For those who’ve been keeping up with Avengers April, the Thor movies haven’t exactly gotten the best reviews from me. While Thor was decent enough, I found Thor: The Dark World to be pretty disappointing and easily the weakest entry. Apparently, I’m not the only one, as director Alan Taylor declined returning for a third film, citing creative differences. Jaimie Alexander was originally set to return as Sif, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with her show Blindspot. After considering other directors, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi was chosen after producing a “sizzle reel” for Marvel executives. Initially skeptical of doing big budget features, Waititi signed on feeling he’d be given full creative control, which he was. With him on board, the focus was shifted to be more fun and not as serious as the previous entries. Finally, towards the end of 2017, Thor: Ragnarok was released.
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Rating
After failing to locate the Infinity Stones, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is held prisoner by the demon Surtur (Clancy Brown). Surtur warns Thor of Ragnarok, the prophesied destruction of Asgard, and informs him of Odin’s absence, much to Thor’s shock. After escaping with Surtur’s skull, Thor returns to Asgard and finds Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has taken the throne. The two find Odin (Anthony Hopkins) in Norway, who warns them of the arrival of their sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett). After Odin fades, Hela arrives, destroys Mjolnir, and chases after Thor and Loki in the Bifröst. The brothers end up getting separated while Hela makes her way to Asgard and begins her reign of terror. Meanwhile, the two end up on the planet Sakaar, Thor being forced to fight and Loki sitting high on top. After reuniting with Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor sets out to return to Asgard and stop Hela.
After Thor: The Dark World, I had pretty much given up hope on there ever being a good Thor movie. Once I saw the trailers for this, I got curious, and when I saw it in theaters, I loved it. Without a doubt, this is easily the best entry in the Thor series, in addition to being a great movie. Taika Waititi really helps to breathe new life into this series and gives it a dose of fun and levity. Not only does Chris Hemsworth use his natural charisma, but he gets a chance to show his comedic side. From the opening moments, you can tell that he’s having some fun with this and that sense of fun permeates. While the rest of the cast also does a great job, Cate Blanchett easily steals the show as Hela. She is having an absolute blast and owns every scene she’s in.
When the focus shifts over to Sakaar, that’s when the real fun begins and the film truly shines. From the wonderfully garish set design to all the colors on display, Sakaar has a look all its own. While Blanchett dominates her scenes on Asgard, Jeff Goldblum absolutely dominates his scenes on Sakaar with his signature Goldblum quirks. The soundtrack is great, too, mixing in techno with 80s-style synth music that sets it apart from typical superhero scores. Of course, the big song of the movie is The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin, which works when used properly. Not only does Waititi do a great job directing, but he’s also fun as the rock creature Korg. This film is exactly what audiences wanted out of a Thor movie, and I wish we got this sooner. Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is an absolute blast from start to finish that surely won’t disappoint.
