Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
7:35 AM
No Hammer. No Problem.
This review contains SPOILERS.
"Thor: Ragnarok" is directed by Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows) and stars Chris Hemsworth (Ghostbusters, Rush), Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager, Kong: Skull Island), Cate Blanchett (Cinderella, Carol), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day) and Tessa Thompson (Creed, Dear White People). "Imprisoned, the mighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilisation". Marvel are completely rebranding Thor with Ragnarok - they've been successful so far with an effective marketing campaign...will the final product live up to the hype?
"Thor: Ragnarok" is fun, colourful and quite exciting. However, it's not the big risk that Marvel promised with the marketing- this is still a superhero movie at its core...NOT a comedy with superhero elements which many have been raving. I was disappointed to find that "Thor: Ragnarok" is just as formulaic as most of the other films in the MCU, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, I still had an enjoyable time watching it and it's sure to be a crowd-pleaser. It's definitely a change in direction for the "Thor" films and I firmly believe that they should continue moving in this direction in the future. "Thor: Ragnarok" is a modest effort from Marvel, not their best but certainly far from being their worst.
The two Avengers that were missing from "Captain America: Civil War" were Thor and Hulk, this is what they were up to. As characters, both come across very well...better than they have done before. At first, I was taken aback by how comedic the character of Thor was compared to how he was brought to life in "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World"; As the film went on, the character truly came into his own and solidified that this is how the character should always have been portrayed on the big screen. This is the first time I've truly enjoyed the character of Thor and would now put him in the same league as his fellow Avengers. Taika Waititi undeniably understands the character more than any director that has come before him and I hope he continues to be heavily involved in the character's future. Not only does Waititi understand Thor but he also knows how to utilise Chris Hemsworth's potential. This is the best Hemsworth has ever played the character. Just like Robert Downey Jr will be Iron Man forever, Thor has finally been solidified as Chris Hemsworth's career defining role...he is Thor. Even when Hemsworth and Waititi are forced to part ways outside of Thor's solo films, I hope Hemsworth remembers what he did with "Thor: Ragnarok" because it worked and audiences were impressed. On the other hand, there's Mark Ruffalo's Hulk who surprisingly spends most of his screen time in Hulk form. Hulk comes across well but I would have liked to have seen him have a slightly bigger role- there's no sign of him in the first act. I think Ruffalo still has a bit to go before he joins the ranks of Downey Jr., Evans and Hemsworth but that's understandable considering most of his character's screen time is made up of grunting and CGI.
Let's move on to the character I was most looking forward to...Hela. It's partly my fault for raising my expectations so high for this character, I was bound to be disappointed..Marvel never get villains right! I can't pinpoint exactly what didn't click about the character, she just wasn't as badass and memorable as I was hoping. It was an interesting revelation to find out she is the older sister of Thor and Loki...but then it just made me think she's basically a female Loki. Her best lines are in the trailer but that doesn't stop them from still being effective and memorable. Cate Blanchett does a good job with the character, I find it hard to fault her performance. However, I don't think the film's sound was mixed and edited flawlessly as many of Hela's scenes did seem like they were dubbed with a different version of Blanchett's performance. From the trailer, I was expecting Hela to have an almost cockney twang to her voice but there was no sign of that here, she speaks like...well, Cate Blanchett. Blanchett did an excellent job as the evil stepmother in "Cinderella", if her costume was changed to that of the stepmother, there would be little range in the performances she gave. I suppose now would be a good time to praise the costume department who not only did an excellent job with Hela but all the characters. I still think there is potential with Hela, I just wish she had more scenes and I hope she makes a bigger and badder return...after all, we didn't actually see her die.
Tessa Thompson plays Valkyrie, a character that isn't vital to the plot but isn't unwanted when on-screen. I thought the backstory of the Valkyrie was very interesting as they are essentially Marvel's answer to the Amazons of Themyscira. Therefore, maybe Valkyrie has the potential to become as big as Wonder Woman? Thompson does a good job with the role and she definitely holds her own alongside genre professionals. With both Hela and Valkyrie, it is nice to see Marvel finally tying female characters into their plots and putting them in important roles. I liked seeing Hela and Valkyrie has (almost) equals to their male counterparts. As for the rest of the supporting cast, Jeff Goldblum does a nice job as the Grandmaster...even though the character himself added nothing important to the plot. Taika Waititi voices Korg and had the crowd roaring with laughter...the character's purpose of comedic relief was definitely fulfilled by Waititi's excellent line delivery. Every time there's a new Thor flick, Idris Elba's Heimdall gets demoted further down the line; He makes up his limited screen time with a good performance and kickass fight scenes. Finally, the cameos! The most surprising was definitely Matt Damon; He did a hilarious job as Loki...it was a nice surprise that got the whole audience excited. It was also nice to see Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange return. However, the character definitely didn't suit the lighter tone and came across much weaker. The actual scene where Thor visits Doctor Strange felt very TV-like. Definitely not the best cameo but it helped continue the plot so it wasn't a cameo just shoehorned in.
