Thor: Ragnarok (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Since when did it become the norm for sequels to be better than their predecessors? For me, it happened earlier this yr. with Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and it’s happened now with ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (directed by New Zealander Taika Waititi) ... the best Thor movie yet. While battling an enormous fire demon, the hammer-wielding Prince of Asgard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), learns of Ragnarok: the prophesied apocalypse of his planet. Thor returns home only to learn his treacherous brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is still alive, and takes him Earth to their father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). But the king is ailing. Longing to die in his native Norway and, right before dying, he informs his sons of his 1st-born, Hela (Cate Blanchett), the “Goddess of Death” sister they never even knew of. She once helped her then-war-mongering father conquer other realms. But when she got too powerful, he banished her.
Before heading out to claim Asgard for herself, Hela shows up, smashes Thor’s hammer(!), & sends her brothers to the colorful junk planet of Sakaar. There, Thor is captured by ‘Scrapper 142’ (kickass Tessa Thompson), a bounty hunter & former Asgardian Valkyrie who implants a device into his neck to keep him under control; and sells him to the planet’s demented Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). As this world's leader, the Grandmaster, who has taken Loki under his wing, stages high-stakes gladiator battles. Much to his chagrin, Thor, among other prisoners such as the cheery rock creature, Korg (the director of this film!), is set to battle the current undefeated champion. But Thor is elated when he sees it's his old pal/fellow Avenger, Hulk (awesome Mark Ruffalo) who hasn’t returned to his human form of Bruce Banner in 2 yrs.. They battle hard, but eventually join forces with a reticent ‘Scrapper 142’ in hopes of returning to Asgard where Hela has delegated Skurge (good ‘ole Karl Urban) to be her executioner. All the while, Thor’s friend, Heimdall (the amiable Idris Elba), has hidden as many Asgardians as he could in the mountains; as well as an all-powerful sword that antler-headed Hela needs to rule their world. During an epic climactic confrontation, chaos, tragedy & heroism ensues.
I. had. a. BLAST. with this Thor entry. Guardians of the Galaxy is pretty audacious, but I think ‘Ragnarok’ just eclipsed it with wild, bold bizarrities. As a character, Thor has always entertained me. His brother Loki is as entertaining in his own sly, snake-like way. They’re funny. But this film is basically wall-to-wall funny in a way that has been successful in the Guardians movies, and sorely needed in the sometimes too-serious Thor proceedings from the past. Thanks to the inclusion of Loki & Hulk + the additions of Tessa Thompson’s ‘Scrapper 142’ & the over-the-top villainry of Hela, we’re given a film chock full of charismatic characters, humor, a richer mythology, exciting sword-&-sorcery action & some surprising character depth.
I’ve always enjoyed Chris Hemsworth as the brawny, arrogant-but-charming God of Thunder. Hemsworth is inherently funny. But in ‘Ragnarok’, he truly unloads as a full-on comic hero; all the while, growing & evolving into the king he knows he must become. Ruffalo is awesome as both Hulk & Bruce. Like Ruffalo, Hiddleston is great as Loki and, their rapport with Hemsworth’s Thor is aces. Anthony Hopkins brings gravity to the role of Odin, but also gets to have some fun during the Odin-as-played-by-Loki scene. Tessa Thompson shines as the boozy, conflicted, ex-Asgardian Valkyrie. She’s badass, holds her own & fits right in with our other heroes. I also loved Taika Waititi’s Korg, the gentle, rock warrior. As the Grandmaster, Jeff Goldblum hams it up as only he can. And as malevolent Hela, Cate Blanchett chews the scenery with verve. Fun cameos include yet another Hemsworth brother, Matt Damon(!), Sam Neill, Stan Lee & Benedict Cumberbatch.
Credit the screenwriters with concocting an interesting story (from source material) & providing so many jokes, quips & cameos. But I think director Taika Waititi must be praised most of all. Let’s see what Waititi throws at us: gargantuan demons, fire-breathing dragons, silly slapstick, goddesses of death, foretold prophecies, magic & mystery, creatures risen from the dead, Norse mythology, fallen kings, sibling rivalries, wormholes/portals, gladiator combat, candy-colored sets, eye-popping CGI, proud warriors, self-deprecating humor, sobering tragedy, kick-ass action, sex-themed spaceships, Led Zeppelin/retro techno music, cameos galore ... just to name a few things. Waititi juggles ALL of these disparate ingredients & weaves a fun, Flash Gordon-like spell over the proceedings. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ may not be perfect, but I was perfectly amused by its zest, zaniness & ZOMG entertainment.
