Thor has always been the black sheep of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). His films are often considered the MCU’s weakest, and are polarizing among fans and critics alike. I like both Thor and Thor: The Dark World, as I do with 94% of the MCU’s library, regardless of their noteworthy flaws—such as weak, non-Loki antagonists, overly convoluted storylines, bland settings, etc. The MCU appears to have taken note of such weaknesses and completely revamped Thor in his latest feature, Thor: Ragnarok. Such restyle has proven to be both a major improvement and complete success, making Thor: Ragnarok the best Thor film yet, 2017’s best MCU film, and the best MCU release since Captain America: Civil War.
Comedy has always been the Thor series’s saving grace. In my review of Thor: The Dark World, I wrote how;
“The film does contain strong aspects to it, such as good characters and interesting battle settings; but the best aspect of this action/adventure superhero film is…its comedy. Thor: The Dark World is a really funny movie, whether intentional or not, and was able to win my like over for the most part because of this.”
I’m clearly not the only one to notice such strength, as Thor: Ragnarok has undergone a complete change in tone—placing comedy and heroic satire first and foremost as its driving element. Ragnarok’s opening scenes perfectly set up such tone shift. It begins with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) locked in a cage, where the god of thunder immediately begins leaning on the fourth wall. Thor seemingly gives a satirical summary of how he got into such predicament to the audience, before it’s revealed he’s talking to a skeleton. When Thor’s captor Surtur finally appears—a hellish fire demon with an army of minions out to destroy Asgard—the scene is played for laughs as a chained up, dangling Thor continuously rotates in circles, interrupting Surtur’s villainous speech. The villainous speech in question is actually about Ragnarok: a vital plot device and half the film’s title. Unlike the previous Thor films, however, the exposition scene is also played for laughs as Thor literally recaps Surtur’s monologue in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. All that was missing was Thor looking at the camera and saying “Everybody got that?” after summarizing Ragnarok’s purpose. It’s a great way to take an issue from the previous films and humorously satirize the flaw in a good-natured manner…and it’s not the last time we see it.
When Thor returns to Asgard he finds Loki (Tom Hiddleston), disguised as Odin (Anthony Hopkins), watching a hilarious play recreation of his “death scene” from Thor: The Dark World. Everyone and their grandma who saw The Dark World knew Loki didn't die in said scene, making the parodical play all the more entertaining while, ironically, giving the previously pointless scene a satisfying reason for existing. Loki soon notices Thor, resulting in a perfectly-timed “Oh S#!%” moment, and is forced through a series of antics to reveal Odin’s location. The scene immediately jumps to an Earth retirement home being torn down, Thor and Loki—disguised in Earth outfits, complete with Thor's hammer Mjolnir now appearing as an umbrella—staring deadpan at the scene; “I swear I put him right here.” Ragnarok’s first 15 minutes are pure comedy gold, with one great joke after the other timed in ideal succession. The film does eventually get more dramatic, somber scenes, yet it never loses its new core element of witty satire and comedy.
It is apparent Thor: Ragnarok took notes from Guardians of the Galaxy—hell, a good chunk of the film is set on a colorful, crazy alien planet with zany comedic aliens such as a polite talking rock golem and Jeff Goldblum. What makes Ragnarok’s blend of comedy work better than Guardians, however, is its previously set up lore—similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 except with an even better cast. All the great MCU characters absent from Civil War appear here, and it’s a blast of great chemistry and comedy. It has long been evident that Chris Hemsworth was made to play a more comedic role. Past films have proven Hemsworth to be a genuinely funny actor, and his comedy skits about Thor living in Australia are absolutely hysterical. Ragnarok finally allows Hemsworth to fully flex those comedic muscles in his feature-length series, and it works wonders for the character. In one film Thor has gone from one of the blandest MCU superheroes to one of their most charming and endearing. There’s one scene where Thor tries conversing with his female captor Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), leading to a hilarious skit where he clumsily discusses the Valkyrior and how he wanted to be one until he discovered it was an all-female group.
Of course, you can’t have Thor without Loki, the MCU’s greatest antagonist/anti-villain. With Thor’s newfound comedic emphasis, the two have never worked better as a duo. They’re like the superhero/supervillain version of Abbott and Costello when together, Thor playing the straight man and Loki the eccentric screwball. Thor, however, has surprisingly learned from his previous Loki experiences (another positive development for the character) and actually outsmarts the trickster god on a few occasions, making their dynamic all the more entertaining. What I really enjoy about their relationship is despite all the fighting and backstabbing and attempted murder, the two still have a genuine brotherly love for each other despite trying to convince themselves it has long since gone. A short yet vital scene that ideally sums up their relationship is when Thor tells a childhood story about Loki disguising himself as a snake so Thor would pick him up, only to swiftly transform back and stab him. On the surface, the scene is a comedic tale about the brothers's messed up relationship, but it’s also important to note how both Thor and Loki chuckle endearingly at the tale.
Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is always a delight to see in the MCU, providing a balanced, effective trifecta of action, comedy, and drama. The action part is an easy formula to understand: Hulk shows up, Hulk smashes, audience cheers. Hulk is that driving force of simplistic, unstoppable epicness. A deus ex machina an author can make as powerful as need be yet the audience will, nevertheless, wholeheartedly accept. Here, Hulk’s highlight fight is against Thor himself, and while the action is plentiful it’s the scene’s comedy that truly shines. Allow me to rally its highlight jokes off:
- Thor’s overenthusiastic joy at Hulk’s appearance, baffling the stadium onlookers who expected Thor to tremble in fear at the green beast.
- Thor shouting to the onlookers how Hulk’s a friend from work.
- Thor getting embarrassed at Hulk’s assault after telling the onlookers that they are friends.
- A terrified Loki experiencing PTSD at seeing the Hulk; “I have to get off this planet.”
- Thor trying to use Black Widow’s technique to calm Hulk down, only for Hulk to comically beat the crap out of him last second.
- Loki’s cathartic joy over Thor receiving the same ragdoll treatment from Hulk; “Yes! That’s how it feels!”
Their battle is interfered with before a true victor can be decided (MCU classically teasing its fans over who’s stronger), resulting in the two humorously bickering for the remaining film over who would have won.
MINOR SPOILERS BEGIN: Yet where’s the Hulk without a little trauma-drama? Since his first appearance in the role, Mark Ruffalo has done a fantastic job portraying a stressed out, PSTD Bruce Banner. Ragnarok doesn’t give Banner a break, the man having been locked inside his own body for two years, afraid that the next time he turns into the Hulk it may be a permanent transformation. Banner isn’t the only one with issues, however, as Ragnarok also explores Hulk’s side of their tragic situation. I feel truly bad for the Hulk, who refuses to leave with Thor since “Earth hates Hulk”. The scene reminded me of those teenagers in Spider-Man: Homecoming playing the F, Marry, Kill game, with the one teen stating she’d “F Thor and kill Hulk”. Sadly it makes sense—Thor is the hunky god of thunder people want autographs from, while Hulk is an angry-looking, monstrous being primarily seen destroying. Yet Ragnarok showcases that anger isn’t Hulk's only emotion, as the big guy can get happy, playful, sad, and lonely as well. Deep down, Hulk truly desires friends, as seen when he chases after Thor when the god tries leaving the planet. It’s a tragic lose-lose scenario for both Banner and Hulk as only one can seemingly be the dominant persona, though it does lead to a hilariously dark scene of Bruce trying to “awaken” Hulk.
On the film’s lighthearted side of antagonists is the zany Grandmaster, played by the ever-so-lovable Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum is one of those actors with a very distinct acting style, and it fits perfectly with making the Grandmaster a quirky dictator who’s cruel antics come across far more humorous and likable than they really should. Two highlight scenes include the Grandmaster reprimanding his bodyguard when referring to his captives as slaves rather than “prisoners with jobs”, and declaring an uprising a “tie” after being completely surrounded. Anthony Hopkins, in what I presume to be his final living role as Odin, delivers his first actually compelling portrayal as the king of Asgard. The actor’s previous performances as Odin felt phoned-in and bland, yet here he delivers some genuinely emotional and, dare I say, touching moments between father and sons. It helps that his scenes are given the proper atmosphere and pacing to really drive home his dual “passing” in death and of the throne to Thor.
Ragnarok’s main antagonist Hela (Cate Blanchett) is the best Thor villain not named Loki yet (though to be fair, the others are hardly any competition). What makes Hela such an effective villain is that she embraces the film’s comedy (namely, its dark comedy) while also getting results done and truly affecting the Thor setting. MAJOR SPOILERS BEGIN: The character makes witty quips and has semi-satirical villain moments, yet also slaughters all of Asgard’s soldiers, including three of Thor’s close friends (the Warriors Three)—who all play notable supporting roles in the previous films—in just a few seconds. The Warriors Three’s quick and sudden deaths are completely unexpected and quite jarring, especially when a joke is made directly after two of their deaths (it’s the only instance in the film where the inclusion of comedy backfires). I kept thinking they’d be brought back to life by the eternal fire or something, but nope, they all stay dead! For a film that has changed its series’s tone to a far more comedic one, Ragnarok is, ironically, the darkest of the Thor films. The unexpected deadliness of an MCU antagonist (that isn’t Loki) actually creates a sense of tension during the film’s final battle where lives actually feel at risk, an element the majority of past MCU films lack. S#!% actually does happen in the finale: Thor loses his freaking eye and Asgard is completely destroyed. Talk about an effective villain that, whether intentional or not, causes major changes to occur in the Thor series. ALL SPOILERS END
Ragnarok contains great action sequences all around, most notably its awesome opening, grand midsection fight between Thor and Hulk, and epic finale. Ragnarok’s opening scene rivals Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in terms of comedy, action and a memorable soundtrack number: Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. The song is actually used twice during the film—once during the opening and again during the finale. It is an excellent song choice, not only for its references to Norse mythology, but also because it really amps up the scenes’s kickass levels. Thor is at his most clever, hilarious, badass and enjoyable in Ragnarok. The film is an absolute treat to view while reinforcing that the MCU is far from losing its touch and can actually improve upon its weaker series.
