Hello, everyone!
I hope you are all enjoying your time as the days get shorter (or longer), and darkness envelops you at 4 o’clock rather than 10, or perhaps the inversion of this. Regardless of your whereabouts, I know Thor: Ragnarok (which I will refer to as ‘Ragnarok‘ throughout this post)Â came out a week and a half ago. I was in no rush to see it, but a plethora of good reviews gave it a very high percentage on Rotten Tomatoes, which caught me off-guard. Curiosity is great, and I was waiting to be surprised. This collection of impressions comes a few hours after my viewing of the film, so please forgive any opinions that may seem undercooked.
I have a few things to say, but here is the verdict if you want me to get to the point: the movie is entertaining, and a lot of fun. I know that concerning this movie, ‘fun’ is a buzzword you have heard countless times if you watch or read reviews as I do. However, that is the best way to describe it. There is a lot to be enjoyed in this film, with action and intensity being its strong suit. There are some issues, but this film is quite easily the best Thor film. Best in the MCU… perhaps entertainment-wise, but I would rank some other films above this one.
Time for some background details. This was a movie I was both excited and worried for. Marvel’s previous two Thor movies are merely okay in my eyes (I prefer Thor to The Dark World), and it has been a while since their releases. However, Marvel’s recent track record has been fantastic, even if some of their more recent films have their own issues that make them great instead of amazing. As a result, I was cautiously optimistic for Ragnarok, and I can say that has paid off.
Compared to the other two Marvel films this year, I can say that Ragnarok is easily my favourite (with the other two being good films, of course). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was overly predictable and had some extraneous elements, as well as a pace-killing and unfortunate sequence that was just expository. Spider-Man: Homecoming had substantial tonal discrepancies with humour and drama, but I cannot say that brought the movie down as much as it could have. Ragnorak blends humour and drama organically, and it isn’t afraid to take a few risks either.
This film sheds away what didn’t work in the previous two Thor films, with the Earth-based characters being completely absent sans one reference. The focus is entirely centered around Thor and his quest to stop Hela and doesn’t stop to dillydally too often. The pacing here does start off a bit slower on the film’s onset, but this is done to give breathing room that the film needed.
Being so long since The Dark World (four years), Ragnarok feels more akin to a stand-alone story instead of the third part of a trilogy. This is due in part to the material this film sheds, but also to what it adds. This commences an awkward segue to where I talk about characters. Thor and Loki are both as great as ever in this film, but so are the new and returning characters as well. I am unsure if it could be considered a spoiler, but there is one cameo towards the beginning that was nice. Seeing Hulk and newcomer Valkyrie also provide a bolder flavour that the last two films lacked, with this film being a colourful collage of gritty sci-fi elements in harmony with the more pristine fantasy side of Asgard. Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster was unexpectedly hilarious, and Cate Blanchett’s Hela was a more smug villain that may not break the trend of un-amazing villain’s in the MCU, but she is delightful nonetheless.
Visually and musically, this film shines as well. The garbage planet of Sakaar is colourful in a trashy kind of way and feels like a more rugged and ‘exotic’ approach to Guardians of the Galaxy’s sci-fi extravaganza. The soundtrack was also unique in that it had a signature ‘1980’s’ vibe to it, which gave off character even if it did not necessarily fit in (at all, actually). Of course, Ragnarok is filled with CGI, but none if it looked out of place or ‘bad’ to me. Action sequences are also plenty here, with fights having splendid choreography that have weight to them. There is no shortage of it, and all of it is what made the film so ‘fun.’
The only people I cannot recommend this film to are those that are looking for something fresh in the MCU. Ragnarok feels like a standalone Thor movie with dashes of Guardians of the Galaxy in it. The film is very well done, but it did not ‘wow’ me, despite my praises and lack of significant criticism. I walked out of the theatre feeling satisfied, especially with my cautious optimism paying off in the end. The film also does connect with Avengers: Infinity War, although this film felt like it told a well-crafted story that didn’t exist to set up future films (*cough* Age of Ultron).
In two words, see it! Have fun! Thor’s cool! I know I did not talk a lot about the story, but the premise of ‘Thor must stop Hela from causing destruction’ is nothing to talk of. It works for this film, and it’s other elements (action, humour, characters) matter more anyway.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this look at Thor: Ragnarok. I look forward to Black Panther this February, but before that, there’s one film that will definitely be getting a proper look at when the time comes around…
Until then, I will most likely see you again when my monthly impressions post (which will be lighter than October’s) is published at the end of the month! 🙂
stadarooni 