There isn't a ton of action in "Thor: Ragnarok". The opening action sequence was quite good but as it took place right at the start of the film, the audience were probably spending their time concentrating on the tonal shift rather than the spectacle that was occurring in front of them. It was also odd to see non-diegetic music be played during an action sequence in a Thor movie- 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin which was effective in the trailers was played twice during this film. Maybe Marvel are trying to make that Thor's theme song? It added a new level of energy to the action so it worked well. The middle action sequence is Hulk vs Thor and although it was nice to see the return of Hulk smash (Loki's reaction was hilarious!), it felt like most of the interesting parts were shown in the trailer. This made me not care for this sequence as much as I probably should have. Finally, the film saves the best and most exciting action until last as the third act battle is super exciting, super energetic and super fun. It perfectly captured what everybody has been praising this film for and it was certainly the film's strongest moment.
The tone of "Thor: Ragnarok" is so different from the previous two films that I just wouldn't be satisfied with this concluding the trilogy- if Marvel choose not to revisit Thor's solo films, they would be making a big mistake as as a trilogy, the Thor films currently lack an identity...maybe "Thor: Ragnarok" could signify the start of a brand new trilogy and we'll all just forget about the two darker films that came before it? Speaking of dark, "Thor: Ragnarok" is as bright as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films and I think this colour palette really excels for films that take place outside of Earth. It portrays the galaxy as somewhere fantastical and mesmerising. However, what visually let the film down, especially in the first act, were the visual effects. I saw the film in 2D so 3D might add some needed depth to the scenes but there were so many moments towards the beginning where a green screen was so obviously used. It really took me out of the film as we've seen how good visual effects from Marvel can be with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" so it was a let down to see lesser technology used for "Thor: Ragnarok". The visuals did get better though and they definitely spent the budget in the right places as poor visual effects would have been really detrimental to the quality of the third act battle.
I've touched on this already but I think Marvel tricked themselves and audiences into seeing "Thor: Ragnarok" because it was an unconventional, risky superhero film; Marvel Fox have released "Deadpool" and "Logan" which are both films that really broke the boundaries of the genre; DC has began with a darker tone and isn't scared to put a female character at the forefront straight away. The MCU clearly want to get into the genre-bending business but they need to do more than add in some extra jokes. Speaking of humour, "Thor: Ragnarok" is funny but I think just as many jokes land as a typical Marvel film; The humour is also the usual Marvel style. Just like "Suicide Squad" (but this film is much better), the trailer is better than the film. Audiences will uncover that "Thor: Ragnarok" follows the bog-standard Marvel formula but adds some extra jokes. Finally, a more serious theme that could be unravelled from within this film is immigration. After the events of Ragnarok, the people of Asgard are fleeing their planet and have all boarded a flying crate and are heading to Earth, in hope of seeking asylum. This is quite a poignant theme and I hope they take it further with future Marvel films.
"Thor: Ragnarok" is everything you want it to be- colourful, funny, enjoyable- except for possibly the most important thing..it's far from great. Thor comes into his own as a character and Chris Hemsworth steps up to the challenge and succeeds in his best portrayal of the character yet. Mark Ruffalo's Hulk could have done with a bigger role; Likewise so could have villain, Hela who we will hopefully get to see return soon. The visual effects are a little ropey to begin with and the story (or film itself) isn't exactly as ground-breaking or original as promised. Taika Waititi is definitely taking the character in the right direction, this is the strongest Thor movie yet and I'd probably compare it to the quality of the better "Iron Man" films. This could possibly be the biggest crowd-pleaser Marvel has had since the first "Guardians of the Galaxy".
74
/100
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1 comments
zmovies - Thor: Ragnarok plunges headfirst into unbridled comedy and Waititi gives his actors ample room to showcase their natural comedic talents, especially Hemsworth and Blanchett, who are rarely seen having so much fun. Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Ruffalo also shine, and Tessa Thompson steals scenes as Valkyrie, a hard-drinking Asgardian bounty hunter and former member of Odin's elite guard. Overall, the film benefits from its director's distinct style and measured irreverence, giving Thor a welcome boost of vitality.
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