Thor: Ragnarok

Director: Taika Watiti

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins

Genre: Action, comedy

Year: 2017

Thor: Ragnarok cleverly twists the notion of Thor by constructing a hilarious, riveting film with brilliant performances from almost across the board.



Admittedly, Thor: The Dark World is one of the most disappointing Marvel films to date. Some may disagree, but from a film-making standpoint, it does slip up at more than one occasion. This may have left audiences nervous when this third film in the Thor trilogy was announced. However, Ragnarok knocks all expectations out of the park by twisting the typical tropes of a Thor film and turns it into an action comedy. This may have been a rather unexpected turn, because previous Thor films have always been rather dark, fantastical films with awkward writing and uninteresting characters.

Thor: Ragnarok begins with the mighty God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) trapped in chains, held captive by a malevolent being known as Surtur. From the get-go, the film is funny by completely reversing audiences expectations. This is no longer a deadly serious situation where the film attempts to put everything at stake - instead, it sets up the lighthearted, comedic tone for the rest of the film to come. Additionally, there is an extraordinary action scene, matched perfectly with Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song', where Thor tackles thousands of Surtur's minions with his hammer. Put the hilarious humour together with the impressive action sequences (which don't feel put in only to appease the audiences because of the low quality of the rest of the film *ahem* Transformers *ahem*), you have the basis for the rest of the movie.

The plot is fairly simple. Hella (Cate Blanchett, being surprisingly malicious in this antagonistic role, far from her usual characters) is Thor and Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) unknown sister who has come to claim Asgard for herself because she is next for the throne. She miraculously manages to crush Thor's hammer, removing him from his signature weapon, and sends both Loki and Thor off to a distant planet while she pursues Asgard by herself.
Thor becomes a victim to the eccentric, yet dangerous dictator known as the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) who quickly signs Thor up to a gladiatorial contest known as the Contest of Champions. Despite initially seeming like a colossal disaster, Thor is matched with none other than the Incredible Hulk a.k.a Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). With Hulk soon joining him as a sidekick, Thor, alongside some other allies, seeks to conquer Hella's rule over Asgard.

The performances throughout this film are almost perfect. Hemsworth and Hiddleston return as the demi-god siblings and they work brilliantly together. Hemsworth gives his all while acting as Thor in his new quirky, witty personality that he has now adopted. Similarly Hiddleston is great as Loki, still nonchalant, sarcastic and deadpan as ever. This is heavily due to the excellent screenwriting which has jokes of all kinds being used, from gags making fun of other Marvel films, to simplistic yet highly entertaining slap-stick comedy. The script never tries to reuse jokes if unnecessary so jokes feel continually fresh and for the most part unique. All the characters deliver these jokes perfectly, making it all the more hilarious. The film never lacks in these jokes, continually dishing them up at least every five minutes.
One complaint that might be have is Jeff Goldblum's character. The Grandmaster is naturally narcissistic, but occasionally he becomes ever so slightly obnoxious and frustrating to watch. Arguably, this is how the character might be and he isn't overused to the extent that it ruins the film.

The film works well dealing with the two different plot lines of Hella and Thor. Hella's reign is portrayed as heavily oppressive and destructive and Blanchett gives a stellar performance, feeling very authentic. Her character is neither overused nor ignored; the film manages to facilitate her enough and develop her character through as little exposition as possible.
Natalie Portman's Jane Foster is not in this film, which is briefly mentioned, but then basically discarded entirely. There are other references to previous films which are done in the same way as this, which might be a little disappointing, but this can be ignored because of the standard of this film. Arguably, Jane's character was not needed whatsoever here, and the movie benefited from having very little time on earth and embracing the world outside of our own. Still, the scenes on earth and enjoyable, especially with a surprising cameo.

The direction is extremely well done too. The film knows when to decrease its pace on things which require time, but also knows its limit on situations which could, if not directed well, feel dragged on too long. Luckily, Watiti is a great director who brings this new light to Thor films and knows how to effectively use comedy and action.  The cinematography within this film is impressive, although never feels overly stunning. It is definitely colourful and makes the film feels pleasant to watch.

Ultimately, this is another exceptional Marvel film which shows how Marvel does not need to stick to pure, gritty action. It is essentially a comedy, despite being a superhero movie. It is a very well done film, with great direction and great performances.

Verdict: 8/10