A Reel Review - THOR: RAGNAROK

It has been well-documented and accepted that one of the many reasons Marvel’s series of films work so well is that they transcend standard superhero tropes by crossbreeding with other genres of film; elements of the techno-thriller, espionage, war-film, and even horror have found their way into their stories of heroes and villains decked out in capes, helmets, and armor. For THOR, playing with fantasy and sci-fi has been the natural way to go, but for his third solo adventure, sub-titled RAGNAROK, two genres were simply not enough.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and his estranged brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) set out on a search to find their missing father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), just as the Goddess of Death Hera (Cate Blanchett) descends upon their homeworld of Asgard to claim the throne. Thor and Loki are captured by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), where prisoners are required to compete in deadly battles for their freedom, which re-unites them with Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

Most of RAGNAROK is composed to two distinct storylines, with Thor, Loki, and Hulk spending their half of the film trying to escape imprisonment, and the other half belonging to Hera as she ruthlessly takes over Asgard. As expected, these two storylines come crashing together in the end, but what is not expected are the turns taken before we get there. Hera as the villain has a deep, personal connection to Asgard which gives her a mighty, and palpable axe to grind, and our heroes have their own work to do with each other before finding freedom.

Director Taika Waititi has a lot to juggle here, with every character, right down to the minor ones having their own arc to get through. Waititi seems to know that grounding is needed, so crossbreeding the film with other genres give us something familiar in this fantasy flick, which is packed full of monsters and way-out-there creatures. These genres range from cheesy 1980’s sci-fi, buddy-cop, family drama, jailbreak, heist, good old-fashioned gladiator fighting, and plenty of Norse mythology. There are a lot of familiar things going on and anyone can find something to latch onto.

Waititi keeps the pacing brisk with an outstanding sense of energy; there is always the feeling of forward motion and there’s rarely a dull moment. There is a lot of comedy going on and the film can’t seem to go more than 30 seconds without a gag, and it almost seems too much, but when the film does slow down for a necessary pause, those pauses are very effective. Visual-effect wizardry is everywhere and constantly gives us something to look at. Mark Mothersbaugh’s score is a wonderful mix of 1980’s techno and traditional, with a certain Norse mythology-inspired rock song making some clever appearances.

Acting is a blast not only because of the stellar cast, but because of the remarkable chemistry everyone has with each other. Hemsworth and Hiddleston, now in their fourth film together as battling brothers, light up the screen and both show great comedic timing. Tessa Thompson nearly steals the show, and Jeff Goldblum is well-cast in the role of an eccentric weirdo. Mark Ruffalo gets a lot of heavy-lifting to do here, and as a bonus, his Hulk finally becomes a true character. Idris Elba is very effective, Anthony Hopkins is excellent as always, and Cate Blanchett is fantastic. Karl Urban comes in as a reluctant henchmen to Hela and is very good, and Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Dr. Strange in a small, yet very vital and effective role. There are also some whopper cameos here and there with name-worthy actors new to the Marvel series; it seems everyone wants in on the party.

There are some bold choices made with RAGNAROK; several major character deaths and other things happening that change the landscape of the Marvel series for good. This is not only a vital entry in the series, but as a standalone is a thrilling adventure with high entertainment value; bursting with the ability to prompt laughs, tears, and arm-raising cheers. That’s what all genres do best.

BOTTOM LINE: See it.