MOVIE REVIEW: THOR RAGNAROK

A quick note before I begin. This review may contain mild spoilers, but nothing that wasn't hinted in the trailers for the film. However, if you want to avoid having some surprises revealed, you may just want to avoid any reviews in the first place. ;)


Thor has never been the easiest character to integrate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a world dominated by the science and reason of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, we now had to jump into a land of trolls, giants and Gods. The contrast seemed hard to digest, but the makers of the first THOR movie had the brilliant idea to adhere to Arthur C. Clarke's third law: ''Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''. Hence, Asgard is not as much a realm of Gods, but a race of aliens that have been mistaken for Gods in their early Earthly visits.  Something also pretty much right out of the pages of Erich Von Daniken's CHARIOTS OF THE GODS. A brilliant move.

Kenneth Branagh  was a logical choice in many ways to direct that first instalment, as his familiarity with Shakespearean prose made him a natural in this throne room family drama between the wise King Odin, the tempestuous unworthy son Thor and his devious half brother Loki.The film had its weaknesses (including a rather obvious set for the surprisingly small town where a lot of the action takes place), but Australian Chris Hemsworth's considerable charm shone through and made for a sympathetic God of Thunder and an instant star. Add a magnificent score by Branagh regular Patrick Doyle and you had a potent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD was less successful.  A bit glum, and featuring an astonishingly bland performance by Dr. Who alum Christopher Eccleston, the film never rose much above an uninspired plot and direction by Alan Taylor who must have felt overwhelmed by stepping away from his usual TV productions. Not a bad film by any stretch, it still remains a low point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This time, Marvel went to Kiwi director Taika Waititi who had demonstrated a great sense of humour in films like the hilarious mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, and the uproarious
Hunt for the Wilderpeople. So one could safely assume that this new adventure of the ''Lord of Thunder'' would also include a healthy dose of comedy. And one would assume rightly. Taking a hint from the wildly popular GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY films, THOR RAGNAROK is an outright comedy from the very first scene where Thor confronts the fiery Surtur, to the very last post credit scene. And the result is a bit of a mixed bag. While it makes the film one of the most enjoyable and gleefully entertaining  Marvel film to date, the humour at times impedes on the proper dramatic impact of certain scenes that have a lot of potential emotional weight to them. There is a cataclysmic event taking place near the end of the feature, for instance, that is almost spoiled by, appropriately enough, director Waititi in his Korg persona. The joke is funny, but takes away from the potency and significance of the scene. 


It's as if Waititi is unable to extract himself from the intrinsically silly nature of comic book lore. Because whether we like it or not, there is something  profoundly ridiculous in stories about flying men, jade skinned brutes and Thunder Gods. That state of mind does serve him well for most of the film, eliciting laughter on many occasions. It also unabashedly refers to previous comedic moments in the previous Marvel films, to great effect. There was already potential for greatness in THE AVENGERS' first pairing of Hulk and Thor, as was hinted in one of 2012's funniest singular moment at the movies. 

The film makes great use of that chemistry, aided by Hemsworth gift for comedic timing and Mark Ruffalo's refined gruntings. The superhero team-up, occurring after Thor's accidental landing on planet Skar where a stranded Hulk has thrived as a gladiator champion under the tutelage of the Grandmaster (a hilarious Jeff Golblum just being Goldblum), is pure comedy Gold.

Meanwhile, back on Asgard, Hela, the Goddess of Death (a formidable Cate Blanchett), who has been freed from the Underworld, is starting to lay waste to the Golden Realm. Hela has captured my imagination ever since I first saw her on this terrific John Buscema cover back in the early 70s.

Hela's considerable power is well manifested in her hostile takeover of Asgard and her destroying Thor's ubiquitous Mjolnir. However, her character never demonstrate one of her most terrifying comic book ability in the film, in what could have been a grisly scene. 

But her character remains truly formidable nonetheless, and a flashback scene showing her confrontation with the fabled protectors of Asgard, the Valkyries, remains one of the most strikingly beautiful scene ever put to film...

Which brings us to another valuable player in the film, Thessa Thompson's Valkyrie, the drunken, disgraced lone survivor of this attack against Hela. Her character is a strong, funny and charismatic addition to the Marvel Universe, and I cannot wait to see her in action again. Her appearance is a striking departure from the comic book origin, but I cannot say that it is a bad thing, for many reasons.

When I first saw the trailers for the film, I was extremely pleased to see Karl Urban as Skurge, in what seemed like a retelling from the character's dramatic final moments from the outstanding Walt Simonson's run of Thor in the eighties. Skurge (AKA the Executioner) had been a longtime Thor villain, who ended up having a change of heart and saved Asgard in an heroic confrontation with a horde of ghastly enemies.

Waititi reprises this famous scene in the film, but the character arc is sadly not as powerful as in the comic book, and while the scene still remains quite strong, it never reaches the emotional, iconic nature of the source material.

The big surprise of the film is Mark Mothersbaugh's score. A bit like Danny Elfman surprised everyone in 1989 with a BATMAN score that strayed miles away from his Oingo Boingo days, Mothersbaugh hits epic orchestral highs with memorable, gorgeous melodies, all the while making numerous musical references to his DEVO origins. A thoroughly enjoyable score with moments of eighties retro electronic bliss. And one cannot talk about the music for this film without mentioning the pitch perfect use of Led Zeppelin's THE IMMIGRANT SONG in two key scenes.


One last note about the design work in the film. I was overjoyed by the obvious Jack Kirby influence in costume and set designs, especially on Planet Skar. Kirby created the comic book version of the Thunder God back in 1962 with Stan Lee (who by the way, as another of his ubiquitous cameo in the film), and it is pure happiness to see the colourful, angular sensitivities of the King of comics applied so beautifully on the giant screen.

The wall behind the Grandmaster and Loki even sports an outright swipe from a Fantastic Four splash page from 1967.

Overall, THOR RAGNAROK is a highly enjoyable film, that will never bore the viewer, and makes drastic changes to the Thor mythos that will impact the Marvel Universe in no uncertain ways. If you like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this will be another must in your collection. If you are tired of Superhero films, the comedic aspects and self deprecating humour may manage to sway you in the right direction again. Some may be weary that the Marvel films are turning into comedies, but trailers for BLACK PANTHER and early words on the next AVENGERS films may lay those fears to rest.