RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
*This review contains SPOILERS*
ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS: Being unsuccessful in finding the Infinity Stones, Thor returns to Asgard to find Loki posing as Odin, makes Loki take him to their father, and discovers that his sister, Hela the Goddess of Death, will be released as soon as Odin dies to be the end of Asgard or, rather, the prophesied Ragnarok, but the prophecy comes sooner than anticipated, leaving Thor and Loki to be thrown to the garbage planet of Sakaar where they must try to escape in time to defeat Hela.
After the first teaser for Thor: Ragnarok was released earlier this year, I began crossing my fingers that the third installment of this franchise would not be a letdown. The trailers were packed with comedy and action, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was partly a marketing hoax because the two previous Thor films were anything but comedy. Just imagine my joy to discover that the trailers did not lie! Finally, the formula for a film about a mythical being with superpowers has been cracked with New Zealand director, Taika Waititi, breathing new life into a tired series.
What I find most ironic is that the two other MCU films this year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, were often advertised as comedies, and while both had their moments, Thor: Ragnarok takes the cake for the funniest MCU film this year. Much of the comedy in the film works: I actually chuckled several times, which for me is equivalent to a belly laugh. The would-be-grueling scenes–as in scenes that are tiresome to watch–were made fun by quippy banter between characters. Sometimes the humor is obvious, but I don’t care because seeing Thor be a more lighthearted character such as he was in The Avengers is refreshing.
Speaking of characters, this film introduces several new ones including Valkyrie, Korg, Skurge, Grandmaster, and Hela. Skurge is the weakest of these characters. In all fairness, his role is small, and Karl Urban plays the character to its fullest potential. Also, Skurge’s guns, Des and Troy, are a nice touch to his characterization. Valkyrie and Korg, played by Tessa Thompson and Taika Waititi, are welcomed additions to the Thor clan, and Grandmaster is played with vigor by Jeff Goldblum.
Now, to the weak point of so many of Marvel’s films: the villain. After being locked away for many years by her father Odin, destined to stay there until her father’s death, Hela (Cate Blanchett) is released from her chains and comes back to take over Asgard. She is not an awful villain. I think that she fits quite well into the scope of this film, but by no means was she frightening or gave me nightmares afterwards. Her plan is very simple: take over Asgard no matter how many citizens die as a result. The cockiness and attitude that Blanchett brings to the role is fun to watch, even if the stereotypical lines about conquering the universe are uttered. In the end, of course, good wins over Hela’s evil plans, but this time the villain is defeated as a result of a bigger baddie being brought back to life. Will Hela return? We will have to wait and see. Though I might roll my eyes, I would not be disappointed.
There is a trade out for making the film so comedic. Some of the would-be-dramatic scenes are ended with jokes and are made to feel less significant. This film was not trying to be dramatic, so it is really not a problem that we do not come out of this film crying over a character’s death.
There is one death in this film that might have you tear up, and that is the death of Odin. I was not surprised that he died because for some reason I thought that he had died in the previous film and was not expecting him to be in this film except for perhaps as a vessel for Loki to disguise himself in. He appears several times throughout the film in a sort of flashback that Thor has. In fact, he dies within the first act, but his memory is carried throughout the film. I would have thought that these flashbacks would have worked against the film, but they work quite well. The editing of these dramatic moments is what blends them in with the lighter tone that the majority of the film has.
Of all the superhero films this year, Thor: Ragnarok actually had me invested in all of the action scenes, including the last one. Most of these films have good action throughout, but for some reason, the final act is rife with grandiose explosions and trite statements about how the hero must save the world for all of the people who inhabit it… Like, you live here too, a-hole. These endings are almost never in line with what the previous two acts established. This film, on the other hand, mixes big action sequences with comedy, producing a very entertaining and suitable final act.
THE FILM ALIEN 