Thor Ragnarok Review

Thor Ragnarok (2017)
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Written by: Eric Pearson, Greg Kyle and Christopher Yost/Characters created by: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Larry Lieber
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Tess Thompson, etc.

Thor has been uncharacteristically uneven in the MCU, in his two solo films and two Avengers films, the writers have regulated him to the Shakespearean talking god who is a powerhouse but hasn't had much character devoted to him. I personal thought the first "Thor" was a great film; a good exploration of a fractured family where Thor had to learn humility through banishment and Loki was just a villainous, multidimensional treasure.  "Thor: The Dark World"....ummmmm, let's see....was an unforgivable misstep! There were some evil elfs led by Maliketh, who were after one of the infinity stones, Jane Foster, who was a nice love interest in the first film was plot device in the second and the only decent thing about the film was once again, Loki!!! So going into the 3rd film of the Thor trilogy just left be feeling very apprehensive of what director Taiki Waititi could do with the character after the last film sucked all the fun and potential evolution of the character out of it. Come to find out after recently watching it, "Thor Ragnarok" is easily the best of the 3 films, mixing an abundance of lighthearted humor with an very entertaining journey of inner strength and perseverance for Thor.  This film first and foremost succeeded in giving Thor a likable personality that viewers could relate too.  By stripping down the franchise of the unnecessary aspects of it: Jane Foster, her sister Darcy, M'jolnir, etc. what we have here is a film just having a blast with the world of Asgard, Thor and mush more!!! Hey, that rhymed! :)

"Thor Ragnarok" opens up with a sometime hilarious, sometime too tongue in cheek action sequence of Thor being recently captured by the evil fire demon, Surtur, who is prophesied to be the bringer of "Ragnarok", the end of days and final destruction of Asgard.  The opening sequence is both fun and great indication of Thor's power levels. I loved see him taking on Surter and kicking him as well as his army of minions' collective asses. Then there's that hilarious moment of Thor returning to Asgard with the head of dragon coming along for the ride and it's blood splashing all over the new character, Skurge and the two females he is trying to impress.  I'll get into Skruge, later but first I must say how much I LOVE Loki again in this film. The writers always have fun with the character whether as an envious villainous God of Mischief or an unlikely ally who can't be trusted. Here, we see after the events of "The Dark World", Loki has been having to much fun disguised as his father, Odin by making Asgard into his own self worship entertainment. I have to say the play was one of the funniest scenes of the movie with Matt Damon playing Loki and Thor's whole reaction to it.  I just love these two characters' dynamic with each other. Loki good or bad, always brings out the best in Thor, whether good of bad, and I just love watching their awkward reunion. What comes next is a hilarious cameo by Dr. Strange in New York where he hilariously forces Loki to fall.....FOR 30 MINUTES!!! LMFAO!!! I like seeing other comic characters appearing in other superhero films within the universe and it's impressive to see how far Dr. Stephen Strange has come with his magic.  Able to make Thor's beer appear out of no where and teleporting him in the blink of an eye over and over again.

But in all seriousness, what comes next is a heartbreaking goodbye to Odin as he has finally reached his end and bids farewell to his sons. I have LOVED Anthony Hopkins as Odin in these films, his acting it just in a class of it's own and he just brings such brilliance to every seen he is in.  But unfortunately, with the death of Odin, comes the unwanted and very dangerous arrival of Odin's banished first born, Hela, the Goddess of Death, played with the elegant menace of Cate Blanchett.  I have to say, Hela was a decent villain. At least as decent as villains in this particular universe can get.  Most of her dialogue is either exposition on her past or her self indulgent proclamations of ruling Asgard. Not much depth to her character besides that but she is a superb foe in terms of scale and power levels, able to destroy the armies of Asgard in almost in instance in a brutal fight scene where she slaughters all of them with ease. DAAAAAMMMNNN!!! O_O  But once Hela defeats both her brothers is where the film divides into two parts: a dark fantasy of conquest and rule as Hela seizes Asgard for her own and a sci-fi adventure as Thor finds him self on the lost planet, Sakaar to become a prisoner of the Grandmaster, played with the usual hilarious mannerisms of Jeff Goldblum.  We are also introduce to Valkyrie, played with the undesirable wit by Tessa Thompson.  I liked her story of being the last Valkyrie alive and finding solace on Sakaara in capturing other beings and selling them to become prisoners.  Her journey of course is realize how important her home and heritage is still is to her.  Her aggressive reluctance to rejoin Thor on his mission to return and save Asgard was warranted, especially give how her fellow Valkyries were all slaughter by Hela and her fear of sharing the same fate. Ultimately, she realizes how noble Thor's cause is and eventually helps him to escape Sakaar and fight Hela.

