Thor: Ragnarok review — A hilarious and spectacular thrill ride
By Brendan Day
Thor: Ragnarok was a thrill ride that brought all the laughs to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After all the news and hype surrounding this new Marvel movie, the time has finally come to see Thor: Ragnarok in theaters. I’ve been excited and intrigued for this movie since the first trailer, with the Incredible Hulk smashing through those coliseum gates. I just walked out of the movie and my mind is racing with so much to talk about. So let’s break down Thor: Ragnarok, with no spoilers included.
This movie takes place about two years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thor was receiving visions and nightmares about the end of Asgard and the death of all his people, so he went on a journey to find answers. Along the way, he runs into some unexpected obstacles, meets some new friends as well as encounters old comrades (the angry green guy). Since this is a Thor movie, we get to explore more of the cosmos that makes up the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Think Guardians of the Galaxy, but the setting is way wackier than you would expect.
This movie is hilarious — the comedy and jokes sprinkled throughout was very funny and never felt too cheesy. You can imagine all the fun these actors were having on set trying new things and trying to make each other laugh. Director Taika Waititi made an instant superhero and comedy class with his unique and quirky style. It is certainly the funniest Marvel movie we’ve had yet and was a great cap to end the year. Compare to the rest of the Marvel films that make up the franchise, I think it is definitely somewhere within the top 10. Out of the three Thor movies, this is still the second best, I still believe the first one is superior.
Of all the positive and amazing elements of this movie, the standout was Tessa Thompson’s performance of Valkyrie. This actress has always been very talented and steals every scene she walks into, but her presence in the movie added another interesting dynamic to it all. We learn more about the character’s backstory and get to watch her show off her impressive fighting moves during many of the action scenes. Her chemistry with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor felt very strong and was a nice touch, she will really impress you in this fun Marvel film.
More from Movies
- James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy casts more major DC characters
- New Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer pushes Arthur to his limits
- 7 actors who could replace Ezra Miller as The Flash in the DC Universe
- Masters of the Universe reboot’s new domain could be at Amazon’s Prime Video Streamer
- James Gunn gives interesting update of Superman and Supergirl movies at DC Studios
One of the biggest issues may have been its runtime. The movie is two hours and 10 minutes long, which on its surface doesn’t seem too bad, but some scenes and moments dragged on a little bit and could have been shortened down. Although the story was action-packed and full of wonderful spectacle and imagination. There were many scenes that felt predictable or meaningless because of what happened later on (I can’t say but you’ll know when you eventually see it). The editing could have been used more and cut down these scenes into tighter pieces. But besides that, Thor: Ragnarok is a huge candy treat!
Hela, played by Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, was a great villain in this movie. When the character first arrives, she immediately proves how powerful she is and just increases that expectation throughout. She was an absolute badass, with some great battle scenes and just a wonderful yet fearsome performance from the actress. Blanchett chews up the scenery in a really great way, and just proves the Marvel Phase 3 villains have been absolutely fantastic so far. Hela instantly climbs to the top of the best villain we’ve had so far, but I am feeling she won’t be holding that title for very long. Where our characters end up by the conclusion of this film seems to tie directly into the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. Some stuff is about to go down.
Another aspect was the production design to this movie. The sets they build and costumes they made looked marvelous, and just felt unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. So colorful and energetic, especially the wardrobe of Jeff Goldblum’s The Grandmaster. The visual effects were also very great, they’ve turned fantasy creatures and images into actual real looking things! I wouldn’t be surprised if this film’s design team walked home with some Oscars later this year.
Next: 50 greatest super heroes in comic book history
Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is a tremendous and epic adventure that is a must see for all comic fans! I’d give it 4 out of 5 for ambitiousness, hilarious moments, great action and a wonderful viewing experience!