Taika Waititi embraces absurdity with a colorful and comedic adventure, and its apparently just what this franchise needed
The Thor standalone movies have never been the strongest in the Marvel Studios stable, but Thor: Ragnarok is a very different kind of Thor movie. While at its core it’s an epic, a mashup of Gladiator and Braveheart playing out across the cosmos, it’s also a buddy comedy willing to have a lot of fun. Director Taika Waititi brings a very new style to the Thor films, less interested in the faux-Shakespearean drama and gravity of the first two films, and more interested in setting the God of Thunder loose on a fast-paced misadventure. Guardians of the Galaxy certainly set the stage for this kind of 80’s B-movie vibe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Ragnarok is very much its own film, with its own unique sense of humor and a colorful and vibrant cosmic palette that feels wildly true to the spirit of classic Thor artists like Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson.
Ragnarok picks up roughly two years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. When Hela (Cate Blanchett), the Goddess of Death, comes for the throne of Asgard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is quickly overpowered and finds himself lost in the cosmos, landing on the distant planet Sakaar. There, he is captured and forced to partake in gladiatorial games orchestrated by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), where he finds fellow Avenger the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is the reigning champion. Not only does Thor have to figure out how to escape, he also needs to convince the Hulk, his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and a former Asgardian soldier turned hard-drinking bounty hunter named Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to join him in returning to Asgard and reclaiming the throne.
Ragnarok really excels because it focuses on being a cool cosmic adventure rather than hinging on dramatic emotional arcs for its hero and supporting characters. That’s not to say the characters don’t have arcs or emotional beats, it’s just a lot subtler. To escape Sakaar and ultimately save Asgard from Hela, Thor must become more than a warrior, he needs to be a leader. As usual, Loki is reliably unreliable, trickster god that he is, but Waititi doesn’t force some big redemption arc in for the character. Instead, he plays with Loki’s unpredictable loyalty, specifically in terms of his dynamic with Thor — teamed up one moment, at odds the next.
Chris Hemsworth has never been better as Thor than he is in Ragnarok. He gets a chance to do something different with the character and really shines comedically. Similarly, Hiddleston also gets to put a more comedic spin on Loki, his duplicitous ways and antagonist brotherly relationship with Thor is played more for laughs than wounded betrayal.
As for the rest of the cast, Cate Blanchett is excellent as Hela, playing equal parts callous and snarky, and almost exaggeratively defining pure evil in the best possible way (Blanchett can do no wrong, and given Thanos’s infatuation with Death, I can’t help but wonder/hope that we haven’t seen the last of her character). Goldblum as the Grandmaster is a delight, bringing the dry absurdity of a Wes Anderson character to a Marvel villain. Waititi even steals a few scenes for himself voicing the character Korg, a mild-mannered and quirky rock-like alien with no shortage of one-liners.
Tessa Thompson is easily the biggest standout in Ragnarok though — she’s got a fairly long resume, although her biggest credits to date are probably Creedand Westworld. As Valkyrie, she’s a bit of a jaded antihero, but she, too, capably keeps up with the comedy, exchanging plenty of fun banter with Thor, Loki, and Hulk. Worth noting, in the comics, Valkyrie has served as an Avenger, and Thompson is due back in Avengers: Infinity War next year, so this is not the last we’ve seen of her.
Of course, one of the biggest changes to shakeup the Thor franchise was bringing the Hulk into the fold. And having Hulk here is very awesome! Incorporating elements of the “Planet Hulk” storyline from the comics, we’re introduced to a very different kind of Hulk in this film— one that’s cocky and proud, a champion to the people that’s maybe even a little less angry. Before Ragnarok’s release, Kevin Feige noted that this film would be the beginning of a three-movie arc for the Hulk that would then play out across the next two Avengers films, so even without his own standalone films, there’s a lot to look forward to for the future of that character.
Thor: Ragnarok is without a doubt the best standalone Thor film, and easily stands among the most fun films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Although Waititi glossed over much of what’s come before (most of the previous Thor films’ supporting cast aren’t really anywhere to be found here), he brought a completely new energy to the franchise that was sorely needed. As it turns out, the best approach to a Thor movie may have just been to embrace the hilarious absurdity of the cosmic universe all along.
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