EARLY REVIEW—THOR: RAGNAROK

The Thor movies have never really seemed like the most “essential” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films—the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers movies seem to be where the most important stuff happens. And as a result, in my observation, the Thor movies have been sort of undervalued. The first one, directed by Kenneth Branagh and released in 2011, was a thoroughly enjoyable adventure that expanded the MCU in a major way, introducing the notion that the Norse gods really do exist and that there are many worlds and forms of life and technologies beyond our knowledge and understanding. And for me, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, directed by Alan Taylor, was the kind of movie that Man of Steel, released five months earlier, should have been.

Which brings us to Thor: Ragnarok, opening November 3, which picks up on threads from The Dark World, 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and even Doctor Strange, and spins them into a new tale about an existential threat to Asgard, home to Thor, Odin, Loki, and the rest of the characters we’ve come to know from the previous movies. This time, the danger comes in the form of Hela, the goddess of death, played with a dark sexiness by Cate Blanchett—she seems like she’s having the time of her life vamping it up here. Hela is intent on conquering Asgard and leading it to what she feels is its rightful place as the absolute authority over all Creation.

Upon her arrival, Hela recruits Skurge, who can best be described as a working-class Asgardian who feels he’s worthy of bigger and better things. Skurge is played by Karl Urban, who so masterfully took on the role of Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the three most recent Star Trek movies. That he can play two such disparate characters so effectively is remarkable, and a testament to Urban’s versatility. (As good an actor as DeForest Kelley was, I somehow can’t picture him being able to play a character like Skurge!)

As if Hela wasn’t enough of a headache, we learn that her emergence is supposedly the harbinger of the long-foretold Ragnarok, the end of Asgard, which is believed to be an apocalyptic event brought on by Odin’s ancient nemesis, Surtur the fire demon.

Thor and his ever-devious brother Loki, once again played to perfection by, respectively, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, join forces to confront Hela and prevent Ragnarok from occurring. But they get, shall we say, sidetracked, and end up on another world, one under the control of an eccentric alien being who calls himself the Grandmaster and pits various creatures against one another in gladiatorial battles. How eccentric is this guy? Jeff Goldblum plays him. That’s all you need to know.

If you’ve seen the trailers and TV commercials, you already know that at one point, Thor ends up in the arena matched up against an old frenemy: none other than the Hulk, who’s been MIA since the end of Age of Ultron. Needless to say, sparks fly between the two erstwhile Avengers, and we’re treated to a long-awaited rematch between the god of thunder and the gamma-spawned behemoth.

But the threat to Asgard remains, and Thor knows that if he cannot escape this strange world, his home—and his people—will perish.

Thor: Ragnarok, directed by Taika Waititi, is, without a doubt, the wildest Thor movie yet. It has enough ideas and characters and incidents packed into it to support at least one or two other films. There are in-jokes and sight gags aplenty, by the way. I guarantee you won’t catch them all in one viewing.

You can’t help but feel the influence of the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies—from the further exploration of the cosmic side of the MCU to the abundance of humor—some of which gets pretty silly, but much of which works very well—to the musical score by Mark Mothersbaugh, which mostly eschews a traditional orchestral score (as used in the previous two films) for a more modern, funky, electronic approach. In some places, the music sounds a bit reminiscent of “Guardians Inferno” by the Sneepers, from the end credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. And there’s even prominent use of 1970s classic rock, in this case “The Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin. Overall, the proceedings are never allowed to get TOO dark-and-heavy, and there’s always another fun or funny bit right around the corner.

Hemsworth is more charming and more confident than ever in Ragnarok. Given the nature of the story, he has to carry the movie more than he ever has before, and he is fully up to the task.

Hiddleston continues to be the MCU’s not-so-secret weapon. His Loki is without a doubt the greatest, most complex, most multi-dimensional villain these movies have ever had, and I hope he sticks around for a good long while. (Thankfully, it has apparently already been confirmed that we’ll see him again in next year’s Avengers: Infinity War.)   

Fans of the Hulk (and as many of you know, that includes yours truly) are in for a real treat. He and his hapless alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner (once again portrayed by the always engaging Mark Ruffalo) are given some really nice character development and growth in this movie, which sets up several intriguing possibilities for future MCU installments. 

Ol’ Greenskin pretty much steals the show, just as he did in 2012’s The Avengers—although this time, he gets some stiff competition from a new character, Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson. She brings the same kind of fresh energy, enthusiasm, and passion to this movie that Sofia Boutella brought to Star Trek Beyond, in her role of Jaylah.

Returning Thor alumni include Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Idris Elba as Heimdall. But there are a couple of notable absences. Natalie Portman and Jaimie Alexander are both no-shows this time out, depriving us of appearances from, respectively, Dr. Jane Foster and Lady Sif. But the movie is so jam-packed, with so much going on and so many other characters to serve, that it’s difficult to see where they would have fit in prominently anyway.

In terms of having a major impact on the larger MCU, all I’ll say about Thor: Ragnarok is that STUFF HAPPENS. Things are set up here that will need to be addressed, in one way or another, in future movies—one of which, presumably, will be Infinity War. But more important than that, the movie, like both of its predecessors, never fails to entertain. It is a well-paced adventure with a lighthearted, rollicking spirit and moments of breathtaking wonder. In my book, that’s enough.    

And, as always, stay to the very end for bonus scenes.

© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2017.