Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
D: Taika Waititi
W: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost. Based on the comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby.
C: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins.
The mighty Thor - played again by Chris Hemsworth - finds himself imprisoned on the planet Sakaar where he must fight in a deadly gladiator-style battle all the while trying to rescue his home world of Asgard from his long-lost older sister Hela the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). He recruits help from his fellow Avenger and one-time gladiator challenger the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), a former elite Valkyrion soldier (Tessa Thompson), and his mischevious (adopted) brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Together they must escape the grip of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and save Asgard from Ragnarok.
When it comes to the Thor films in the MCU they've been the weakest to me. The first one directed by Kenneth Branagh was alright although some comedic bits were grating although I did get a laugh from the famous "Another!" part. The second film by Alan Taylor was the weakest of the MCU films. The reason? It's drastic tonal shifts. One second it's a nicely done dramatic scene and then all of a sudden there's Kat Dennings doing something wacky, HYUK HYUK! But this film, with Taika Waititi helming it, it was a blast!
Waititi - who brought us Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and co-directed What We Do in the Shadows (2014) - brings this welcoming sense of fun and excitement to this franchise. I'm not saying this storyline can't be taken seriously, one could argue there's a bit of Shakespeare-level drama to the family dynamic. But the problem I think what it narrows down to is that the stuff involving Earth. Waititi decides to get rid of that. No more Natalie Portman, no more Dennings, none of that and kept it to the sci-fi/fantasy elements. By the way, the scene with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was kind of pointless, but I don't care, it was great. Weirdly enough I watched the Sorcerer Supreme mess with Thor and Loki on the one-year anniversary of the theater debut of Doctor Strange.
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| "YES! We know each other. He's a friend from work." |
I think keeping it to the sci-fi/fantasy parts and drawing influence from the Planet Hulk storyline by Greg Pak allows the film to fully deliver on the fun and action it should have. It also allows Chris Hemsworth to really show off his charisma and acting chops. We saw some of it with his other appearances in the MCU films but with this one, it's turned up to eleven.
I loved the atmosphere of the movie. Mathew Buck - aka Film Brain - brought up in his review that there was a sort of a video game vibe and I totally agree with that. After Hela makes her grand entrance and Thor gets stranded on Sakaar it feels like the audience entered a classic Capcom beat 'em up game from the 90s. Actually, I could see this being a video game. Each member of "The Revengers" has a special skill. Thor can use lightning, Hulk has super strength, Valkyrie has super speed, and Loki could create a second version of himself to fight. Come up this would be an awesome game.
Hemsworth isn't the only one who gets to show off his skills. Mark Ruffalo gets to really shine not only as Bruce Banner but also as the Hulk. In his previous outings, he really got to show the drama and torment behind Banner but he got to show a more light-hearted version of the character and has great chemistry with Hemsworth. In the past with the Hulk, all Ruffalo pretty much got to do was just grunt and maybe give off a line or two - though he did a great job at that. This time he comes off as the Hulk must of know of. The one who speaks in the third-person saying stuff like, "Hulk like raging fire. Thor like smoldering flame."
I'm happy to see Tessa Thompson get a chance to show off his talents again. She does a great job at playing this skilled fighter who is also an apologetic drinker. I hope this role opens up more doors for her. Also, Idris Elba gets to do a bit more with Heimdall which is always a plus.
And then there Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster. Oh, this was a delight. This is him at his Goldblum-ist. With this portrayal, the Grandmaster doesn't come off as an evil Roman emperor but more like an eccentric billionaire who just so happens to enslave people to fight like Gladiators. He's great.
Unfortunately, like a lot of Marvel films, the negative aspects comes down to the main villains. Now, these aren't terrible villains but given what we've had recently with the likes of Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War (2016), they feel rather flat. The performances are great though. Cate Blanchett is having the time of her life and Karl Urban as her reluctant servant Skurge is great but their motivations are just kind of basic.
But this film is a lot more than just great action, comedy, and performances. This is about Thor growing more and really fulfilling his role as the God of Thunder. We've seen Thor use some of his lightning powers a bit but he mostly relied on his hammer Mjolnir for fighting. But he doesn't have it now. So he has to rely on his wits which allows him to show off that he isn't a big lummox and that he is the God of Thunder.
In case you can't tell I REALLY recommend this film. This is kind of entertaining popcorn films I love. Where does this rank for me in the MCU? As of right now, it looks like this:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The Avengers (2012)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Ant-Man (2015)
Iron Man (2008)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Thor (2011)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
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