Notable Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Tom
Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Karl
Urban, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch
Even within the now-rather-infamous Marvel Cinematic
Universe (MCU), the Thor series represents a fascinating part of it.
While Iron Man set the tone for the series, the initial run of films was
meant to represent various genres within the franchise. Sure, there was a
common thread of spectacle, humor, and just enough heart; the Thor
series felt so much more serious than the rest. For Thor’s first two films, the
Shakespearean tones that blended with the fantasy elements of gods and monsters
were initially met with mixed results from audiences and critics. While Thor
represented a key cornerstone of the MCU, the character’s adventures were the
weakest part of the initial ‘Avengers Initiative.’
However, during the ‘second phase,’ the MCU found a way to
get the more cosmic aspects of the Marvel world to resonate with audiences: by
making them funnier, brighter, and more entertaining. It worked for James
Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, so it could work for Thor, right?
Thus, we have the third Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok,
which very intentionally takes an entirely new route for the sub-series. Gone
are most of the melodramatic Shakespearean aspects, which are intentionally
mocked during a humorous theater production of the events of the previous Thor
film on Asgard (complete with three strong cameos), and they are replaced by
incredibly colorful characters, dialogue, action set pieces, and every ounce of
tongue firmly planted in cheek. Should this work? Probably not. Thor is not a
character necessarily known for his comedy. Yet, as Thor quips in the
not-so-cold open, he’s made a lot of grave mistakes, but everything seems to
work out.
Director and writer Taika Waititi, known for his ability to
balance heart and humor, brings his distinctively off-kilter style to Ragnarok,
too. The film moves at a wild pace, at any given moment feeling likely to
derail, but the sheer energy it exudes across all aspects ensures its audience
is entertained enough to overlook some of the cracks or strange choices in its
narrative or design. It’s a relatively fascinating and effective tactic in the
end, and while rewatches have proven that the film is not leak-proof, it’s hard
to deny its entertainment value.
Chris Hemsworth, as Thor, feels far more comfortable in this
environment, despite being one of the best things about the first two films,
and his ability to bounce from brooding serious to chippy wisecracking works
with what the film is doing. Although not all the jokes feel earned by Thor, as
his character still feels a bit like a broader version of who he was before,
Hemsworth makes the film's pace more manageable and grounds it when
needed.
Initially, Thor: Ragnarok is looking to reset and
possibly end this era of the character within the MCU. It kills off a few
recognizable characters from the previous films, or just dismisses them in a
throwaway comment like Thor’s ex-girlfriend Jane (the worst death, I suppose),
to make room for new ones, or brings back some favorites to appease the series
fans. Thor simply cannot be separate from the rest of the MCU anymore, as the
series continually pushes for crossover moments. Loki makes his dramatic
return, also now 120% more comedic instead of threatening, which Tom Hiddleston
manages to pull off, and some other Avengers crash the party. Doctor Strange
serves as a deus ex machina-style cameo in the first act, and Bruce Banner/Hulk
adds to the outlandish fun of its second act, which has Thor end up on a
colorful trash planet as a gladiator. It’s fun, as is what Waititi is aiming
for in the film, particularly as Jeff Goldblum arrives as the Grandmaster of
this planet in a performance one might call very Goldblum-y.
Yet, Ragnarok is most effective in its balance when it uses its new characters to advance the broader plot. The new villain of the film, Hela, played with sneering viciousness by Cate Blanchett, eats scenery here as a ruthless Goddess of Death who unlocked the cheat code for infinite knives. She’s Thor and Loki’s sister; she hates everything and wants it to die. Truthfully, I relate to her more than anyone else. Just kidding. Maybe. It’s not the most profound of villain plots, but Blanchett is serving it intensely, and it works for what Ragnarok is aiming for. The other key new character is Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson. Her hard-drinking ex-Asgardian fighter is a welcome addition to the crew as she really works well with Waititi’s whiplash dialogue and sparks instant chemistry with Chris Hemsworth on screen. She gets some of the best moments in the film, including a scene where she haphazardly slaughters an entire group of people who discover Thor when he first arrives. Is the scene strangely dark and violent? Sure, but the people just kind of erupt into pieces of clothing and garbage, so it's okay for the kiddos.
To partner with the film's new comedic tone, colorful cosmic
visuals, and joke-riddled characters and script, I will admit that Waititi
definitely ups the ante on the action set pieces, too. The film is very much
green-screened and CGI’d to death, down to making some of its new secondary
characters fully CGI, so there’s a limit to how real any of the action feels,
but it’s entertaining nonetheless. The film opens with a big fiery clash as
Thor faces off against dragons and demons in a hellscape, but when it's not so
brash in its large-scale spectacle, it works best. Hela’s slaughter of the
Asgard army is delightfully choreographed like a dance, and the combination of
the final Rainbow Bridge brawl and Thor and Hela’s face-off makes sure there is
some grounding to the action. Not that seeing a giant CGI wolf fight Hulk isn’t
fun, or a space ship chase with 80s synthesizers blaring in the background
doesn’t have its merits, but there’s a solid balance here that’s
respectable.
The biggest flaw Thor: Ragnarok has to overcome is
that it tends to lose sight of the overall plot and of Thor's dramatic arc.
Essentially, most of Thor’s time in the film is spent on this colorful planet,
introducing new characters and bringing back some old ones while throwing in some
action as it goes. The film loses its overall plot and character growth by
prioritizing spectacle over advancing the familial narrative. Sure, Thor is
gathering a new team to face off against Hela back on Asgard, and Waititi does
cut back to Hela to remind us that there are other things happening, like how
Heimdall, played by the always reliable Idris Elba, is gathering people to save
them from Hela, but the two feel disjointed until the final 30 minutes. By the
time that Hela and Thor clash, the film has lost some of its dramatic punch and
heartfelt moments. Showing why Thor has come to this point in his life doesn’t
resonate as strongly as it might have, particularly when the other films make a
point of driving home the family dynamics as part of the emotional
center.
One does have to give Disney and Marvel a bit of credit,
though, when it comes to Thor: Ragnarok. While Thor still remains
perhaps the weakest series within the larger franchise, this third entry is a
lot of fun to watch and has tons of charisma seeping out of every scene. Its
bigger emotional arc may not feel quite as sharp as Hela’s blades could have
cut it, particularly around the series’ themes of abandoned children or the
extreme way that Odin has raised his children to be strong, but the blockbuster
spectacle of Thor’s trip into an 80s-inspired sci-fi fantasy is worthy to be
one of the better MCU entries. It’s not up there with the Guardians of the
Galaxy films, ultimately, but it does fairly well in copying the
tone.
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