By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars
I've said this in previous movie reviews for Marvel, and I'll say it again: Marvel is on a roll with their movies. Every single one they've released has made well over $100 million on their opening week, and they stay successful for their remaining time in theaters. The company knows how to make their audiences happy. They've established a clear formula of populating their films with likeable actors, lots of jokes, high-octane action scenes, and a few scenes with serious weight. It could be easy to get tired of the formula, and I'll admit there are plenty of times I've started to feel that way. "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" is a great example of following that formula. It's not a bad movie, but it's nowhere near Marvel's best. "Thor: Ragnarok" can be fit under that same umbrella: it is a very fun movie, and I'd certainly say it is the best of all the Thor movies. That's all it really is though: flashy and fun, which works to the movie's advantage and disadvantage.
Let's talk about the really good parts of this movie. One of those aspects is easily the visuals. This film looks amazing. In every shot of the movie, there is something cool to look at. Asgard has a lot more screen time here, which is awesome- I'm pretty sure seeing more of Asgard is what audiences really wanted out of a Thor movie, not for Thor to go to Earth in a cliched fish out of water scenario. We got to see so much more of the world of Asgard than we did before, and that was something that was actually really exciting to see. The god Surtur looks awesome too; it is indeed a frightening entity to behold. Its look will be ingrained in my memory for a long time to come. The world of Sakaar, where a big portion of the film takes place, is also a pretty cool sight to behold. It looks like it could belong in a video game, which is just right for a place that loves to have gladiator fighting. It looks cartoony, and when Thor is in this world, it actually feels like he's jumped right into a comic book. It was a good decision for director Taika Wakiti to have the world look like this, as it contributes to the movie's light tone. It lets the viewer know that they are in for a simple and straight up fun ride.
This movie can't be talked about without discussing what is both its blessing and its curse: the movie is basically a joke machine. It's really just a comedy disguised as a superhero film. Right from the beginning of this movie, Thor is captured by Surtur and he's telling a corpse how he ended up there in a very matter-of-fact manner. This immediately establishes that there really isn't any danger the audience needs to worry about in the movie. That remains true for the rest of the film, as when the main villain, the goddess of death Hela comes into play, even she is cracking jokes, and Thor isn't too terribly concerned about her. Even when Thor is in a situation where he is captured on Sakaar, everyone around him, including Hulk, is making light of his situation. None of this is necessarily bad for the most part. I like how this movie exposes the ridiculousness of the worlds Thor inhabits, and even subtly makes fun of the past two movies (including a hysterical Shakespearian reenactment of a scene in "The Dark World" between Thor and Loki by two actors who I don't want to give away). I would overall more prefer what this movie gives us than the mixed up tones of the past two movies. This movie's funny, and it stays funny and light throughout. However, there is a bit of a negative side to this as well. In the midst of the flashiness and fun, it's hard to really care about any character, as there's no gravitas to their situations. There is a great scene where Thor and Loki talk to Odin (perhaps the only scene of weight in this film), but it only lasts a few minutes and it's not talked about too much after the fact. Also, having jokes after joke can become a little too much at times. Having both Thor and Hulk practically be stand up comedians is both a good and bad thing, as well. I like both of these characters, so seeing them joke around like they're in a buddy comedy is not a bad idea. But, I also don't really see who these characters are. They don't really match up to the way they've been established in previous Marvel films. I don't think that Wakiti wanted any deep character development here. But, it would help to have a few more serious interactions between the two characters.
The performances here are all great, but not anything game changing for Marvel. Chris Hemsworth gives a great turn as Thor, as always. I like his interpretation of the character, even if he is a bit more bland when put alongside Iron Man or Captain America, who I feel are both more fleshed out characters. There are plenty of good moments with Thor, although I will always like him best when interacting with Loki. Speaking of Loki, Tom Hiddleston once again knocks the role out of the park. He is the most identifiable highlight of the movie, and is one of my favorite Marvel characters, simply because he's such an interesting anti-hero. Even in this movie that's not taking itself too seriously, there are several moments we get to see Hiddleston trying to overcome the dark parts of himself and bond with Thor. Although these moments are brief, Hiddleston brings enough good weight to them. Director Taika Wakiti actually plays a character in this movie, the rock monster Korg. When you look at this character, he just seems by appearance like he'd be a tough guy. But, that is far from the case, as he is absolutely hilarious. Some of the best comedy bits in the movie come from him. Idris Elba as Heimdall does a good job at delivering some serious moments in the movie. Heimdall is such a cool character; I wish he'd been in the movie more. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie balances her character well between comedy and serious moments; she's one of the few characters who isn't always spouting off jokes. Jeff Goldblum playing basically himself is the best thing any movie could possibly do, and he just cracked me up here, even if his performance wasn't anything different. As far as weak performances go, unfortunately I did not particularly care for Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk. He was either constantly angry or constantly scared in the movie, no in between. I've loved Ruffalo as this character in the past, but not so much here. Cate Blanchett as Hela is WAY too over-the-top in my opinion, there is no menace about her whatsoever. The same could be said for Karl Urban as Skurge, who the movie tried to make sympathetic but was simply played too one dimensionally for it to work.
There are definitely some problems with "Thor: Ragnarok". It surprises me that so many critics think this movie will change the way Marvel movies are made in the future, as it seems to me to be still following the Marvel formula to a tee. Now, that's not entirely bad. There are still enough likeable characters, good jokes, and wonderful visuals in this movie to make the formula at least work. If ti isn't broke, don't fix it, right? Still, the formula is becoming more noticeable, and that could be a detriment if Marvel doesn't start taking at least some risks. Despite all that, the third Thor movie is definitely the best, taking out the worst aspects of the past two Thor movies, thereby making him feel more like a natural part of the MCU. This is one I'd certainly recommend seeing with friends, as even though it does have problems, it's a fine movie and a fun viewing experience.
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