While he is one of the most well-known characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor’s solo films have been the runt of the Marvel litter for quite some time. His first film was decent, but “Thor The Dark World” just barely got a passing grade from critics and audiences. Now, acclaimed director Taika Waititi (“What We Do in The Shadows,” “Boy,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) is here to bring his quirky, ridiculous indie sensibilities to Marvel, and saving one of their biggest heroes in the process.
“Thor Ragnarok” is a comedy about the apocalypse. It knows this as well. Coasting off a gloriously self-obsessed performance from Chris Hemsworth, the movie bleeds a kind of cool buddy cop feeling. It revels in making the audience laugh just as much as it makes them cheer. The humor is whip smart, and the one or two times that a joke doesn’t land, its easily brushed under the rug as the film’s excellent pacing keeps the fun train rolling.
While “Guardians of the Galaxy” may have brought Marvel to space first, “Ragnarok” completely runs wild with the concept of a superhero space film. The locations are absolutely bonkers, with a main set on the scrap heap planet of Sakaar looking like someone decided to assemble a Mad Max meets Blade Runner city with colorful trash. Characters have bizarre masks and their own subculture with way more cool details that are too good to spoil.
Waititi also has assembled a great cast here, with Cate Blanchett especially great as the villainous Hela. Not since Loki’s appearance in the first “Avengers” film has there been a villain so deliciously evil. She relishes in her depravity, and her excellent costume and hair only had to the character’s insane evil.
Tom Hiddleston struts his comedic timing as Thor’s brother Loki, and Tessa Thompson is also great as the bad ass space scavenger Valkyrie; who she plays as if Han Solo got kidnapped and sent to the Marvel world. Jeff Goldblum has also gone full Goldblum level of insane here, dressed in technicolor outfits and spouting some of the best lines he’s ever been given in a film.
Despite the film’s ridiculous tone and comedy, it still finds time to be a very satisfying entry in the Marvel Universe, giving just enough world building to justify its existence. However, it also helps to build the characters of Hulk and Thor, as the two of them get legitimate moments of character development, with Thor’s being at the crux of the entire film. For a comedy set in space about a God, its refreshingly human.
Marks Mothersbaugh, of Devo fame, also gives the film a synth infused score that is delightful. It matches the tone of the entire film, which is extensively '80s without being '80s. It douses itself in the kinds of space opera sensibilities that came about from the decade, as opposed to making direct, cheesy references to it.
“Ragnarok” has one issue though: its tone. While for the most part it works well, the tonal shifts of the film do show at times. It doesn’t ruin the film, more often than not, it plays into the overall sense that Waititi and Marvel are trying to show how much fun this over the top and ridiculous kind of situation and character can be.
Because that’s what makes “Thor Ragnarok” so great. It’s absolutely absurd in every way, from its bright poppy colors, to its sense of humor along with its characters, its music, its settings, and it embraces it wholeheartedly. The film’s pure absurdity makes it one of the greatest Marvel films ever, purely because it’s one of the few films that manages to be a lot of fun without compromising the story and character development. “Thor Ragnarok” rocks. 4.5/5
