Thor: Ragnarok

With this movie, Thor and Hulk get some Marvel Cinematic Universe screen time after being absent in "Captain America: Civil War". There have been allusions to "Thor: Ragnarok" during the end credits of "Doctor Strange" & "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and the trailer for "Ragnarok" was quite honest in what it promised. I must forewarn that my opinion is going to differ slightly from that of other fans in that I believe this movie is about as good as the other Thor films. Attempts were made to differentiate it from the original film & "Thor: The Dark World" and for the general public, this proved effective. It feels like Marvel tried to take a page from its "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise and apply it to the Thor franchise. While I feel this was needed considering upcoming cinematic installments in the MCU, this mash-up of film styles only kept "Ragnarok" consistent with its predecessors instead of surpassing them. Sequels usually are not as good as their predecessors so I guess I should be thankful for this change because at least it didn't ruin the film.

If a sequel fails, it is because it contains too much of a good thing. In the case of "Ragnarok", the film had a too much comedy. Almost every line had a joke it seemed. One might say that I am hypocritical because "Guardians of the Galaxy" had a lot of humor and I enjoy that franchise more. The difference between these two franchises within the MCU for me however is how good the characters are. The original Thor film introduced a hero and villain that reached their full potential later in "The Avengers". The "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise was designed to be independent from the other MCU films for a while and it does very well in holding its own. The Thor franchise has never been known for its humor and it appears that Marvel wanted inject some life into what may be considered the least popular part of the MCU. The end result wasn't bad and it was genuinely funny but I believe that a movie's most important quality should be the story, not the comedy. Drama and comedy must have a balance most of the time. The opening scene for example was funny but a little too funny. The many jokes distracted me from the exposition. Maybe however, I went in knowing this sequel was going to be funnier than the previous Thor films and so that is what I couldn't help noticing. Much of post-production though was spent figuring out what jokes to keep in the final film and this proves the focus of the film was not on what it should have been. "Ragnarok" thankfully did not make other mistakes that comic book movies usually do. There wasn't an extensive amount of foreshadowing of upcoming films for instance. Some foreshadowing is done very subtly such as when Loki stops to look at the Tesseract during the climax. Some comic book films also go for a dark approach, maybe trying to replicate the success of "The Dark Knight". It was realism that made that film special and the DC Extended Universe initially suffered because of this assumption. Marvel Studios on the other hand always favors a lighthearted feel and their track record is quite impressive as a result. Unlike films that failed to entertain, "Ragnarok" honors the source material such as taking inspiration from the "Planet Hulk" comic storyline. One mistake that this sequel almost made though was forcing supporting characters in the movie that don't contribute to the story. "Ragnarok" did not cross that line because all the characters had a purpose but there were some characters that were underdeveloped. A hero is only good as his adversary and just like Malekith, Hela was not as good as past Marvel baddies. Skurge likewise wasn't all that great of a character. Despite these flaws, the film wasn't terrible and it was worth seeing.

At the end of "Avengers: Age of Ultron", Thor leaves to search for the remaining Infinity Stones and it is revealed in the opening scene that his search has turned up empty. I was almost certain that "Ragnarok" would see the debut of the sixth and final stone. This is not an expression of disappointment but rather I am admitting that the MCU is one step ahead of me and I would rather have it that way. The cliffhanger ending of "The Dark World" had me concerned that Thor would never find out the truth about his father but the mid-credit scene of "Doctor Strange" laid my fears to rest (a scene which is actually part of "Ragnarok"). Loki is too much of a diva (to quote Tony Stark) for his deception to have worked for very long. I was kind of hoping Doctor Strange would have a slightly longer role in this film and that it would take place in the middle of the film but I should stop having too many expectations. Many fans let themselves down when they see highly anticipated films and I don't want to make the same mistakes. The scene with Doctor Strange did feel out of place within the film and that is because it was written and filmed before the sets of "Doctor Strange" were destroyed. This leads me to believe that the filmmakers shot the Doctor Strange scene first before they had a complete vision for the final film. Their efforts to incorporate it into the rest of the movie were only a little successful. I could be wrong though in my theory. Originally, Odin was going to be homeless in New York but the late change the filmmakers came up with instead was very good (considering what happens to Odin). It is sad to have Mjolnir destroyed so early in the film but this is a classic story motif where a hero must fail in order to be reborn and so I can't be too mad at the filmmakers. We have seen this before in comic book films with "The Dark Knight Rises". The fate of the Warriors Three should have been more noble than what it was. Actually, Hogun's battle was a good scene and so I guess what I wanted was for Volstagg and Fandral to be in that same scene. The gladiator battle was a fun scene with humorous references to "The Avengers" and "Age of Ultron". Whenever Tony is mentioned in this movie it provides some great humor. That shows just how great of a character he is because he can provide entertainment even if he is absent. Just the mention of his name can be enough to invoke a laugh or smile. I was surprised by the plot point that Bruce Banner has been the Hulk since the Battle of Sokovia, (actually since before the battle). The last full memory that Banner has was rescuing Romanoff. Banner has barely any idea that Ultron was defeated. That is pretty surprising because the ending of "Age of Ultron" fooled us into thinking that the Hulk swam to Fiji or something similar. Again, the filmmakers are trying to be one step ahead of their audience and they are doing pretty well at it. The climax basically has Thor undergo the final stages of his "rebirth". He is a slightly different hero at the end: an amalgam of himself and Odin. What happens to Asgard in this sequel is much like what happened to S.H.E.I.L.D. in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". I enjoy these parallels being made between Phase Two and Three of the MCU.