Before heading out to claim Asgard for herself, Hela shows up, smashes Thor’s hammer(!), & sends her brothers to the colorful junk planet of Sakaar. There, Thor is captured by ‘Scrapper 142’ (kickass Tessa Thompson), a bounty hunter & former Asgardian Valkyrie who implants a device into his neck to keep him under control; and sells him to the planet’s demented Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). As this world's leader, the Grandmaster, who has taken Loki under his wing, stages high-stakes gladiator battles. Much to his chagrin, Thor, among other prisoners such as the cheery rock creature, Korg (the director of this film!), is set to battle the current undefeated champion. But Thor is elated when he sees it's his old pal/fellow Avenger, Hulk (awesome Mark Ruffalo) who hasn’t returned to his human form of Bruce Banner in 2 yrs.. They battle hard, but eventually join forces with a reticent ‘Scrapper 142’ in hopes of returning to Asgard where Hela has delegated Skurge (good ‘ole Karl Urban) to be her executioner. All the while, Thor’s friend, Heimdall (the amiable Idris Elba), has hidden as many Asgardians as he could in the mountains; as well as an all-powerful sword that antler-headed Hela needs to rule their world. During an epic climactic confrontation, chaos, tragedy & heroism ensues.
I. had. a. BLAST. with this Thor entry. Guardians of the Galaxy is pretty audacious, but I think ‘Ragnarok’ just eclipsed it with wild, bold bizarrities. As a character, Thor has always entertained me. His brother Loki is as entertaining in his own sly, snake-like way. They’re funny. But this film is basically wall-to-wall funny in a way that has been successful in the Guardians movies, and sorely needed in the sometimes too-serious Thor proceedings from the past. Thanks to the inclusion of Loki & Hulk + the additions of Tessa Thompson’s ‘Scrapper 142’ & the over-the-top villainry of Hela, we’re given a film chock full of charismatic characters, humor, a richer mythology, exciting sword-&-sorcery action & some surprising character depth.
I’ve always enjoyed Chris Hemsworth as the brawny, arrogant-but-charming God of Thunder. Hemsworth is inherently funny. But in ‘Ragnarok’, he truly unloads as a full-on comic hero; all the while, growing & evolving into the king he knows he must become. Ruffalo is awesome as both Hulk & Bruce. Like Ruffalo, Hiddleston is great as Loki and, their rapport with Hemsworth’s Thor is aces. Anthony Hopkins brings gravity to the role of Odin, but also gets to have some fun during the Odin-as-played-by-Loki scene. Tessa Thompson shines as the boozy, conflicted, ex-Asgardian Valkyrie. She’s badass, holds her own & fits right in with our other heroes. I also loved Taika Waititi’s Korg, the gentle, rock warrior. As the Grandmaster, Jeff Goldblum hams it up as only he can. And as malevolent Hela, Cate Blanchett chews the scenery with verve. Fun cameos include yet another Hemsworth brother, Matt Damon(!), Sam Neill, Stan Lee & Benedict Cumberbatch.
Credit the screenwriters with concocting an interesting story (from source material) & providing so many jokes, quips & cameos. But I think director Taika Waititi must be praised most of all. Let’s see what Waititi throws at us: gargantuan demons, fire-breathing dragons, silly slapstick, goddesses of death, foretold prophecies, magic & mystery, creatures risen from the dead, Norse mythology, fallen kings, sibling rivalries, wormholes/portals, gladiator combat, candy-colored sets, eye-popping CGI, proud warriors, self-deprecating humor, sobering tragedy, kick-ass action, sex-themed spaceships, Led Zeppelin/retro techno music, cameos galore ... just to name a few things. Waititi juggles ALL of these disparate ingredients & weaves a fun, Flash Gordon-like spell over the proceedings. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ may not be perfect, but I was perfectly amused by its zest, zaniness & ZOMG entertainment.