Alright, anyone who’s able to convince Led Zeppelin to use one of their most popular songs, on two occasions in their movie, and to absolutely nail those instances, is a genius. And the movie definitely is amazing.
Thor: Ragnarök, directed by New Zealander Taika Waititi, is the 13th(?) movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which might as well be renamed the Marvel Machine, considering how it’s been pumping movies out. It’s Waititi’s first large scale movie, his previous outing being 2014’s excellent What We Do in the Shadows, a gut-busting, outrageously funny vampire mockumentary.
For someone whose previous project was a movie with indie sensibilities, Ragnarök is quite the pleasant surprise. It’s not the best movie Marvel has made, that’ll be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. But Ragnarök certainly comes close.
Talking about Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s no surprise to anyone, who saw the trailers, that Ragnarök pretty much ripped the tonality of Guardians of the Galaxy, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, that’s precisely what a movie about a God of Thunder needed, and they ripped it off perfectly.
The plot is, Thor is back amongst his people. His father, Odin dies, and his sister Hela, takes over Asgard and intends to conquer all known worlds. Thor and Loki, on the other hand, have been stranded on a planet called Sakaar, and have to fight their way back to Asgard, and defeat Hela. Oh, and there’s the fire demon, Surtur, and the Hulk.
This movie, was a thorough blast. It’s definitely one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve seen in ages. It does borrow from other, funnier, Marvel properties, Deadpool and the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy come to mind. The fourth wall break in the beginning of the movie, while it seemed forced, certainly helped to set the tone for things to come.
The comic elements were well done, and Waititi makes his comic chops shine, through the screenplay. It’s hilarious, wild, witty, and best of all, fun. It’s almost as if he decided to write what came to his mind, and go crazy with it.
Surprisingly, for a Marvel movie, the music is memorable. Nowhere close to DC’s epic themes, but good nevertheless. Who can deny the rush of pure adrenaline, when Led Zep’s Immigrant Song plays while Thor is smashing demons in the underworld? Also, the main theme, with its ’80s disco vibes, fit the entire Fifth Element/Mad Max tone of the movie. Outside of the Guardians’ soundtracks, this definitely is one of Marvel’s most memorable scores.
It goes without saying, that the filmmaking on display, is, across the board, amazing. Everyone brings their A-game to the table. From the kaleidoscopic cinematography seen on the planet Sakaar, to the doom and gloom of Asgard, the cinematography is on point. As is the acting. The cast, Hopkins, Helmsworth, Hiddleston, and most of all, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, were great. Valkyrie, in particular, as the no-nonsense badass of the group, was a revelation. It’ll be fun to see what direction Marvel decides to take her character in, especially in the Infinity War movies.
And, as is customary for a Marvel movie, the post credits were big, particularly the first one. We see Thor, Loki, and the other survivors of Asgard, come across a huge ship in space. Most probably might be Thanos’ ship, therefore tying this into Infinity War, or it could be the Guardians. What do you guys think?
All in all, this movie was loads of fun. For anyone tired of the gritty realism of other superhero movies, this is the movie for you.
Rating: 3.5/5
