Thor: Ragnarok Review:

The god of thunder has been in need of reinvention for a long time. After three team ups and two stand alone films, Thor became even higher in rank among Marvel’s cast of all star heroes. Chris Hemsworth has repeatedly done an outstanding job as the character and has always been my personal highlight in The Avengers films. The Thor films on the other hand have been some of my least favorite Marvel films. Everyone loves the character, but the same can not be said for his stories. In a complicated fantasy, sci-fi world, there were bound to be problems, but Thor could never hit the sweet spot. The Avenger could never find a stable cast of characters and pacing that could coincide with him. Thor was never lightning in a bottle. Thor (2011) was the origin story of the hammered hero that attempted to mix action and romance. It was a film that did relatively positive among critics and fans enjoyed the demigods first appearance on the big screen. It was his triumphant debut that was able to outshine his other Avengers. Its sequel, Thor: The Dark World was a cluttered mess that divided critics. Although fans still got an enjoyable sequel, it was certainly not worthy of the hammer. Thor: Ragnarok is not just worthy of the hammer, It picked up that hammer and went nuts with it. This was the Thor film that both critics and fans wanted from the beloved character. For the first time the character finally fit his own standalone film that was able to contrast his tone.

Thor: Ragnarok is not only a marvelous sci-fi film, but it’s also a great comedy film that kept me laughing until the credits ended. Even after the credits they still got me to laugh. The change in tone from its predecessors, was executed seamlessly and made me leave wanting as Thor himself would yell, “another!” The duology of films always had a spark of comedy and now its third installment finally embraces the humorous side of itself and lets go from its serious tone. Ragnarok finally breaks free from Thor’s norm with his mighty hammer. Even after Thor loses his famous weapon during the opening of the film, he still manages to crack the most hilarious jokes and continue to be one of the most epic comic book on screen heroes. This was the first time that a Thor film was truly engaging for me and I wanted to learn more about its vast scientific fantasy world that was always bringing something new to the table within its two hours and ten minute run time. It went beyond the reaches of Asgard and into the nine realms. Ragnarok enters the other realms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the best way possible. The other Thor movies typically revolved around Earth and Asgard, but instead this time Thor goes to other various planets rather than the Marvel universe’s two main planets. This allows the movie to break free from its former self and provide a film that varies in great lengths from its predecessors. The majority of the film takes place on the junkyard rich planet Sakaar.

Ragnarok is not just the story of Thor. It’s the story of his Asgard and its outer threats within the other nine realms that constantly put the golden landscape in a state of crisis. That being said, there are plenty of characters you are probably not expecting to see throughout the film. I never write any plot details in my reviews in order to avoid spoilers so the reader can have a more enjoyable and surprising time when viewing the movie, but it’s worthy to note that you do not need to watch the other two Thor movies in order to enjoy Ragnarok, however I do recommend you watch The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron before viewing Ragnarok or just simply google what you need to know before watching the film. Ragnarok is one of the final plot lines leading into the ultimate Marvel movie crossover, Avengers: Infinity War. There are plenty of amusing callbacks to previous Marvel films. One of them had me dying in my seat as it slowly ripped apart Thor: The Dark World.

Overall the acting is just as good as every other Marvel movie. Everyone does their jobs, but some actors go beyond what you think they are capable of. It’s the Marvel standard that should continue throughout all its future films. One of the biggest selling points of the movie is Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk, played by actor Mark Ruffalo. While Hulk is heavily involved in the film, he is not introduced until about a quarter into the film. He certainly does not steal the show from the main cast, but he is a worthy compromise to the likes of Thor. He fits in with the cast very well and provides some of the most memorable moments of the film. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, is also back once again and playing the hero. Loki last sent Odin to Asgard and claimed the throne disguised as Odin. He is quickly dragged into the story once Thor reveals to the citizens of Asgard that he was indeed alive and acting as their king.

Alongside Thor, Loki, and Hulk are the two new characters Valkyrie and Korg. Valkyrie is a retired alcoholic warrior who is now a renowned bounty hunter. Without any spoilers to the film, she once worked under the Asgard army, but ran away in fear. Her story is uncovered over the course of the film. Korg on the other hand is the comic relief that had the entire audience bursting into laughter. Korg is a Kronan warrior, a man made of pure rocks, helps Thor and Loki on Sakaar. Everytime he spoke, he always had something to make the audience laugh. I’m not going to say much about these two characters in order to avoid spoilers and some humorous scenes, but it’s notable to say that these two characters are the best new characters to ever come out of the Thor franchise and fans should plead to Marvel for their return because they were absolutely charming just as Loki once was in the original Thor.

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Marvel has had a villain’s problem for the longest time. They have such a large focus on heroes, but nowhere near as much for their antagonist. Thor: Ragnarok explains lots of backstory for a villain that is just slightly better than your average Marvel movie villain. Thor’s older sister Helena and her servant The Executioner bring nothing new to the table, which is rather disappointing once again. They are interesting at the very least, but they have the average villain plot and consume the least amount of the movie. Marvel always creates fantastic costumes and build ups for their characters, but they never seem to have any importance in the long run. One antihero that appears during the climax of the film is the Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum. He’s a character that simply sets up the majority of the film while also providing a very humorous performance.

The Thor movies still have an ongoing problem. The pacing of the film. The film never slows down when its mightiest heroes are on screen, but when the villains jump in everything gets thrown off. The film starts off by getting you right into the action and bulk of the story. Important explanations are needed, but for a sci-fi fantasy film, not everything needs an explanation. The long dialogues slow the movie down and then the movie flies back into motion almost like a commercial break. These long explanations make the movie suffer during the climax when the main villain Helena enters Asgard. These scenes are needed, but perhaps they could have been moved to a different area of the film or have gone slightly faster. They are great scenes with incredible CGI, but they disrupt the entire movie at times. The transitions into the scenes however are top notch and are far more fluent than the majority of current movies. Thor is constantly moving like a storm and his enemies can never keep up with him.

The Verdict:

Marvel has slowly been building a cinematic universe for the last decade and Thor: Ragnarok is another great addition to the list. It’s a movie that has a rather sloppy pacing and wasteful villain, but on the contrary, it still has a tremendous cast and gorgeous visuals. It may perhaps draw more inspiration from Hulk comicbooks than Thor, but that proves to be a fine decision in the long run as Ragnarok is still a fun time. Marvel continues to be the industry titan for visuals, but they still continue to not improve on their recurring problems. Marvel constantly pours out more movies that are enjoyable for both moviegoers and fans.

Rating: 8/10