“Thor: Ragnarok”: A Movie Review

Daniel Jimenez, Opinions and A&E Editor|November 14, 2017

One of the many alternative movie posters for “Thor: Ragnarok.

Those classic times of tradition are upon us, as Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Instead of hunkering down with the family, feasting on that big juicy bird and watching the highly-anticipated game on NBC, how about doing something different on this 395-year old holiday?

Why not take a trip to the theater with the family and catch a glimpse of the latest blockbuster superhero movie, “Thor: Ragnarok”?

“Thor: Ragnarok” is the third entry in the “Thor” franchise and the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), an interconnecting film franchise that began with 2008’s “Iron Man”.

The flick follows the Asgardian god of thunder in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home planet of Asgard.

During this race against time, Thor finds himself on different quests of survival that may render him useless. These range from finding himself imprisoned on the other side of the galaxy, to a deadly gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his fellow Avenger.

The movie was a complete change of pace from the rest of the superhero movies that we’ve come to expect, as it dared to experiment with new elements outside of its genre. Many of these elements improved the overall quality of the film, while others seemed to backfire a bit.

One such element that worked was the humor, as “Thor” movies have been known to be very dark and gritty. The movie was able to handle the comedy in a way that didn’t ruin the film’s main objective, while also remaining to be laugh out loud funny.

Another element that was a plus was the character development, which is something that many superhero flicks have struggled with in the past. This includes films set in the MCU.

This movie didn’t struggle at all with this issue and instead used it as a driving force within the story.

An example of this would be the villain Hela, as the movie gives us a somewhat clear reasoning on why she’s become the person she is at the moment, and expands that throughout the film.

Other such examples include the man himself, (Thor), and the Hulk.

Speaking of these characters, the actors in this movie did a phenomenal job of portraying their roles.

From Chris Hemsworth’s macho Thor, Cate Blanchett’s over-the-top Hela and Jeff Goldblum’s zany Grandmaster, each actor was able to captivate their respective roles and turn them into something special without overpowering the others.

This can also be said for director Taika Waititi’s dry humor-filled Korg, Mark Ruffalo’s personality-filled Hulk and Tessa Thompson’s feisty Valkyrie, as they were three characters who turn out to be delightful surprises without us even expecting them to be.

Now many of these elements can be attributed to Waititi, as his directing style is one that dismantles the genre of each movie that he makes. No matter if the film is a serious indie flick or a frightening horror movie, he always tries to inject some form of the opposition into them.

That “opposition” is mostly humor, as that is what Waititi’s most significant trait as a director.

“Thor: Ragnarok” is no different, as the movie sometimes feels like an eighties buddy cop movie set in space, rather than a serious superhero flick.

Despite seeming to be the perfect superhero movie, there is still one minor flaw. That flaw being the equal balance of drama and humor in the flick.

The movie has an awkward way of switching back and forth from the light-hearted moments to those of a serious nature. It’s so awkward that it almost seems as if we’re watching two separate movies.

Overall, this is a hilariously great and truly different superhero movie that all cinema fans will enjoy. The movie takes many liberties to try to improve the tired-worn out formula of superhero flicks,(in order to create something literally out-of-this-world), which in the end works to its complete advantage.