Thor: Ragnarok is my favorite Marvel Universe movie since the first Guardians of the Galaxy, which makes sense since they share a similar action-comedy tone, and is far superior to the first two Thor movies. Simply stated, this movie is a hell of a lot of fun. I don’t dislike the first two Thor movies, but I find them remarkably unremarkable. They are both a fine enough way to spend a couple hours, but I’ll be damned if I can remember what they are about (I remember that the first one is basically a remake of Masters of the Universe, but I’ve got nothing beyond that). Thor (as a character) is similar to Wonder Woman in many ways, and I think both characters work better when they are removed from the fantasy worlds of their origin. This film at least partially achieves that, allowing for a much more fun scenario than the previous entries.
The movie basically has to plots running concurrently. Plot A has Hela (played by Cate Blanchett), Thor’s long-lost sister, return to Asgard to destroy the place. In the process, she knocks Thor and Loki off to a distant planet to start Plot B. In Plot B, Thor and Loki must find their way off of the planet that is run by the Grand Master (played by Jeff Goldblum), who’s chief hobby is forcing people to fight as gladiators for his own amusement. The Grand Master’s champion gladiator is the Hulk, which is awesome but would have been better if it wasn’t spoiled by the film’s marketing. The script clearly builds this up as a surprise and it would have worked better as such, but I suppose spoiling it helped sell tickets.
The fun of this movie lies in Plot B, as it allows these characters to be thrown in completely different situations than we’ve seen in previous films. The fight between Thor and Hulk alone is worth the price of admission, as the comic nerd in me couldn’t help but smile seeing Marvel’s two most powerful heroes have an all-out brawl. Thor vs. Hulk is something that fanboys have debated for decades and the result likely won’t change anybody’s mind (Hulk would win and anybody that tells you different is wrong), but the fight itself is so damn satisfying that it doesn’t matter whose side you’re on. The rest of this section of the film is also highly entertaining as Thor, Hulk and Loki have to figure out a way off the planet. The plot itself isn’t particularly enthralling, but it’s the character interactions and overall tone that make it a lot of fun to watch.
Plot A is less interesting, which is probably why its barely featured in the trailers. Hela is a decent enough villain, but this is nothing that we haven’t seen before. Honestly, Thor should just ask his father for a complete list of enemies that are missing or presumed dead so that they won’t be surprised when they show up to destroy Asgard. It’s also pretty ridiculous that Thor has never heard of his sister before, but whatever. Things like that would annoy me more if the movie wasn’t any good. There is nothing particularly wrong with this section and Blanchett does a fine job with the character, but it is all just somewhat bland and reminiscent of the first two movies. Hela is still more interesting than those elves (or whatever the fuck they were) in the second movie, though.
The performances are all strong, as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston basically own these characters at this point. It’s great to see the Hulk back again and Mark Ruffalo again brings a welcome quirkiness to the character that was lacking in previous portrayals (there is a running gag about him having to wear Tony Stark’s clothes that made me laugh). These guys have been playing these characters together for years now and the familiarity shows in the chemistry between them. But my favorite part is the inclusion of Jeff Goldblum. Not only is it great to see him in something other than a commercial, but he plays this character so goddamn weird that it’s great, like if Dr. Frank N. Furter became a gameshow host. As mentioned, Cate Blanchett is also good even if she doesn’t have much to work with. There is also a Valkyrior played well by Tessa Thompson. My only problem there is that I had never heard of Tessa Thompson before and spent the whole movie thinking that she was Michelle Rodriguez until I saw the end credits. Seriously, those two look like they were separated at birth.
I definitely recommend seeing this in theaters. Even if you didn’t like the first two Thor movies or aren’t even that familiar with the Marvel movies, you can enjoy this because it is one of the more self-contained films in the series. If you like stuff like Guardians of the Galaxy and Flash Gordon, then check this out. I’m just going to sit here and keep waiting for my goddamn Howard the Duck movie.
Image By: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/Thor_Ragnarok_poster.jpg
