Thor: Ragnarok Review

This past month, the highly anticipated Thor: Ragnarok amazed viewers with stunning visuals, characters both old and new, and a soundtrack that rivals the Guardians of the Galaxy’s. However, it failed to impress on so many levels.

Ragnarok was the third movie of the Thor Franchise and stars Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor. Thor has to journey back to his home of Asgard after his sister Hela, the goddess of death, (played by Cate Blanchett), destroys Mjolnir, his hammer. Hela takes control of Asgard in Thor’s absence and vows to conquer all of the realms with her undead army. However, before the god of thunder Thor can return home, he must enlist the help of his brother Loki, the Hulk and the newcomer, Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson. Thor: Ragnarok overall was a decent movie, but there were too many faults in the film to say the movie was “good.”

First, the viewer had to decide who the main antagonist was in the film. Most of the movie takes place on the planet of Sakaar. Sakaar is a gladiatorial junkyard ruled by the Grandmaster, played by the iconic Jeff Goldblum, who serves as a “sub-antagonist,” while Hela was supposed to be the main antagonist. However, the Grandmaster outshines Hela as a superior villain, which is mainly due to how director Taika Waititi executed the two villains. Waititi fails to portray Hela as the main antagonist. Yes, during the final fight between Thor and Hela, Thor does get a run for his money. After all, he loses an eye. However, the Grandmaster is a better overall villain in the film.

Secondly, the humor. Thor Ragnarok took a very different turn from the first movie in the series, as it took a more comedic approach. Many would argue that the Marvel movie franchise has made comedy a must in the newest line of superhero movies, however the material was delivered horribly. Much of the memorable comedy comes later in the movie, like when the “Revengers” need a ship that escape Sakaar and the only one that suits their needs is the Grandmaster’s “crown-jewel.” After they board it, Thor asks Valkyrie what the Grandmaster needs a ship like that for, and she replies by telling him that the Grandmaster uses it for orgies. Rather than making you laugh, it makes you question why they included a joke like that in a movie meant for young teens. Also, once they return to Asgard, the Hulk (now Bruce Banner) jumps from the ship to battle the Fenris Wolf (a giant wolf that Hela rides). Just when it seems that he will transform into the Hulk, he does not. Banner ends up crashing face first into the rainbow bridge. Sure, this is funny, but it felt like it was a joke that they squeezed in last minute to get that extra laugh.

The film was not a total flop. It had a good story and it was entertaining. I would rate it a 7/10, but overall, the film has some important flaws that limit it from anything better.