Film Entertaining, but Disappointing
On the one hand, I quite liked this film. On the other, I spent the whole thing wondering if the director had taken the script of a Guardians of the Galaxy movie and changed the names to make it a Thor movie.
The first scene has Thor in a cage for reasons never fully explained, talking to a skeleton. Huh? Then he starts snarking at Surtur, something that would be more in-character for Loki than Thor. Actually, the first time I watched it I thought that was Loki, in disguise as Thor. But no, it's Thor.
Then, in the space of minutes, Thor goes back to Asgard, reveals Loki has taken Odin's place, and sets off with Loki to find Odin, who dies just after they find him, and whose death is immediately followed by the appearance of Hela, whose existence in the MCU was never mentioned before this film. Talk about fast-moving.
Most of the rest of the film was enjoyable for how entertaining it is rather than for how good it is. There was one thing that I absolutely hated, though. Loki, as usual, tries to betray Thor, and Thor responds by... electrifying him. And then walks off, leaving Loki in pain with no way of stopping the pain. That was when this version of Thor came damn near crossing the Moral Event Horizon in my opinion. And this is never brought up again! Loki — Loki, of all people — seems to completely forgive Thor for it!
Hela's a great villain, but her scenes are so dark (massacring the soldiers, destroying Mjolnir, taking out Thor's eye...) that they clash with the comedic, light-hearted mood the rest of the film tries to convey. The result is a jarring Mood Whiplash. The truly good parts of the film are Loki and Doctor Strange, both of whom are unfortunately underused.
Film Thor, Reinvented
I liked Thor in the first movie. He was odd, a handsome alien on Earth, doing handsome alien things. It was kinda funny. Unfortunately, he was just a little too odd and aloof for people to relate to him, I guess.
So it was time to bring him down again, and build him up again. (I thought the first film did that... oh well.) This time, Thor is more... fun. He laughs, he jokes, he's put in stranger situations and he rolls with it. This time, he's not the alien to us. He's caught up in a situation that's just as alien to him as it is to us.
And it makes him so much easier to relate to. That's what was missing from the first two films. Thor was the main character, but he wasn't really the point of view character. We mostly see him from Natalie Portman's view. In the other MCU movies, we see the film from the main character's perspective, and we understand their growth from ordinary human person to superhuman. We finally get that from Thor.
With that said, the film runs at a good pace, is visually stunning, colourful and frenetic. Most of the cast are returning members yet they all still have room to grow and develop. While some might argue that there's a little too much humour (especially in the more serious moments), I don't think there's so much that it bogs the film down.
Lots of fun, definitely rewatchable, and it makes me want to see the new characters make a return in the future.
Film Third time is a charm.
Thor: Ragnarok: After the last film Left Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in charge of Asgard disguised as his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) whom he trapped on earth, Thor comes home to set things right. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) then finds out he has an older sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) who is the vying for the throne. Can Thor stop the usurper, take his place as the rightful heir and save Asgard from Ragnarok a prophesied destruction of both Asgard and all the old gods?
The Good: Pretty much everything. Looking at the above synopsis one can easily imagine a dour grey family drama with lightning. (Heck one doesn’t have to imagine it just watch Thor the Dark World again.) Instead, we have a joyful, colorful action-packed film that is easily the most fun I have had watching a movie in a long time. It is pure joy. Too many things are perfect but a shout out to the use of Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song and director Taika Waititi as super friendly rock monster Korg.
The Bad: Nothing. Seriously nothing. Okay fine the use of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s Pure Imagination is a little on the nose. There is also a realization while watching that not enough films have Jeff Goldblum in them… does that count as a negative?
In Conclusion: Thor Ragnarok is simply the most fun I had at the movies this year. Dunkirk is a slightly better film and there are certainly more “important” films out there but this was pure joy. Imagine a comic book movie that felt like reading a comic book. What will they think of next?
Film A great slapstick parody of Thor
Remember how everyone hated 'Batman and Robin' for being too silly? How the times have changed. 20 years later the grimmest page in a superhero’s history gets turned into Ghostbusters 2016-like comedy and critics and many members of audience claim it to be the best thing that could be done to him.
At first the comic mood works great, but it gets increasingly annoying as the film goes on and the stakes are supposed to rise. Every time drama temperature starts to build, it quickly gets broken with another joke. After a while you realize that it wasn’t 'the calm before the storm' – the whole movie is the calm during the storm. Even the deaths of Warrior Three, Scourge's Redemption Equals Death or Asgard's destruction end up leaving zero emotional impact. The inability to take the movie even a little bit seriously also results into characters looking like parodies of themselves. And in case of the titular character it ironically hurts his appeal. Unlike Tony Stark or Peter Parker, Thor is a pure Wish Fulfillment character running on Rule of Cool: the mightiest Warrior Prince of a superhuman race with a cool weapon, who travels between the worlds and fights larger than life threats. Every time he is portrayed as a comic loser, it cuts down on what makes him fascinating in the first place!
