Review of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) by Htgamer — 03 Nov 2017

Thor: Ragnarok is a fun re-invention of the Thor film series.

After the disappointing The Dark World, Marvel needed to get the next Thor film right. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) demanded the next film be more comedic and his character funnier, like Guardians of the Galaxy, and it shows on Ragnarok. There are plenty of jokes and running gags, but thankfully not too many as to drag the film down in parody (unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy films). Seriously the film is a joy to watch. A couple of laughs never hurt anybody.

The action scenes are amazing and beautifully executed. From the gladiatorial fight between Thor and Hulk, to the fight against Hela and her army of the dead, to the air fight on Sakaar. Special effects abound, and we even see Thor finally mastering his power as the God of Thunder, after his Mjolnir hammer was destroyed.

The story is complex but still quite predictable. The movie's plot is a mix of the Ragnarok myth (the Viking equivalent of the End of the World), the "Planet Hulk" comic book storyline, and a new enemy, the Goddess of Death Hela, who escapes from her prison and is hell bent on revenge against the House of Odin. After a series of events Thor ends up on the planet Sakaar which is ruled by the Grandmaster who organises gladiatorial fights for his pleasure. Thor has to fight against Hulk to gain his freedom. They both escape from the planet along with Valkyrie and Loki to save Asgard (and the Universe) from Hela's army.

But the film's story features plot holes and logic inconsistencies, like, isn't Ragnarok too convenient to take advantage of while at the same time Hela happens to be on Asgard, raising hell (literally)? Still it's a fun movie to watch but I think Thor Ragnarok adds nothing new to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (for example there is no new Infinity Stone found) other than introduce the Valkyrie (possibly a love interest for Thor in the future films), the Grandmaster and a couple minor characters. Hela could have been a major enemy of the Avengers but she is no more apparently (you never know whether Marvel bring her back somehow, after all she's the Goddess of Death).

All in all, I definitely enjoyed Thor Ragnarok even if it's not perfect. Go and see it, it's great.