WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
Thor: Ragnarok is the movie I didn't know we needed but my god was it well deserved. Thor: Ragnarok is the third film based on the Norse God of Thunder, and is the 17th film set in the MCU and after 17 movies, we FINALLY have some fun with the character. I'm one of what feels like the few that loves the first Thor movie, The Dark world I can take it or leave it, but one of the things missing from the franchise is comedy. The previous Thor movies did fall flat when it came to light hearted laughs, but Ragnarok more than makes up for it. Ragnarok is as close to a comedy as Marvel has ever dared allow, making it by far the most enjoyable Thor movie released. Directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi who has some strong comedic sensibilities of his own as seen in his own work What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. If like me you are getting a case of deja-vu with some of the Marvel movies lately *cough* Doctor Strange *cough*, Thor: Ragnarok is delightfully unique. There's a genuine sense in Ragnarok that anything could happen and the rules no longer apply, whereas with previous Marvel movies, it's as if they are scared to kill anyone off so you know they will make it out okay. In regards to the plot, after the events of Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor is set on finding the remaining Infinity Stones and it is due to this search that he realises that Asgard has been taken over by Loki. This leads the two of them to earth to find Odin who has been spending the last of his days living in Norway and manages to give them a warning before evaporating. In walks Hela, Goddess of Death played perfectly by Cate Blanchett, who takes over Asgard but not before disposing of Loki and Thor. Thor finds himself in a small corner of the universe in Sakaar, where the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) buys him from SR-142, the scavenger who happens to also be an asgardian warrior who battled Hela in the past. In an effort to form a team to take back Asgard, Thor bumps into Hulk reprised by Mark Ruffalo after Hulk has been missing for two years.
We get to see a side of Thor, Hulk, and Loki that we’ve never seen before. They get a bit more wacky and crazy this time around and their personalities all shine a little bit brighter than we’ve seen in the previously made films that they’ve appeared in. It’s really quite refreshing. Obviously, they are brilliantly played by Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Hiddleston. The greatest achievement by Waititi is that he is the first director of a Thor movie to make Chris Hemsworth outshine the performance of Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston who arguably was the best aspect of the Thor franchise, took the backseat when it came to the comedic side of Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth is still tall, brawny and of course handsome, but there's a self-mocking twinkle in his eye. It really humanizes his character as the issue with the character of Thor was that he wasn't relatable and more or less just a walking life-sized action figure. As far as the new characters Tessa Thompson’s establishes her character Valkyrie as a unique and powerful warrior in her own right. She’s an absolute delight throughout the film as she repeatedly takes on and (despite her drunkness) occasionally bests our title character.Audiences see Valkyrie as a fun, motivated and fully fleshed out character. Furthermore, she doesn’t find herself pigeon holed as a love interest. Rather, the relationship feels competitive and playful, more like friendship. The creative team must be applauded for finally presenting a female character with narrative value other than her role as the main character’s girlfriend. Then there are the side characters like Jeff Goldblum’s The Grandmaster and Taika Waititi’s Korg that were brilliantly funny and unique characters that added some wicked great comedy to the movie. They were scene stealers and had the audience busting up with laughter every time they were around.The performances in the movie are equally stellar. Every single actor appears on-point, committed, and having an absolute blast with the freshly evolved tone of the story.
In particular, Cate Blanchett slays in her portrayal of Hela. The character takes a gigantic step ahead of the other Marvel villains in terms of character development. She is seen fully fleshed out in regards to her motivations, and at times her point-of-view actually makes sense, you can see why she’s doing what she’s doing. As the story plays out, Hela is strong, independent and thoroughly interesting to watch. She completely owned the part and ended up being one of the best villains in the MCU. She enlists the help of Skurge, who is fantastically played by Karl Urban.
The only small and I mean small flaw to Ragnarok, which to be honest I don't think it should be counted as a flaw, is that due to the funny nature and action of the movie, the character story arcs are rather vague. However we have just had Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming which revolved around the progression of each character story arc, and this is the third solo Thor movie so I think having a lighthearted action is what was needed. After the first trailer debuted, a lot of fans noticed that there was a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe surrounding the visuals and the soundtrack and while there are a lot of similarities in the outer space setting and use of humour, saying that one movie is a rip off of the other is like saying Star Wars is similar to Star Trek (to any non nerds reading they are entirely different).
Don't get me wrong Guardians of the Galaxy is still my favourite movie of all time however it is more half comedy half heart, whereas Ragnarok strips the heart and gives us an action/comedy. Director Taika Waititi did such an amazing job bringing this world to life, and at the same time completely pays tribute to the art of Jack Kirby. The reason the movie looks so damn good with all it’s crazy colorful set and costume designs is because of Waititi’s vision of bringing Kirby’s classic art style to the big screen in a way we’ve never seen before. As the movie concludes, eager fans will realise that it easily flows into the next MCU epic, Avengers: Infinity War. Yes, Black Panther is up next but this. This is the prequel to the next Avengers epic.