Thor isn't the only one who suffered Badass Decay. Asgardians in general are supposed to be a Proud Warrior Race. When someone comes to invade Asgard, its entire population should be out there fighting. Yet, Hela is resisted only by a group of armed guards, while the rest of Asgardian population can only run into cover. To be fair, given Marvel's statements that these guys aren't actual gods, but Sufficiently Advanced Aliens, it makes some sense that their society has more in common with modern West than with actual Vikings (politically correct faces among them certainly help this view)... if not for the movies being really inconsistent about that. Thor and Hela are constantly referred to as 'God of Thunder' and 'Goddess of Death', their powers don't get any other explanation, Odin guides Thor from beyond the grave... Are these guys gods or aren't they? Make up your mind Marvel and stick to it!
Not all is well with the film’s structure either. Planet Hulk, while a great story on its own, has absolutely nothing to do with Ragnarok. Once Thor gets to Sakaar, the main conflict of the story slows down until he returns. The scenes on Sakaar are fun and well... but the fact Hela is conquering Asgard at the same time, slaughtering Thor's people, makes it hard to relax and enjoy them. Basically, it feels like two movies crammed into one, and each of them would be better on its own.
As a parody though, this movie would work pretty well, since it’s flashy, pretty action-packed and if you don’t take the movie at all seriously, it can be rather enjoyable. The problem is, it’s stated to be a straight Thor movie. Not parody. And in this status, well, no. Just no.
Film A Thor Film For People Who Don't Like Thor Flims, or why this is the best movie I've ever hated.
So, first up, let's get this out of the way. It's got problems as a film, but this isn't a bad movie. The visuals are great, especially the wonderful action setpieces where slow-motion and excellent cinematography combine to make the screen look like the best possible combination of a Scandinavian tapestry and an energetic Jack Kirby panel. The score is fantastic, both the licensed and original tracks doing a great job of adding to the mood. The overall plot, in broad strokes, is quite good. And while the comedy isn't really well-timed, it's at least pretty funny. There's a lot about this movie I quite genuinely loved.
Unfortunately, and this is the crux of the problem for me, it's also the culmination of Marvel Studio's persistent and pervasive mismanagement of the Thor property: writing off his branch of the franchise altogether and retooling it into something a bit more in-line with a popular flavor of the month. Marvel has never known what to do with the character, but that's probably a rant better-served in reviews of its prior films. And it all comes to the forefront here.
From every single member of Thor's supporting cast who isn't a popular and marketable character being killed off with little-to-no ceremony, clumsily written out in a throwaway line, or just not even showing up at all, to massive, ungainly retcons that actively work to undermine the majesty and nobility of Asgard, to constant use of humor to slay any hint of horror, tension, or drama in the unfolding situation, this film wears its absolute, sneering contempt for every previous Thor film on its sleeve. Worse, it turns Thor into a silly, meat-headed buffoon to do it. When Winter Soldier reinvented Captain America, it focused on keeping the core of his character intact and showing how his nobility anchored he and the good people on his side even as the status quo collapsed around them. This film doesn't see fit to pay Thor the same courtesy.
And, of course, the pervasive humor actively undermines all the drama it can, because what kind of loser liked the Shakespearean high themes previous films sometimes had? Worse, in its haste to rip the guts out of the other films' mythology, it fails to properly take advantage of its own retcons. Hela may have more personality than the average Generic Doomsday Villain, but any attempt at exploring her relationship to her family, or what the revelations she causes meant for the past, are carelessly tossed aside in favor of just pilling more silly jokes into what could be meaningful scenes.
I won't pretend the other films in the franchise weren't flawed. They were, heavily. But this isn't cleaning and polishing away those flaws. This is discarding the gem entirely because of them. And, again, it's not a bad movie. It's entertaining. But it's also the end of the movies I liked, and I don't think it's ending them for the right reasons.
Film A good movie, and definitely fun, but it doesn't live up to its potential.
I'm going to start by saying that I do really like Thor: Ragnarok. It's a thoroughly enjoyable movie, and certainly far better than the previous Thor movies. It has memorable characters, some pretty good action sequences, and even a bit of real character development. The comedy – some of it, at least – is top-notch too.
That said, there's something just a little bit off about a lot of the film. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say that it seems like two separate, very good movies that don't work well together at all: the outline of an MCU film, filled in by a Taiki Waititi film. The MCU part of the film feels like Ragnarok: many of the action scenes are amazing, and even the worst aren't any worse than average. The Waititi parts of the film seem to be mainly centered around Sakaar, and in all fairness they are hilarious, with some of the funniest lines and scenes in not just this but any movie. Many of them come from Waititi's own character Korg, so take that as you will. The problem is when the two try to come together, because it simply doesn't work.
Whenever the film tries to find its voice, it falters. Many of the most interesting parts of the movie were either not given enough focus (Valkyrie's unresolved issues; the changing relationship between Thor and Loki) or seem like they were just forgotten (almost everything about Hela, especially her relationship with the brothers, and how that affects their view of Odin). The final battle seems almost like they were trying to get through a checklist of what they "had" to include. The climactic battle boils down to every named character (and several random extras) going through Hela's supposed elite army like tissue paper; Thor and Hela's own fight is stunning and engaging but has no sense of weight, as both are portrayed as almost totally invulnerable (Hela more so) and the only major damage either of them suffers is brushed off like it was a papercut. Finally, in what is one of the worst examples of inappropriate use of humor ever, both the destruction of Asgard and the decision of how Asgard will live on – which should be some of the most emotional scenes in the film – are undercut by unnecessary jokes (both, again, courtesy of Waititi's character).
Now, lest it seem like I hate Ragnarok, I don't. In fact I enjoyed it very much, and I would heartily recommend it even to anyone who has no interest in the MCU or superheroes in general. But it feels like something is missing, like it could have been more. Thor: Ragnarok is absolutely first-rate entertainment, and by any standard a good movie. But I couldn't shake the sense that there was a great movie somewhere in there, and unfortunately, this isn't it.
Film It's fun as hell and that's... that's fine. That's fine. Totally fine. Fine.
Ragnarok is a film that's fun as hell. Interesting takes on some of the action, good characters bouncing off each other and probably the funniest film in the MCU so far.
Yes, even funnier than the two Guardians films.
But... it's honestly one of the more mediocre films in the canon too. Better than the other two Thor films, certainly, but it's not really about anything. There's some stuff in there about erasing the sins of the past to cover up the scars of imperialism, but that's given barely any time. The Thor/Loki relationship is... there's stuff there, but it feels cut down for the sake of more jokes.
But, hey, it's really funny, so at least there's that? There's some great uses of the Immigrant Song in the action scenes, so that's awesome. And when the action scenes aren't being cut to death to hide bad takes and effects they're nice.
But there's just not much depth, and it holds the film back...
Film I Hate it.
Do you have a movie that everyone else loves but you despise? Thor Ragnarok is this for me. This is that absolute worst movie I have ever watched. For reasons I am about to explain.
The biggest detractor: The comedy. There is way too much of it. I don't think this movie went 5 minutes without saying a joke. The MCU has always had comedic moments. But there was also a balanced format of drama and comedy that was consistent in every movie. This movie's format is: Joke > Joke > Joke > Exposition > Joke. It never takes a break. And the humor overlaps with what should be serious moments, such as the deaths of several protagonists. even the destruction of Thor's home was a joke. That I couldn't stand.
It's not even good comedy. The majority of comedic moments have no setup. It's usually just the characters stating what's happening. If there is a setup, the punchline is stating that the setup happened. Examples: . Thor spinning in Surtur's lair and stating he's spinning . Thor seeing hulks naked rear end and stating he saw Hulk's rear end . Hela stating Hogun didn't listen to her as she explained who she was
This isn't comedy that requires you to think. You could turn off your brain and understand it just as well. other jokes are either ill timed (Asgard exploding) or insanely predictable (Hulk slamming Thor the way he slammed Loki).
The old characters are flanderized for the sake of comedy and the new ones are flat. Thor and Loki's relationship is more comedic than it should be after previous movies. Korg is only there to tell bad jokes, Valkyrie does have an arc, but participates in too many jokes for me to care about it, and the executioner's redemption arc is so run of the mill I didn't even notice it.
I don't understand why Hela isn't criticized for being a flat villain like so many other MCU villains in the past have. Admittedly, her design is interesting, and her powers are cool to look at. But she isn't imposing because her jokes take me out of the moment. And again, she's flat. If Hela isn't spouting generic conqueror jargon, she's spouting exposition to nobody. The only person that was around when she was explaining Odin's past was the executioner. But he hardly reacted and didn't speak, so he might as well have not been there. Hela looks cool on the outside, but it one of the flattest most zero effort MCU villains we've gotten.
There're worse written movies out there than this one. The plot isn't even that bad. But being poorly written and being unpleasant to watch are two different things. And one is worse than the other. Ragnarok is the only movie I've watched that made me want to leave the theater. I didn't enjoy the humor, which overpowered everything else the movie had to offer. No other film in my life has ever incited this level of disgust in my person. I don't like it, sorry.