Review 418: Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is A Non-Stop, Laught Out load Thrill Ride from start tor finish and the best instalment in Marvel's Thor trilogy.

Two years after Avengers: Age of Ultron & four years after Thor: The Dark World, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) after unsuccessful trying to solve the mystery surrounding the Infinity Stones, becomes trapped on the other side of the universe on the planet Sakaar without his mighty hammer, Mjolnir and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok — the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization — at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela, the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger — the Incredible Hulk! (Mark Ruffalo).

The plot starts and it literally never stops, it's just a rollicking, great, high-stakes adventure, really with great characters and a rudy brilliant sense of humor - taking cues from Guardians of the Galaxy no doubt. We're in this outrageous adventure with Thor, he (and we as an audience for that matter) just jump from one location to another and it's thoroughly entertaining.
Not only is it a hilarious, fun & exciting adventure and quite possibly the most out-there of the Thor movies, it's a tale that deals with the Refugees and Colonialism.

Refugees: Hulk can also be classed as a refugee as he has been off Earth for a while and has exiled himself as a Gladiator on Sakaar. Meanwhile on Asgard, Heimdall (Idris Elba) has started hiding Argardian refugees who've been forced to leave their home due to Hela's arrival.

Colonialism: In this film, we learn a bit about Asgard's history in regards to Hela, she conquered worlds under Odin's leadership but
One of things Thor: Ragnarok does very well is show us the rocky foundation on which Asgard was built. The decisions that Odin made to ensure the safety and property of Asgard have dire consequences in very long term. This causes Thor to step up and make up for these past mistakes and lead his people to a better brighter future.

In how it ties into the title and its roots to norse mythology, Thor: Ragnarok is also about a new cycle the life of the Nine Realms: The end of the old and the rebirth of the new.

Director Taika Waititi's direction is fast, exciting and offbeat, effortlessly blending the offbeat, laugh-out-loud brand of humour from Guardians of the Galaxy with the traditional, ancient Shakespearean atmosphere the Thor films are best known for, the special effects are spectacular, the cinematography is gorgeous and captures the beauty of the Nine Realms, Asgard & Sakaar as well as bringing to life the Jack Kirby inspired iconography, the score by Mark Mothersbaugh is excellent, pacing is insanely fast from start to finish, the action scenes are simply splendid and thrilling, the production design is splendid, the costumes are fabulous, 

The acting is spectacular across the board, Chris Hemsworth is at his very best here as Thor.
In this film we get to see a much more laid back, relaxed and chilled out Thor than in previous films, someone who has some pretty fantastical adventures since Avengers: Age of Ultron - a lone gunslinger if you will.
What Hemsworth seems to really be enjoying sinking his teeth into is how this is a stripped down, more vulnerable & cheekier Thor we see in this film, who has been stripped of his usual resources, his weapons, his allies and is generally out of his comfort zone

Mark Ruffalo is simply outstanding as Bruce Banner/Hulk, with this film we're presented with a Bruce Banner who has let the Hulk become the dominant persona since the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron and him exiling himself on Sakaar, so we get to see the Hulk with a developed personality,
When he's in Banner form, he and Thor have this Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid type of comradely that is just inspired.

Tom Hiddleston, as always, is great as Loki. Ever since usurping the throne of Asgard, he has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification. Not so much on good governance and being a pretty slack king as a result. What this film and Hiddleston never let go of is how Loki is always a trickster and are always finding new ways for him to be mischievous.
However the idea that Thor might be indifferent to him is troubling for him, because that's one of his defining character traits. How Thor doesn't care for Loki and Loki hates him back as a result.
And the fact that Thor attitude is "yeah, whatever" in return is a very interesting dynamic that this film explores.
At the same time, by this point in the MCU, the relationship between Thor and Loki is so strong, both of them are polar opposite of one another and they're constantly at odds with each other, yet they can't seem to live without the other.

