One of the most hotly anticipated movies of last year was Thor: Ragnarok. With genre favourite director Taika Waititi overseeing the third of the famed Thunder God’s solo movies as the action looked to revolve around the world-ending Ragnarok, fans were chomping at the bit for a film worthy of the Mighty Thor after two so-so individual outings to date. Did we get that worthy adventure? You bet your magical, mystical hammer we did!
In terms of plot, the threat of the aforementioned Ragnarok takes centre-stage. Essentially the Norse version of Judgment Day, Ragnarok is the end of days that will signal the end of Asgard and the Asgardian civilisation as we know it. Heralded in by uber-rogue Hela – played by a sinisterly snarling Cate Blanchett – the Son of Odin has quite the uphill battle on his hands. Even worse, a battle with the all-powerful Hela banishes him to the bizarre and bonkers planet of Sakaar where we get introduced to a whole roster of quirky and unique characters. Oh, and the Hulk. Yep, as in the same Green Goliath who has been seen alongside the Thunder God as part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. The problem is, Hulk is the prized champion of the till-death-do-us-part fighting game put together by the planet’s Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum in scintillatingly Goldblum form), and the Engine of Mass Destruction is in no rush to return to the form of puny Bruce Banner and give up his glory. So, Thor must do his best to get the jolly green guy onside – not to mention Tom Hiddleston’s Loki – as he heads back home to try and stop Hela’s plan for the all-encompassing domination that will completely destroy Asgard. Pretty heavy stuff, right? You bet ya, but we’ve got an array of bright, colourful set pieces, a wondrous ensemble of characters, snappy dialogue, and a toe-tapping soundtrack to help our beloved God of Thunder in his quest.
Having made his name with charming efforts such as Eagle vs Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Waititi puts a whole new spring in the step of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Vibrant, mesmerising, and with a heart of gold, Thor: Ragnarok re-energises a character who’s often seen as one of the more po-faced of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ever-expanding roster of heroes, managing to extinguish the memories of 2013’s dull Thor: The Dark World.
Not only is this a true thrill-ride of a film though, but it also has a villain who instantly stands out as one of the most unrelenting forces of nature served up by the MCU so far. Blanchett’s Hela – a character who is the Goddess of Hell – is a near-unstoppable bad guy with an almighty chip on her shoulder; and rightly so, for, even though her approach may be a tad ham-fisted, the motivation behind her initial beef with Thor is actually a largely valid one. Being the erratic bad guy sort, of course, she decides to resolve the issue by inviting the end of the world, but, y’know, that’s your standard ‘big bad’ logic, right?
While Cate Blanchett’s Hela is a scenery-devouring villain of epic proportions, she has to share scene-stealing duties with a whole host of key players. Creed’s Tessa Thompson is brought in as the ass-kicking Valkyrie, a former warrior tasked with protecting Asgard who is now reluctant to return to her homeland regardless of the ominous threat that hangs over its very existence. Then there’s Tom Hiddleston doing what he does best as Loki, always making you unsure of his real motives as he looks to serve himself while also keeping one eye on the events playing out on Asgard. And how could we not discuss the relationship between Thor and the Hulk? Having been the centrepiece of so much of the promotional material surrounding Ragnarok, this odd couple pairing are nothing short of magnetic in their chemistry when placed together. Taking what we first saw in Avengers Assemble and amplifying it ten-fold, the dynamic between the duo is as electrifying as the power bestowed upon Mjolnir – again adding further argument to the realisation that, yes, maybe the Hulk is best served by not having his own solo film any time soon, for he is somebody who in this current incarnation seems to fare better when playing with others.
One thing that some longtime Thunder God fans may take umbrage with in Thor: Ragnarok, however, is the amount and tone of the humour drenched throughout the picture. While the comedic moments are plentiful and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, those who prefer their Thor to be truer to his more serious comic book roots may become a little worn down by how light and chuckle-some this adventure is despite the serious repercussions that potentially lie in wait. But that’s a small gripe and one that may not be applicable to the majority of viewers.
Thor: Ragnarok is a truly rare beast, injecting a well-worn character with a new sense of life and purpose to the point that you are absolutely itching to see what’s next for the Son of Odin. That ‘what’s next’ is the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, who Thor will be battling in this May’s Avengers: Infinity War. For Thor, we can only hope he has his eye on the prize for what will be the ultimate test of the MCU and its plentiful heroes.
Special Features: Audio commentary / Intro from Taika Waititi / Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes / Five featurettes / Team Darryl short / 8-bit sequences / Deleted scenes / Gag reel
THOR: RAGNAROK / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: TAIKA WAITITI / SCREENPLAY: ERIC PEARSON, CRAIG KYLE, CHRISTOPHER YOST / STARRING: CHRIS HEMSWORTH, MARK RUFFALO, CATE BLANCHETT, TOM HIDDLESTON, JEFF GOLDBLUM / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
