THOR: RAGNAROK review

THOR: RAGNAROK

starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Cate Blanchett

directed by Taika Waititi

A review by Helen J. Reynolds

This is the third movie to the franchise, though of course Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is part of the Avengers and other spinoffs so by now audiences are pretty familiar with the Viking-styled God of Thunder.

So what development - besides a haircut - does Thor: Ragnarok offer?

Not much. But it is hilarious, there's about a joke a minute and the ones that got the biggest laughs were probably the simplest. My personal favourite was the idea that Thor routinely hurls random objects at Loki (Tom Hiddleston) just to see if he's really standing there.  

The story is about as roundabout as a movie can get: the big prophecy mentioned before the credits comes back for the end, and the stuff in the middle are fast-paced fights with jokes smashed in. Superhero movies do have a tendency to take themselves too seriously but this one keeps in the Thor style - if he doesn't have his hammer, he has his fists, and if you give him a cup of tea, he'll demand a beer.

Rivalry between Thor and Loki has been played enough so this time they bring in a new sibling. Cate Blanchett plays Hela, their unknown, long-lost/trapped in a vortex, older sister. She's hella sexy, hella powerful and unfortunately for the rest of the world, hella evil. Having been exiled for centuries she has perfected the smokey-eyed look and how to strut evilly in a catsuit. Though Banchett gives a fun dynamic to the role, her character doesn't have quite the complications or effort the series put into Loki's psyche.   

Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) drops in for a fairly pointless scene that, while funny, feels more like a promotion for his Marvel movie. The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) at least has a purpose in his scenes and is probably the best moving and talking Hulk at least that I've come across. 

While the original Thor was hilarious and also managed to show a character arc: an arrogant prince turning into a leader, this third instalment just lacks the breath that's needed between jokes to become emotionally involved in what's going on. An example being Thor's warrior friends, who have been part of the franchise since the beginning and who are disposed of in the blink of an eye.

Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) are two new characters, both equally great, though one is there to fill the void of romance interest/Vikings who drink, and the other is a villain that takes scene time away from the actual villain. 
  
The film is ultimately one big party that's very easy to enjoy but has no real significant moment. Lots of crazy shit happens, some of it tragic, but it's jumped over for a laugh and doesn't really add anything to either the characters or the world.

A combination of:
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

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