Review of Thor: Ragnarok (2017) by Soulwarfare — 04 Mar 2018

Thor has got to be one of the least interesting Avenger (well maybe on the same level as Hawkeye) and his movies aren't exactly memorable with his second entry being one of the worst MCU movies. This third entry decides to take a vastly different approach and it works. Director Taika Waititi puts a lot more comedy into this movie and adds a lot more comedic personality to Thor. This really makes the movie a very enjoyable watch and some great moments.

The plot is relatively simple in the fact that because of Loki taking over Asgard it has resulted in Hela a new threat trying to take over Asgard. Thor is sent to the other side of the universe and now has to rush back to Asgard to prevent Ragnarok. While many synopsis of the plot and even the title itself makes it seem like the stakes are really high. However, in the film it never really does amount to anything and watching it you don't feel like there is really any stakes at all. This is especially because of the fact that this movie is much more comedic and can be a bit jarring. You could go from Hela murdering people to a fun moment with Thor and it makes the plot not seem that important. The characters are great and fun to watch. Thor now has a much more lively personality compared to previous entries and there are some moments where we see more of his character. Still only "some" which is really weird considering the fact that his home is about to be destroyed and he isn't as panic as we think he should be. Chris Hemsworth is still a great Thor and while this movie does feel like more of Chris's personality than Thor it still feels natural and gives a much more fun movie to watch. Loki returns and is treated much more of a joke in this movie which leads to some great laughs but you remember that he was the threat that led to the Avengers to Assemble in the first place. Still he does have a pretty interesting character arc in this story and it works quite well with Tom Hiddleston still being an amazing Loki even for the laughs. Hela is the villain of this movie played by Cate Blancett and is the first true female MCU villain. Sadly, just like most MCU movie villains she is rather forgettable and underused. She only has one really cool scene and then is just typical villain of the day which is a shame as there was potential.The stand out of this movie is Valkyrie played by Tessa Thompson who is an amazing badass character and Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo. Valkyrie has a lot of great cool action moments and Hulk just steals the scene every time and since he can speak this time it leads to great moments between him and Thor. Though Hulk isn't in this movie for as long as you think he is which is a shame but understandable since this is a Thor movie still. Jeff Goldblum is the grandmaster with a lively personality and is great in every scene he is in and Karl as Skurge is pretty good as well with his own believable character arc though a relatively small role. Taika Waititi the director as Korg was also very funny as well. The best part of this movie is the amount of colour and design that goes into the sets. Clearly this movie took a lot of inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy and it definitely shows, They both explore the cosmic side of the MCU and are much more focus on the comedy. The design of the sets though have a Jack Kirby feel to it and that is very fitting for the planet of Sakaar. The action scenes are also very good especially the Thor vs Hulk fight with its great choreography and comedic timing. The action scenes are much more memorable then Spiderman Homecoming and are much more enjoyable to watch in my opinion. The score while not super memorable, still does its job and led zeppelin "immigrant song" is a great song.

Some critics say this movie sets a new standard for the MCU and I honestly don't agree with it. I think this is a really good movie and is most definitely the best Thor movie. However, it does have the feeling of a typical MCU movie. It takes many tropes that have happened in the MCU and amplifies it. This really worked for the movie and creates an enjoyable experience for us. This movie is what we loved about the MCU and that is why it was such a good movie. The fault for this movie is that it doesn't really go in a new direction and still has the common flaws of a MCU movie. Still, if you liked many of the MCU movies then you are going to really love this movie as it feels like a love letter to us fans.