Thats What Heroes Do
The Thor franchise has had a troublesome time when it comes to its quality of films comparing to other Marvel characters. The first Thor movie was considered the worst, equal with Incredible Hulk, of the first phase of the MCU. The second film, Thor: The Dark World, didn’t fare well either in the second phase of the MCU but the character of Thor kept going because of his popularity, how well he did in the Avengers films and Thor and related characters overall importance in the wider story. Now in 2017, six years after the first Thor film, we have a refreshed Thor, a Thor film that’s stylistic and impressive whilst also being hilarious and adventurous and it’s all thanks to a little kick of adrenaline the franchise needed.
Thor: Ragnarok, directed by Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Taika Waititi, follows the story of Thor as he returns to Asgard after hunting down the demon Surtur. Upon Thor’s arrival, he realises that his brother Loki has overtaken the Throne and after the all-powerful Hela arrives and takes over Asgard she banishes Thor and he finds himself on a junk planet in a gladiator match his Avengers ally The Incredible Hulk.
There is an obvious fresh breeze of new air on the Thor franchise in Ragnarok, an ironic title as director Taika Waititi takes the Thor franchise breaks it down and then rebuilds it anew himself. Ragnarok is shown with this beautiful 80’s sci-fi adventure colour palette which is easily the best change for the film as it removes the dark, Game of Thrones style, greys and blacks for a more futuristic and Flash Gordon feel. All of the technology in the film feels the same as the mixture of swords and pistols, hammers and rifles and the franchises new found love for cool spaceships, that I definitely want a model of, create a blend that isn’t normally seen in films too often. This blend allows the action to be cooler than just a hammer vs a sword or spear every fight. The weapons colour and sound also add to the film’s aesthetic and means you don’t just see the colours flying off the screen but you can hear it all around you too.
The other important change that Waititi has brought to the franchise is the comedy. Hunt for The Wilderpeople is one of my favourite comedy films of all time and when Waititi was announced for Ragnarok I was really hoping that he’d bring his hilarious comedy to the film and he does. After the film, my girlfriend mentioned how funny it was and I asked her if she liked it more than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and she said she liked it more and that Taika’s character Korg the rock monster brought an addition of perfect comedy to the film. I interrupted and said that she wouldn’t like the other Thor films because it was so drastically different and nothing like the cool and hilarious rollercoaster that is Thor Ragnarok. This might sound like me explaining a lot of one person’s opinion but it’s an important note as it shows how the franchise has changed. You wouldn’t have been able to recommend the Thor films to people earlier as you had to be a big comic book fan to understand it and even like it. Now with Thor Ragnarok, you have a film that, much like the Guardians movies, can be loved by all and it’s not conforming to fans and creating a cool blockbuster movie but simply creating a quality film.
Ragnarok also has some new additions to it’s cast of elaborate characters as the likes of the Grandmaster, Jeff Goldblum, Hela, Cate Blanchett, Valkyrie, Tessa Thompson and of course Korg, Taika Waititi himself, are all colourful creations perfectly pulled from the Thor comics. Valkyrie is a badass and a great fighting addition to team Thor and her fighting style is different to the others on the team so it never gets to be too much of the same. Hela is both evil and surprisingly funny and Cate Blanchett does a great job as Marvel’s first female villain. The Grandmaster is Jeff Goldblum being Jeff Goldblum so thats great and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk is always great and the Hulk is funnier and as cool as ever in this film. What I loved most about Thor: Ragnarok though is Chris Hemsworth and how well he stands out as Thor, a role that he has stuck with despite the first two films and he now gets to shine completely in this fantastic flick.
Thor: Ragnarok can be summed up by the level of enthusiasm that Chris Hemsworth shows in the film. Thor looks and feels like he has a new found look on the universe and instead of being really serious and making jokes at clearly planned moments he is instead funny all the time, shows actual emotions and Hemsworth is enjoying this Thor as much as we are. He shines as the colours of the film bounce around him and the fantastic score soars with him into the air. Thor: Ragnarok is finally the Thor film you want and if you didn’t like the first two then be reassured in knowing that you’ll forget those films happened as you’re treated to what will be one of or even your favourite Marvel movies. Thor’s main saying in the film is ” That’s what heroes do” and Hemsworth and Waititi are the heroes that the franchise needed, I just hope there’s still more from them.
Score: 4.5/5