You are reading my review of the movie Thor Ragnarok. Visit the HUB for more from Budget Savvy Dad, or for more movie reviews go here.
I had the chance to see Thor: Ragnarok this week. It was my most anticipated movie of the year solely on the strength of the trailers. Really, the first trailer though. I don’t even think I watched the subsequent ones. Thor has never been my favorite Avenger. I liked the first film but it wasn’t entirely my suited to my sensibility. I really like Hulk. As much of a challenge that they had to overcome introducing Thor into the MCU; The only thing The Incredible Hulk really had against it was being a direct follow up to Iron Man. What I mean is, The Incredible Hulk is a really great Marvel movie that was just swept under the rug for reasons unknown.
While the creators of the Thor franchise did a great job overcoming a tremendous hurdle, the end result just didn’t enthrall me like I’d hoped it would. You could say it’s because I’m just not into Thor. That would be true, but that would not explain why I absolutely reveled in this third installment of the franchise.
To be clear. I liked Thor and the sequel Dark World very much. It is only in comparing it to the earliest MCU movies, where it falls short of creating the pure joy and enthusiasm I felt when I first watched it. Now there have been many films falling at different spots along the path to greatness. All of them are entertaining, but only a few are truly special. Thor: Ragnarok is one of the special ones. It’s special because of how much happens. It’s special because of what happens. and is is exceptional because of how it happens.
The 3D imagery
The film is stunning. I saw it in IMAX format in 3D. The 3D was actually pretty great and only really bothered me a couple of times when I was trying to focus on things in the background that I wasn’t really supposed to be looking at. Could be Disney is using 3D technology to take forced perspective to a whole new level. The effect works very well throughout the film. It’s better than any other 3D I’ve seen. Captain America: Civil War had problematic 3D CGI effects due to the action happening to fast for the eye. There was no such problem at any point with Thor Ragnarok.
The fluidity on the screen and the expert use of 3D space are just a couple of minor examples of how skillfully this picture was crafted. Because of the type of story this is, even some of the most talented filmmakers who are known for this type of work could very easily fail. Fortunately, the script is smart and director Taika Waititi shares his vision like an absolute master.
The Comedy
There has always been humor to Thor, but the comedic sensibility that pervades Ragnarok is much more up to date. It falls closely in line with Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. Still it weaves in the usual cultural contrasts between Thor’s ancient world and contemporary Midguardian sentiment. The movie is relevant without stooping to playing politics. It is a laugh out loud funny movie. I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as a comedy, though it is certainly funnier than many comedies I have seen. The humor naturally exudes from the characters and situations. So, the humor enhances rather than takes away from the action on screen. It never feels gratuitous, distracting, or out of pace with the plot the way less balanced examples of the same genre might. The comedic elements of Thor: Ragnarok are plentiful and top notch.
The Plot
I can’t speak highly enough about the story and the final version of the film. Going into the third act it sort of feels like well traveled territory, but the climax turned out to be very entertaining and the humor was retained, which is great, because lesser films, even some comedies, usually drop the humor because it tends to slow down the plot. Since this was not a struggle for Thor the film remains balanced to the end.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS
The other amazing thing about this movie are the seemingly magic kinetics not unlike the mystically ricocheting action of Mjolnir itself. As I discuss further aspects of the plot there may be spoilers, though I will try to refrain from giving away anything serious. Dr. Strange gets a very entertaining sequence in the film as does Hulk. But Hulks part is larger than I even hoped or imagined. There is one bit in particular that blew my mind as a movie and comics fan.*
The way this movie flowed from sequence to sequence and world to world while taking you along on Thor’s roller-coaster journey and telling the back story of Asgard and the villain Hela at the same time was masterful and very, very effective. The story is rich with context so the depth and breadth of the Thor mythology is really felt all around the featured action. It’s like walking a direct route from one point in Disneyland to the other. The environment is rich all around and full of details that reinforce your impressions rather than distract from the end goal.
Star Power
Jeff Goldblum. If there was one more thing I needed to say to emphasize how cool this movie is it is that name. Jeff Goldblum is the man. He always brings a little something extra to the project and his scenes are absolutely delicious. Goldblum’s character Grandmaster is a riot. He and the other characters that share the screen with Thor bring such fresh new chemistry to the mix that brings that fun over and over again as Thor’s journey progresses. The levity and surprising depth of the film work closely together to make it one of my favorite Marvel films to date. If you like Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy this is a win. If you’d like to see Thor free-wheelin’ around the 9 realms getting into trouble for a couple of hours. Look no further. Also Anthony Hopkins**
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