Despite the character problems, the casting of these new roles didn't contribute to the minor flaws. Jeff Goldblum is basically playing himself and that is when he best shines on screen. Director Taika Waititi encouraged improvisation because he correctly knew that the Grandmaster would only work if Goldblum made the role his own. According to Waititi, 80% of all the lines in the movie are improv. To be clearer, most of the lines are apparently thought up on the set as opposed to thought up on the spot while cameras rolled. That may have been the reason why the movie didn't fully work for me. I love it when lines are improvised but I repeat that too much of a good thing can ruin a film. Getting back on topic, the casting of Goldblum contributes to the story because it is so frustrating for Thor to have defeated so many foes in life but now be imprisoned by such an annoying and silly dictator. It is funny but plausible because the filmmakers craft the film such that we will subconsciously accept what we are given. The look of the Grandmaster is important because in the comics, he is the brother of the Collector. I hope that we get to see Goldblum and Benicio del Toro together in a future film. We have two "Lord of the Rings" actors playing antagonists in "Ragnarok": Cate Blanchett and Karl Urban. While Blanchett is no stranger to special effects, she did have trouble acting in a motion capture suit. She must have done something right because I didn't realize that her outfit was CGI. Because the character given for her to play wasn't very complex, I preferred her villainous performance in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". I have seen Tessa Thompson in two other movies including "Creed". In "Ragnarok", the Hulk carries on a conversation and this is something we haven't seen yet in the MCU. I was pleased to find out that Lou Ferrigno reprised his role as the voice of the Hulk. Korg is played by Waititi himself and I feel he was the best new character in the film, slightly more entertaining than the Grandmaster. Waititi played him as a soft-spoken polynesian club bouncer and that makes this character even more funny. Clancy Brown was my childhood Lex Luthor and he is the voice of Surtr. The Thor franchise always has great Stan Lee cameos and the third film was no exception but there were other cameos that I was completely not expecting. Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth (Chris' brother) and Sam Neill were quite funny. It seems that musical composer Mark Mothersbaugh noticed that most MCU film scores sound the same and took this opportunity to do his own thing. Because the film's visual style and sense of humor were different from previous Thor movies, Mothersbaugh's score reflected that change. Mothersbaugh's resume by the way is full lighthearted family films and the most famous piece of music he has written is arguably the "Rugrats" theme. The use of "Immigrant Song" would have been great if it hadn't been spoiled in the trailers. Again, one could make the argument that "Hooked on a Feeling" was spoiled for "Guardians of the Galaxy" by its trailer. I counter by saying that "Hooked on a Feeling" was just one of many songs on a "mix tape" and each was given equal screen time in the film. The song actually did more good in the trailer and maybe that was intentional. If it was, it worked perfectly. As for "Immigrant Song" in "Ragnarok", this was the main song for the whole show and it was used twice in the film at important moments. By the end of the film, it had lost its freshness. I did get a kick out of the use of "Pure Imagination". That was a funny way to set up the intro to the Grandmaster.

The MCU needed to address Thor and the Hulk before we get to "Infinity War" but as with other Thor films, "Thor: Ragnarok" comes across as only a prelude to the subsequent Avenger film. Unlike the Iron Man and Captain America franchises, the Thor franchise somewhat lacks the fun and excitement the MCU is known for. The filmmakers probably sensed this and that is why there is the infusion of the visual style and amount of humor from "Guardians of the Galaxy". I admit this had its reasons and benefits because the film might have completely failed otherwise but I will miss the Shakespeare angle that Kenneth Branagh used to introduce this hero to the MCU. I will admit though that I am probably the lone pessemistic voice concerning "Ragnarok" but that makes me happy because I want Marvel Studios to continue to succeed.

3.5 Stars out of 5