Easter Eggs
#1 Cameos
Marvel fans have been eagerly waiting to see the state of Asgard since Loki banished Odin and disguised himself to rule Asgard on his fathers throne. Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long into the movie to see the destruction, more rather neglect as instead of keeping watch of any galactic threats or keeping Asgardian monsters at bay, he's enjoyed luxuries. We get to see a dramatic recreation of Thor: The Dark World, more specifically Loki's 'death' on Stage whilst Loki (as Odin) enjoys the flattery of theater and watches on whilst being hand fed grapes. During this play we get to see 'Thor' which isn't just any old actor doing his best Chris Hemsworth impression, it's actually his older brother Luke Hemsworth who is primarily known for his role in Westworld. This may be an amazing twist to see two Hemsworth brothers in the same scene playing the same God of Thunder, however it is not the only cameo we get in this scene. More noticeably, the role of Loki in the play goes to that of Matt Damon (I know right I was jsut as confused as you guys). The more fun cameo, at least in my opinion, is that of Sam Neill as Odin. Sam Neill who is most well known for his role in Jurassic Park reunites (sort of) with Jeff Goldblum who portrays the Grandmaster who is also famous for his part in Jurassic Park, they may not share the same scene but seeing them in a movie together for the first time in 24 years is exciting to a Spielberg nerd like me.
#2 Mjolnir in disguise
Some will immediately question Thor’s reason for bringing an umbrella on his and Loki’s trip to Earth, and others may not notice the telltale hum it emits. Doctor Strange sees through the illusion, though, seeming to recognize that Mjolnir has been given the same bit of civilian ‘cloaking’ as Thor and Loki. Transforming Mjolnir into an umbrella is a wise move, but it’s also a terrific throwback to the original comics, when Thor carried on a life on Earth as Dr. Donald Blake. The first Thor made the first connection to the comic character, alluding to Jane Foster’s ex of the same name, later used as cover for Thor’s civilian identity. The reference in Ragnarok to the comics is that Donald Blake carried Mjolnir around disguised as a cane. When trouble struck and demanded the emergence of the god of thunder in all his glory, he would tap the cane forcefully to the ground and be revealed in a magical burst. When Thor and Loki are ambushed by Hela, the hero follows suit, slamming down the umbrella and dispelling the illusion in a blast of lightning.
#3 Odin’s Infinity Gauntlet is a fake
Once Hela has tossed aside Thor and Loki and returned to Asgard – the source of her power – she beings to tear down the myth Odin has built. Down come the paintings of the peaceful union of the Nine Realms under Odin’s watch, replaced by the blood and war that really made it happen. The same goes for Odin’s famous vault, revealed to be the opposite of its claimed purpose. It isn’t a room built to house the objects of cosmic history, proudly displayed as testament to Asgard’s greatness. It’s a lie, built over top of the real army that gave Asgard its position. A lie Hela exposes soon after. Howver it’s not the only lie she reveals, strolling past the many artifacts and trinkets in the vault with mostly dismissal. That includes the Infinity Gauntlet first teased in Thor when the coming of Thanos couldn’t even be dreamed of. It became a problem for Marvel Studios overnight, as fans immediately noticed that the tease didn’t make sense: how could this be THE Infinity Gauntlet when it was a right-handed glove, not left? The problem compounded when Thanos was shown to put on the ‘correct’ left-handed glove in the post-credits scene of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Hela clears it up once and for all, knocking the golden glove to the floor as she states that it’s a “fake” version, apparently placed there by Odin to keep anyone from knowing the truth.
#4 Beta Ray Bill finally cameos
The HULK may be the Grandmaster’s current champion when Thor arrives on the planet Sakaar, but he’s not the first. It was apparently too good a chance for Taika Waititi and the Marvel team to resist paying tribute to other Marvel warriors, specifically those who could hold their own in a fight. When Valkyrie’s aircraft makes its way towards Grandmaster’s tower, his love for combat can be seen in the massive faces adorning the exterior of his home – the Hulk’s under-construction bust showing these to be former champions. Among the faces is the unmistakable shape of a Korbinite skull, a race of intelligent, humanoid aliens with heads shaped closer to that of a horse than a human. Which means at long lost, the Thor movies have confirmed the existence of Beta Ray Bill in the Marvel Universe. For those who don’t known him, it was Beta Ray Bill who wielded Mjolnir for a time, proving himself worthy of Thor’s power until the Odinson returned to duty. At which point Bill was given a hammer of his own from Odin, becoming a longtime ally – or in the MCU, an apparent predecessor as Sakaar’s star gladiator.
#5 Stan Lee Cameo
And of course, as usual Marvel supremo Stan Lee gets a cameo in the finished movie, playing the outer-space barber. The most head-turning part of Thor's look in Ragnarok was the lack of his flowing gold locks. The change may have just been to get Hemsworth out of the make-up chair for the required wig work, but it’s made all the sweeter with the reveal that it’s Stan Lee cutting off the locks with a nightmare set of spinning blades where his hand used to be, he cuts short Thor’s long locks before his first arena bout.
*Bonus* The Arrival of Thanos
The mid-credits scene that lays the foundation for The Avengers: Infinity War isn't the Grandmaster climbing out of his ship but with Thor sporting his new, all-black Asgardian armor and leading his people to an uncertain future, their journey is cut short when a spaceship stops them in their tracks. For those going only by what’s shown on screen, it’s a surprise contact with a mystery ship and enemy – or ally, just as likely. But for those looking to see how Ragnarok connects to Infinity War and the larger MCU story, that ship’s commander is clear: Thanos. At least that’s the most obvious explanation, with the prologue for Infinity War showing Thor floating bruised and beaten through space until running into the Guardians. Hopefully, it was only him who took the beating. Otherwise, the odds don’t look good for the spaceship and Asgardian remnant that surrounded him when Thanos first arrives.
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