Thor: Ragnarok

As we move one step closer to Infinity War, it's clearest here, in Thor: Ragnarok, that Marvel knows it needs to give each movie its "selling point". 

It's no secret that Thor's solo-films in the MCU have been somewhat lacking comparatively, even if they are enjoyable in their own right. The first was a Shakespearean fish-out-of-water tale that was fun enough at introducing us to the character while the second was more ambitious, better overall, but still fairly forgettable. Unless you have a huge crush on Chris Hemsworth (I mean, who doesn't) I think most people would be hard-pressed to choose to watch a Thor-based outing given how many other MCU films there are out there. 

So, Thor Ragnarok needed an edge. It needed something to be more than just "the third Thor film" and to put butts in seats. Many people may think that "something" was the Hulk being included this time around. Or maybe even the colorful, 80's palette. 

The "secret" is that it's truly neither of those things, but they are deeply appreciated. The true edge and "special sauce" of Thor: Ragnarok comes from director Taika Waititi and his impeccable understanding and implementation of humor.

*Disclaimer before the rest of this review: if you haven't watched Waititi's previous efforts: What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople -- you need to do so now. They're near-perfect.

Ragnarok brings us back in to Thor's world after his hiatus in the MCU for the last several films. It's actually a bit shocking to realize that we last saw him in Age of Ultron given that he sat out Civil War. You immediately recognize that it's good to see him again and he was missed, which goes to adding credibility to the characters the MCU has crafted. Without even knowing it, we've become somewhat attached. The film doesn't delve too much into what he's been up to, but eventually he returns back to Asgard and confronts Loki. After a brief tag-team search for their father, Hela (Blanchett) shows up and the film diverges a bit as Thor gets lost on another planet. If I'm being honest, in hindsight the film's plot is nothing special and it strangely does almost nothing for the MCU as a whole. Given that we only have Black Panther left before Infinity War, I'm a bit shocked that this one doesn't play more of a role of getting us toward there. As enjoyable as the film is, the plot -- simply from a perspective of the film itself -- is a bit useless too and used more as a tool to bring Hulk/Thor into a buddy film. Obviously I won't spoil anything, but it all does seem rather low stakes especially considering what's coming next. 

Jeff Goldblum would be in this movie. So fitting

What you look like vs.
what you think you look like in the gym

But damn is it enjoyable! Not only is Ragnarok the funniest film of the year (it's been a weak year for comedies) but I truly think it's the funniest Marvel film to date, which is saying a lot. At first, it's a bit shocking how "all-in" Marvel has gone on the humor this time around and it definitely removes any weight the film was trying to have, BUT it makes for a side-splitting comedy courtesy of Waititi. His humor is so damn good because it's honestly so simple, quirky, and genuine that it's hard not to just bust out laughing. One-liners zing right and left in certain scenes and some of the physical humor, particularly mocking the grandiose nature of being a hero are riots. I simultaneously want to talk about each of my favorite jokes and not ruin anything for weekend audiences so suffice it to say that the film's humor had our [shockingly] quarter-filled theater laughing so hard you would have mistaken us for a sold-out screening. It's that funny.

What's better is that the humor is well spread around and the entire cast is surprisingly talented when it comes to timing and delivery. Hemsworth continues to prove how valuable he is as Thor and the film has fun with that character's ego but, to Hemsworth's credit, he really does have some of the film's funniest scenes. Ruffalo as Banner and the Hulk is also a hoot the contrast between those two characters provides some good scenes. Tessa Thompson gets to play the most bad-ass character in the film and she also gets a few good laughs from her constantly-drunken state. Even Hiddleston and Blanchett as Loki and Hela, respectively, have a laugh or two sprinkled throughout. Director Taika Waititi gets in on the fun too as a motion-captured alien who I couldn't keep up with the number of one-liners he has. Most of what the film delivers is pure gold and, sincerely, I don't know if a single joke fell flat on its face. In fact, most of our audience probably missed a few because they were stringed together and we were laughing so hard at the previous ones. 

"Oh my. It's much bigger now that it's actually in my hand!"

From an action perspective, Ragnarok is fun, if not a little disappointing. There are some well-filmed scenes of mayhem and a handful of inventive moves, but in general this ends up being a film of a lot of smash-stuff-real-hard as opposed to the inventiveness that we've come to expect from Marvel (e.g. the crown jewel of the MCU: Civil War). Given that Guardians 2 and now Ragnarok have both fell prey to this I'm worried that Marvel has become a bit complacent in the action department, but I could easily see that changing with Black Panther come February. None of it is bad by any means and it's all super colorful while looking fantastic, but we're so far into these superhero films -- not just in the MCU -- that smash/smash/crush/punch becomes forgettable very easily.

Thor: Ragnarok is easily the best Thor film and that's coming from someone who appreciates and likes the other two. While it fails at moving the MCU forward very much, that's not something that I think is entirely fair to hinge on a single film. So aside from that it ends up being a highly memorable and zany comedy romp with Thor and Hulk that you'll be thankful Marvel hired Waititi (and let him creatively lead) for. Apart from any unforeseen comedy blasting through later this year we have a very likely candidate for funniest film of the year. And it's a Thor movie. Who woulda guessed?!

CONS

• The contained plot is neither here nor there and seems like a bit of an afterthought
• Does very little to move the MCU closer toward Infinity War
• The humor, while appreciated, does remove almost any weight the film was trying to have
• Less inspiring/inventive action than I would have liked
• I wish the 80s inspired OS could have been heard more!

PROS

• Absolutely, gut-bustingly, hilarious. It's the funniest Marvel film to date and that's saying quite a lot. Waititi was a perfect choice as director and easily handles this big-budget entry while adding his style (and even a voice character) to nearly every scene
• Superb cast that seems to be having a ton of fun with this new turn toward humor. Hemsworth can anchor a film, Ruffalo is very welcomed as Hulk, Thompson is an awesome newcomer, and Hiddleston and Blanchett are fun too while Goldblum steals almost every scene he's in
• MCU continues to have stellar special effects and Ragnarok is no different
• Amazing colors!
• Moments of greatness in its original score
• Fun spectacle and a handful of action scenes that stand out among the rest
• Did I mention how funny it is?

Rath's Review Score | 9/10