end of Asgard. Not a spoiler because that’s what Ragnarok means, at most in the comics. Jane Foster isn’t around either. What’s with Thor and his girls anyway? Problems with Jamie Alexander and Natalie Portman? Gwyneth Paltrow made a comeback in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Hopefully, an interesting explanation on the fates of these characters will come up soon.
About this author’s theory regarding the Soul Stone residing in Thor’s hammer, I was very wrong. Well, that’s what theories are. About Hela, we all know that she’s the amalgamation of Hela, goddess of death, Amora, the Enchantress (due to her association with Skurge the Executioner) and Gorr the Godbutcher because of her talents but she has one more shocking attribute that will surprise comics fans. Plus, the question about the gauntlet in Odin’s vault is finally answered as well as the Loki/Odin question that has been hanging since Thor: The Dark World. I’ll do you guys a favor. Just sit through the mid-credits and don’t bother with the post-credit scene. If you didn’t like the last bit of Spider-Man: Homecoming, you’ll like this even less. Your choice though. After popularizing the post-credits scene, perhaps so we could at least know the names of the guys who did post-shoot cleaning, Marvel seems to want to junk the concept.
The visuals were awesome as always being an MCU film. Chris Hemsworth works well with comedy taking his performance to another level from Ghostbusters. A major factor is his unlikely stature and physique as well as the unlikeliness of his character. Mark Ruffalo as Hulk was awesome as well. These two characters continue their great chemistry from the Avengers. Karl Urban as Skurge and Cate Blanchett as Hela, however, may seem a bit bland but Hela as a character does come as intimidating. For those on the lookout for the MCU’s villain problem, you’ll be able to see it, but as always with MCU films, it’s an issue that can be overlooked when seeing the film as a whole.
Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is a fun and enjoyable film for those who enjoy a comedy film every now and then. This may bother some folks who think that this film is too over the top for its own good and overcompensates for how the character has been handled in his MCU appearances. That too is a minor issue on my part but Thor could use a break.
Don’t forget to check out our Superhero Collectors Guide which includes Thor, of course!
Film Review: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
Reviewed on Oct. 27, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time:Â 130 MIN.
PRODUCTION: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Marvel Studios presentation. Producer: Kevin Feige. Executive producers: Victoria Alonso, Louis D’Esposito, Thomas M. Hammel, Stan Lee, Brad Winderbaum. Director: Taika Waititi. Screenplay: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost. Camera (widescreen): Javier Aguirresarobe. Editors: Zene Baker, Joel Negron. Music: Mark Mothersbaugh.
WITH: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch.