Two years after the events of Age of Ultron, the Norse god (Chris Hemsworth) returns to his home world of Asgard to the discovery that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) actually survived his "sacrifice" from The Dark World, and in disguising himself as All-Father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has not only allowed for the Nine Realms to fall into ruins but also has allowed for a long-lost enemy of the world to return from banishment – Hela, the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). And when her arrival causes the banishment of both Odinsons to the junkyard planet Sakaar – a place run by a pleasure-seeking dictator (Jeff Goldblum) that thrives on gladiator matches – and the destruction of his beloved hammer, our hero must return home (with the help of an alcohol captor (Tessa Thompson) and a familiar enormous green rage monster (Mark Ruffalo) and save his people from his megalomaniacal adversary, because, as he puts it, "that's what heroes do."
Very much a detour from the darker and dour predecessor (both in terms of the Thor franchise and the Avengers franchise), Thor: Ragnarok takes a leaf from the Guardians of the Galaxy handbook by not only being a much more colourful entry to the series but also by being a funnier affair. Not to say that there aren't some darker elements – we're talking about a film where the villain shoots an infinite number of swords out of her hands and topples an entire army single-handed – but the focus here is definitely more on the comedy and entertainment, and it shows. This is arguably the most fun a superhero movie has been since the first Guardians entry, with hilarious moments and lines aplenty, however it's hard to ignore the early pacing issues; rushing somewhat to move towards Sakaar and the main area of the story. This amalgamation with the infamous 'Planet Hulk' storyline from the comics does also mean the main Hela storyline is sidelined for a good proportion of the film, with the character only appearing a little during the majority of the second act. Does that make the film less fun? Of course not, but it does lessen the influence the "Ragnarok" element of the story.
It's always a big risk handing the reigns of a big blockbuster over to a small-time director, although Hollywood always rolls the dice on them to large arrays of success. Just last year, we had such examples of these as Spider-Man: Homecoming, Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Wonder Woman, but none worked quite so well as Taika Waititi on this here picture, as he clearly thrives with the bigger budget. Teamed with cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe, the duo goes back to the B-movie 80s look and present some of the most beautiful pieces of imagery that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had thus far – especially the Valkyrie flashback, which looks like a massive call-back to rock albums of the past. Waititi also makes two appearances in the film, doing the motion capture for an early antagonist (voiced by everyone's favourite money-grabbing crab Clancy Brown) as well as playing fellow gladiator Korg; a scene-stealer who makes every moment he's on screen even better.
Chris Hemsworth has seemingly been trying to get into comedy for a short while, with his appearances in Vacation and Ghostbusters being some of the better-regarded elements of those movies (not to mention his appearance in horror-hybrid Cabin in the Woods and his recent casting in the Men in Black reboot). And considering his lacklustre receivings/praise in non-Marvel movies such as Blackhat and In the Heart of the Sea – plus the Thor films are often seen as the lesser entries of the MCU – it's not surprising that he wanted to inject what he usually thrives at into his most popular character. In with that, he really comes into his own at long last, proving how much of a comedic talent he is while maintaining his action hero status. It's similar to Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool, in which they finally found a middle ground in proving what they can do. Co-star/often evil adopted brother Tom Hiddleston continues to show why he's so popular with the fans even with a hairstyle akin to Tommy Wiseau, with his arc seemingly ready to wind down ahead of Infinity War, whilst new god Cate Blanchett is clearly having fun chewing the scenery.
Fellow Asgardian Idris Elba is given more to do than ever as Heimdall, and goes out of his way to prove his worth (remember when fans hated his casting? Insane, right?); Anthony Hopkins has a much smaller role this time around as Odin but does well enough amidst an admittedly shoddy greenscreen; Karl Urban is serviceable as a gruff lackey but sadly due to the increased focus away from Asgard is limited in what he can do (likewise, the returning Warriors Three are pushed aside quickly, nor is Lady Sif here – although that's more due to scheduling conflicts), but Tessa Thompson excels. She quickly becomes a new fan favourite with her multi-layered performance and easily fits in with the remainder of the main cast. Outside of the Asgard team, Mark Ruffalo is great as ever in the dual role of Banner and Hulk, with Hulk given much more development alongside the great championship contest, Jeff Goldblum is at his wackiest and most Goldblumiest, and Rachel House channels her performance from Hunt for the Wilderpeople (another Waititi production) with her stern and grumpy Topaz. There's also an extended cameo from one Benedict Cumberbatch, who does well but has very little screentime and feels more like an early detour to remind viewers that he's about.
I do also want to give a quick shout-out to the score by Mark Mothersbaugh. The Marvel movies have come under a lot of scrutiny in the past when it comes to their non-Awesome Mix Volume music, with Tony Zhou's video essay "The Marvel Symphonic Universe" sparking the discussion about temp music and a lack of memorable theme tunes. While I personally have found some noteworthy tracks across the past decade of movies, Mark Mothersbaugh's score is the first that feels well and truly noteworthy, with the 80s synth really blending together well with the colourful visuals. It is still a little overshadowed by the appearance of one particular Led Zepplin tune (although that has two action beats dedicated to it, so it's not surprising) but it's still a step in the right direction for the studio.
Thor: Ragnarok is the entry that finally gets Thor as a concept – it's a world of Norse mythology with a rainbow bridge and a guy who fights people with a hammer, of course it's gonna be weird. But between the great comedy, outlandish visuals and some stellar performances, it's only disappointing that the Ragnarok side of the story is lost in the mix and the first act goes by at too brisk a pace, as otherwise we'd have perhaps the best film in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. 8/10.
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