Review – Thor: Ragnarok

There was a time, around three years ago, where I was worried about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I was worried that they were falling into a cookie-cutter format of sequels, where every single film is bigger, yet emptier.  During what Marvel calls their Phase 2, films like Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2014), and the mildly overrated Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014) hit a creative low and didn’t look like they were going to get out of it any time soon.

However, over the last two years during Marvel’s Phase 3, with Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016), and this year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel had hit new creative peaks and pushed their storytelling and filmmaking to a new level.  With Thor: Ragnarok, they have made their best film in Phase 3 and made a film unlike any they have before.

After returning to Asgard and finding that his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), is missing, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) travel to earth to find Odin on his last breath.  They then meet Hela (Cate Blanchett), the Goddess of Death and Thor and Loki’s sister who was imprisoned by Odin and is now the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard.  Hela sends Thor and Loki to a far away planet while she attempts to destroy of Asgard.  While on their far away planet, Thor is captured by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and forced to fight in a gladiator battle against their reigning champion, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  Thor then teams up with Hulk, Loki, and an Asgardian warrior princess named Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to get back to Asgard and stop Hela from complete domination.

Director Taika Waititi owns this movie.  His vision, his humor, and his style are on display here.  This is a totally new kind of Thor as a character and a totally different Thor movie.  No Marvel movie has been funnier and I would even say that no Marvel movie has looked this way.  Waititi is known for his comedy and boy does he show it, giving us consistently funny moments that are perfectly delivered and placed so that they don’t take away from the overall story.  Waititi also made an eye popping, neon spectacle, filled with bright colors and non-stop action.  For a director who is known for lower budget comedies, Waititi has crafted some of the best action scenes in any Marvel movie ever, particularly the Thor vs Hulk gladiator match and the final bridge battle.  This is a whole new look for Marvel movies and one I hope continues come Infinity War and beyond.

Hemsworth and Hiddleston do their thing as Thor and Loki and they are excellent, and we get some nice scenes with Hulk that make him an actual character and not a wrecking machine.  But it is the new characters who really shine here.  Cate Blanchett can literally do no wrong and she is once again sensation here as Hela.  She owns every scene she is in, embracing the villainous role and having a ball being so devilishly evil.  She also kicks her fair share of ass too, something Blanchett doesn’t usually get the chance to do.  I honestly couldn’t see anybody else but Jeff Goldblum be the Grandmaster, he’s an absolute delight.  Tessa Thompson adds yet another strong female character to the MCU as a once great warrior with a dark past who has succumbed to a life of dumpster diving and alcoholism.  Valkyrie has a great story arc and Thompson kills it, giving us a fully realized character whom I want to see more of.  And even Waititi gets in on the fun as the scene-stealing Korg.  He has some of the funniest moments in this movie and maybe any MCU movie.

Thor: Ragnarok is one of the very best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the best times I’ve had at the movies in 2017.  From the brilliant direction from Taika Waititi to the sensational cast and action, this is a great movie from beginning to end.

Did you see Thor: Ragnarok?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.