"Well, I tried to start a revolution, but didn't print enough pamphlets so hardly anyone turned up. Except for my mum and her boyfriend, who I hate. As punishment, I was forced to be in here and become a gladiator. Bit of a promotional disaster that one, but I' m actually organizing another revolution. I don't know if you'd be interested in something like that? Do you reckon you'd be interested?"
Filmology Rating: 3.5 out of 4
Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.
While being a big fan of the Marvel universe, I haven't been so fond of the Thor franchise. While he has been fun to see in the Avenger films, his character and the Thor films themselves have been very..... meh. There hasn’t been anything, other than his insanely good looks, ripped body, and sense of humor that really separate him from everyone else, that is until now. Thor: Ragnarok does to the Thor franchise what Captain America Winter Solider did for Captain America… It brought a breath of fresh air to the character.
The first thing that people will think while seeing this movie is OMG this movie is hilarious! You have director Taika Waititi to thank for that (he has written and directed the hilarious and fantastic movies What We do in the Shadows and the Hunt for the Wilderpeople). He brought an invigorated feeling to this film that oozed life and excitement. On top of the constant humor that Waititi and writer Eric Pearson brought to the film, they also brought character development.
Thor is the God of Thunder right? Well where has that been in the previous films? Yes he, with the help of his hammer, have brought forth the power of thunder and lightning but is he only powerful with his hammer? This film builds the character as a whole, a man without his hammer that is forced to find who he truly is. This development not only was emotional but it was comical and powerful all at the same time. When Thor finally discovers and harnesses the power that he truly has within himself, man oh man was it fun to see.
The action sequences were some of the best to date. Of course as time progresses, CGI will get better and better but it was so much more than that. Remember in Avengers when we got a taste of Hulk and Thor fighting one another? Well we got the full course meal ladies and gentlemen and it was so much fun to see! Speaking of Hulk, he actually had a lot of dialogue which was incredibly refreshing and gave Hulk much more personality and likeability other than the audience enjoying the pure carnage and power he has. Mark Ruffalo quite honestly steals the show. He was that good.
I'm sure I don’t need to tell you all to see one of the biggest movies of the year. Thor Ragnarok was everything it should have been and much more. While still not the best Marvel film (Cap Am Winter Soldier and Ironman are still the best in my opinion) this quiet possibly is within the top 5.
Rating: See It
-Nick
After years of watching superhero films I believe the fatigue has finally set in; I was lukewarm on both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming and I have no interest in the upcoming Justice League. After sixteen Marvel Cinematic Universe films I found my interest in the ongoing saga of Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor aimlessly limping their way to Infinity War to be tedious. However with director Taika Waititi, a director I have grown to love, I had hoped that the burning passion I once had for these caped crusaders would come back.
After the event of Avengers: Age of Ultron Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, has failed in his attempts to find the Infinity Stones. Thor seems to be down on his luck lately with the nine realms in complete chaos with the prophecy of Ragnarok coming to end life of Asgard. To make things even more complicated when Hela the Goddess of Death, played by Cate Blanchett, and challenges Thor to the throne of Asgard.
Guardians of the Galaxy has been the worst thing to happen to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and perhaps to the superhero genre in general. That is not a statement I make lightly, as I’m a big fan of that film and I have always been a Marvel fan. The amount of comedy that was brought into the series with Guardians of the Galaxy basically turned the characters into jokes and basically become parodies of themselves. The heroes who once inspired us have now turned into two dimensional jokes that feel in many regards unheroic. Humanity is rather cruel most of the time so having some of the worst aspects of the world reflected in characters I have grown to love is not something I will ever admire in a film. I rather have a hopeful film like Wonder Woman over a cruel spirited film like Deadpool anyday, and what Thor: Ragnarok gives us is never cruel nor hopeful, instead it’s a soulless comedy.
Most have called the previous two Thor films to be the weakest films of the MCU; I would argue that the Iron Man sequels are easily some of the worst films the saga has produced; but I personally enjoyed Thor which had a good balance between Shakespearean drama and fish out of water comedy while the love story aspect of the film was weak and I had a fun time while watching Thor: The Dark World while it tried to be Game of Thrones lite. The reality is that the solo Thor adventures have never been able to capture their own identity and with Thor: Ragnarok any consistency with the previous two films is destroyed. Thor: Ragnarok is Marvel’s first straight out comedy which feels like an outlandish genre for the film in dealing with the apocalypse.
Chris Hemsworth seems to be having an identity crisis with what type of actor he strives to be; either he wants to be an action star with films like The Huntsman: Winter’s War and Thor or if he wants to be a comedy star with films like Ghostbusters and Vacation. With Thor: Ragnarok it seems that Hemsworth came into the Marvel offices demanding that he be both, which for this specific film works incredibly well. One exchange captures the tone of Thor in this film perfectly and if you don’t go alone with that exchange then the rest of the film will become a tedious drag, He yells “Yes! We know each other, he’s a friend from work!” That exchange captures the entire tone that Hemsworth brings to Thor with this installment. He will make a joke then engage in a fight, it happens at least four times during the two hour running length of the film so you can predict the flow of the film which is a bore to say the least.
The basic thought that I kept having during the film was how the tone of this film never fit the subject matter. In a film where you are dealing with the apocalypse and colonialism, which are themes that most mainstream films won’t seriously tackle, and then you are undercutting the serious themes with a goofy joke. The jokes are flying a mile a minute which means that half of the jokes won’t land, and even when most of them do land they feel like they belong in a different film not in a film that is dealing with heavy themes. Perhaps I’m looking into the themes of this film too much, but I would suggest that Marvel shouldn’t have put them in the film if they didn’t want them to be talked about. Thor: Ragnarok could have been one of the most important films in the Trump era, but instead it undercuts all of the importance it could have with a joke.
As with every Marvel film I have to seperate the years of fandom I have from the critical side, Thor: Ragnarok fails to appetize both of those sides. The issue with making the superhero genre more comedic is that it becomes more subjective while alienating the original core base. I want to love these characters for the heroic acts they do, instead the studios have been wanting me to laugh at them for their shortcomings. While Thor: Ragnarok is a well constructed movie it just feels slight and is completely forgettable the moment it is over. Most will enjoy the film while watching it, it has the most laughs out of all the Marvel films, but still offers some impressive action that will give some adrenaline to fans of the colorful creations.
Rating: Rent It
-Jonny G