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| Scene from Thor: Ragnarok |
In the realm of MCU movies, is there a hero more boring than Thor? He is a Norse God who has had a poor track record regarding his solo adventures, with Thor: The Dark World being one of the dreariest misfires in the otherwise strong franchise. As a Phase 1 godfather, it's a shame that there hasn't been a movie worthy of actor Chris Hemsworth's charismatic talents. That's been true in every film until director Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, which amps up everything that worked about other MCU films (comedy, action, colors) and finally creates the first great Thor movie. It's a film so rich with personality that it'll make you wish that this Thor came out to play more often. He still may be less interesting than Doctor Strange or the Guardians of the Galaxy characters, but at least he's no longer boring.
It helps that Ragnarok is from the up and coming Australian director Waititi, whose comic sensibility (What We Do in the Shadows) perfectly compliments Thor. The film opens with a quasi-fourth wall-breaking moment where Thor recaps what's happened since audiences last saw him in Avengers: Age of Ultron two years, and six movies, ago. It makes sense, especially given how much Iron Man and Captain America has cropped up in that time. Waititi's goal isn't so much to make a great Thor movie, but to reboot his very image with something more palpable and contemporary. The original Thor is now six years old. It's about time that he added a few new parlor tricks to his character. Thankfully for the most part, they're all for the best.
The opening scene crackles with the appropriate soundtrack of Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song." It transitions to one of the MCU's most dazzling fight scenes; and all it really involves is Thor spinning Mjolnir through a rogues gallery of villains. It's the same old routine, but Waititi fills it with so many brilliant small moments. The style has finally caught up with Thor. Even if it's borrowed from Guardians of the Galaxy, it grafts onto him with such a strong force that it both is a revelation of new elements, but completes a trilogy of well plotted themes not only for Thor, but for his conflicted brother Loki (the always magnetic Tom Hiddelston). The film is not only boiling with action and humor, but Ragnarok captures the empathetic cores of its characters. As much as the film is capable of being standalone, it's a satisfying way to complete Loki's ongoing arc as the trickster God who has somehow cheated death despite being the big bad of The Avengers over 10 movies ago. It could just be that the MCU know how valuable Hiddelston's performance is to them. He's one of their best characters because of his moral grey areas where he can be irresponsible AND sympathetic. It continues here.
Adding to the family dynamic is the campy, larger than life sister Hela (Cate Blanchett), whose rivalry with Thor and Loki drives the movie. She wields a power that perfectly masks her sarcasm as jealousy. She loves power, and her ability to rival Loki with antagonism makes her at least one of the more compelling figures in contemporary MCU movies. There is a catch, though. Thor gets tossed to a far off wasteland (because the galaxy is expansive), making a journey back more challenging. It's here that the usual dull cinematography of Thor's Asgard gets jolted back to life with a colorful wardrobe. Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster may just be a Goldblum imitation, but his casual use of power makes him yet another standout new character in the franchise. He wields power, but he also seems like a great guy to get a drink with. There's also Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who probably has never been sober - but quickly becomes one of the Thor universe's most interesting female characters. She stumbles heroically through the movie in ways that are both comedic and compelling. As a whole, the supporting cast is top notch here - a rarity for the general MCU movie.
If the Thor movies have had one flaw, it's that they haven't played into how exciting the galaxy can be. Asgard tends to look droll in every occurrence, which thankfully changes here. It's still a shiny husk of dread, but at least now it has a symbolic purpose. Maybe it's because the film finally has a budget to play with, but Ragnarok finally shows the fun side of outer space. There's plenty of slapstick humor, but there's also small inventive details that are long overdue to make Thor greater. Maybe all Hemsworth needed was a fun script to bring out his energy. Or maybe the franchise just realized that humor and personality is what draws audiences to these movies. It's also one of the finest uses of The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who joins Thor in Waititi's impressive double play: turning the B-Level Avengers into a gleeful powerhouse of talent.
Ragnarok is the perfect excuse for Thor's two year absence. Before this movie, he was a droll figure who was quickly becoming inferior to his outer space buddies. Now he's one of the most compelling forces not only in terms of Hemsworth's performance, but also in supporting cast. Who doesn't want to see more adventures of any of these characters: Hela, The Hulk, Valkyrie, The Grandmaster, or even the rock monster that Waititi voices? If nothing else, this is a film that benefits from having a fun sense of self. It knows how to have fun without straying too far from what has defined Thor as a character for six years now. If this Thor comes around more often, it will be a worthwhile use of the MCU's time. If Waititi does, there's a good chance that these movies will be, at worse, very funny. That's quite an upgrade once you think about it.
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