Loki, of course, is on Sakaar too and his motivations are always entertaining to watch because he is always out to benefit himself.  His journey in the film is to finally see the light or goodness within him and after the continuous multiple betrayals from him, Loki finally does what's best for not only Thor but Asgard by arriving at the end to save his people.  I loved seeing Loki's arc throughout these 3 films and can't wait to see what's in store for him in "Infinity War".  But come on, on to the star of the film, and that's freakin' HULK!!! The thing is what this film did was making this also a Hulk film as much as a Thor movie. I loved every Hulk scene, especially as he has seemed to get smarter and speak more. I LOVE his dynamic with Thor and their scenes together. That arena fight scene was SOOOOOO action packed and exciting.  It was just cool seeing despite being friends, that these two are clearly the strongest Avengers of the team and when they fight it's earth shattering. Too bad Hulk/Bruce Banner is considered the strongest Avenger in a hilarious scene.  Speaking of Bruce, Mrk Ruffalo was just adorable in this movie with his scenes on Sakaar and Asgard.  I liked his constant stressful mood being that he's been the Hulk for 2 years and doesn't know how to survive on his own; needing Thor to help him calm down and keep the Hulk at bay.  Also, I just want to brief talk about Korg,....oohhhhh Korg, the scene stealer of the film. Keep him in this universe and don't you dare KILL him off or I'll be pissed.  Keep Thanos away from my precious, Korg!!! :(

Back on Asgard, We also have the character of Skurge, aka the Executioner and I really enjoyed his personal struggle to survive but ultimately helping to save the Asgardians from Hela in the end. When he disguised himself as one of the Asgardian civilians just to escape, I was pissed at where the film might have gone with him, but then he takes the right path by sacrificing himself so the people of Asgard could survive in the end. Very well done and poetic!!! Also, I love Heimdall, played by the always reliable acting prowess of Idris Elba, given a bigger role in this film by helping the Asgardians to escape and protect them at all cost from Hela. In fact, this was a superb ensemble film for a Thor film for once and everyone got a chance to shine. Once again, I LOVED Thor in this film as his journey from arrogant prince to now King of the Asgardians felt so warranted and wonderfully deserved in the end. I loved his inner realization of the true source of his power by not needing a hammer to be the God of Thunder.  Man was that sequence of him using his lightning against Hela and her undead army amazing visually.  This is the TRUE essence of Thor and finally the character was done with justice completely throughout!  Speaking of action, I Taiki Waititi is excellent behind those sequences, from the space chases on Sakaar to the Arthurian battles on Asgard, this is some of the finest action moments of not only the trilogy but of the MCU! Hulk verse that Giant Wolf....YESSSS!! Not to mention, Surter and Hela going at it was just impressive and beyond astonishing.   It's really a shame to see Asgard destroyed....especially the way they had to force some humor to a moment that should have been more devastating.  Like I said, my only problem with the film was that there was TOOO much humor, which is a problem for the MCU as of late.  We didn't need to constantly see Thor throwing things at Loki to make sure he was not an illusion, Bruce falling to his death, etc. Don't get me wrong, most of the humor worked but sometimes it was just, "give us a break from the relentless assault of jokes".  Thor hitting himself in the head by a ball by accident was just not funny to me in a moment that should have been more serious.  But other than that,  "Thor Ragnarok" was phenomenal from start to finish and the most enjoyable Thor solo adventure yet. It was also great to see Thor using his brain to realize he must sacrifice Asgard in the end to save his people and stop Hela for good. I ADORED that plot twist!!! :)

"As the 3rd and finest film in the God of Thunder's trilogy, "Thor Ragnorak" is a terrific fantasy ride with a sci-fi twist. Hemsworth has never been more charming as he leads an excellent cast of old and new characters on a journey of finding inner strength and tapping into powers that have never been discovered before or realized by our lead hero." :)

Final Film Score: A-