Tessa Thompson proves herself to be a simply excellent addition to the every expanding MCU as Brunnhilde/Valkyrie, as one of the many Valkyrie warriors of Asgard, she's once had an encounter with Hela which left her with survivors guilt and PTSD and so has exiled herself on Sakaar to drink & forget until the end of her days. But when Thor comes along she can't just continue that routine while Asgard is laid waste by her old nemesis.

Another excellent addition to the cast the films director Taika Waititi as Korg, a Kronan gladiator whom Thor encounters on Sakaar. He initially tried to start a rebellion on Sakaar but it didn't exactly go according to plan when he was unable to gather enough support and he's been stuck on Sakaar ever since. However along comes Thor and his opportunities to ignite a revolution are renewed and his chances of it succeeding seem brighter than ever.

Though his appearance is more limited than the previous two films, Anthony Hopkin's once again shines rather magnificently as Odin. He's chosen to remind in exile on Earth since Loki usurped him from the throne of Asgard and has been reflecting on some of the harsh decisions he's made as a King and has to come to terms with the impact those decisions have had on Asgard. The scene where he's reunited with Thor and Loki, in particular, is touching, poignant and relatable. In addition, the (albeit brief) scenes where he's playing Loki disguised as Odin are a real comedic treat and an excellent showcase for Hopkin's talents as an actor - in that he's having to play one character impersonating another.

Idris Elba is, once again, magnificent as Heimdall, given his all-seeing nature, he's been banished during Loki's reign as he would more than likely expose him. So he's gone from being this elder statesman, the gatekeeper of Asgard, to this badass warrior-wizard character, not to dissimilar from Gandalf the Grey or Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, who now lives in the hills and essentially kicks a lot of ass throughout the entire film. When Hela returns to Asgard, he organises a sort-of mini mutiny and starts a refugee camp for the Asgardians.

Karl Urban is hysterical as Skurge/Executioner, he's been made the gatekeeper of Asgard in Heimdall's place. He proves to be an superb comical take on the henchman character type. He essentially makes a deal with the devil. And that's when the rubber meets the road. He becomes her henchman, doing her dirty work. And that's sort of something that plays on his conscience. It's crossed a certain moral line. He quickly realises it's either join Hela or die. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's bright enough to make the right choice for himself. He's a survivalist.

Jeff Goldblum is simply excellent as the Grandmaster, bringing a lot of charm and charisma to an eccentric, hedonist, pleasure-seeker who is fascinated with gaming and enjoys life and manipulating lesser life-forms in his Contests of Champions. He also has a clam almost laid back demeanour even when in dangerous & intense situations.

As Hela, the Goddess of Death, Cate Blanchett makes for an outrageous villain. She has been imprisoned in Hel for a millennia and has come back to Asgard to reclaim what she sees as her birthright and title. Raging, impatient, ambitious, volatile, hubris and willing to kill anyone who gets in he way, Hela is one force to be reckoned with.
In a lot of ways, Hela is sort of a mirror image of both Thor and Loki, all three of them are hot-headed, ambitious children of Odin who all have a claim to the throne of Asgard and either have incredible power and a violent side that frightened Odin or feel betrayed by him and committed atrocities as retribution for being wronged.
But whereas Thor listens to others and cares for the wellbeing of his people, Hela values no one but herself and craves only power.

We even get a nice little cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange, his role is small, but it's pivotal in Thor & Loki's search for Odin.

Tadanobu Asano, Zachary Levi & Ray Stevenson also reprise their roles as Hogun, Fandral & Volstagg of the Warriors Three. Their involvement, however, is relatively minimal even when compared to the previous two Thor films and they still come across as unfulfilled characters.

I also kinda missed Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif as she really was a highlight of the previous two films. Ah well, I guess we can write this off as one of many missed opportunitys.   
  
Thor: Ragnarok is as outrageous and mighty as Marvel Entertainment gets, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.