A refreshing, humorous flick to break up a long line of darker films.

As you know, I can never resist a Marvel movie, and I’ve been pretty hyped up for this one for a while now. Loki is pretty much my favorite Marvel character, and I was excited for the film to further explore Asgard and the Nine Realms.

Make no mistake: This film is really good. The humor is on point, the visuals are stunning, and the acting and plot are enough to keep you interested even after you’ve run out of popcorn, but… I’m honestly beginning to question whether or not I’m getting a little… tired of Marvel movies. Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t mean I’ll stop watching them. These films are fantastic entertainment, and many even have hidden depths and messages to ponder and explore. But after 17 films (17 films?? Really? It honestly feels like more…) I’m wondering whether or not all the hype is really worth it. I can’t wait to see Infinity War, but I’ll also be glad when it’s over and all the loose ends are (hopefully) tied up. (Hahahahaha. Of course you know they won’t be. The MCU makes way, way too much money for it to ever really die.)

But enough chit-chat. Let’s talk about the film itself.

The first thing that really jumps out about Thor: Ragnarok is it’s humor. After a long line of serious Marvel films that dealt with some fairly real issues alongside their explosive action (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, etc.), this film feels more like a kind of slapstick, comedic fantasy romp than anything else. Filled with visually stunning landscapes, spaceships, epic battles, and hilarious one-liners, it is a very new, fresh take on Thor that I didn’t really expect. Everything from the colorful, eye-catching poster to the goofy title font to Thor’s new hairstyle bill this film as a completely different, more comedic spin on these normally serious Marvel characters, and I honestly really enjoyed it.

While the film does dole out some important story points and lore for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is nicely self-contained and adventurous enough to introduce a whole cast of new characters to play off of our old heroes; Thor, Loki, and the Hulk. The pacing is good, and the film doesn’t get bogged down in backstory, even though it introduces a massive new player, the villain Hela (fantastically played by Cate Blanchett), who of course comes with her own tragic past and motivations. Unlike the villain of the previous Thor film (whose name I can’t even remember, he was that forgettable) Hela carries a real threat and her presence had me questioning whether or not all the heroes would actually survive. I love that the writers weren’t afraid to raise the stakes by completely and irreversibly destroying Thor’s hammer, his greatest weapon, putting it out of play in the MCU forever. It felt like a very bold move, and definitely added weight to Hela’s threat against the heroes.

All in all, this film was fun, visually stunning, and a considerably lighter take on Thor and his friends that I really enjoyed. Am I going to watch it again as soon as it comes out? I don’t know. To be honest, probably not. But I can say that I can’t wait until this quest for the Infinity Stones is finally over.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

“Refreshing. Funny. But it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve sat through 17 movies at this point.”

I hope you enjoyed my review of Thor: Ragnarok! I’ll see you again soon.

🙂