Review by Christian Garcia
Thor: Ragnarok is considered by most Marvel fans to be the best of the Thor films. I would also agree with that statement. I loved it when it first came out and have watched it many times. Of the Thor films, this is the one I have experienced the most.
I have not watched it in some time though and so many years later, does this film still hold up? Let’s see.
The Hero's Journey
Thor’s journey in Ragnarok is that of a classic epic akin to The Odyssey. The hero journeys home while encountering threats along the way. Mix in some comedy and tragedy and you have the first Thor film to feel like a grand epic.
The film begins with Thor battling Surtur to prevent Ragnarok, the destruction of Asgard. It drops the viewer in the middle of one journey and then segues into the next phase of his journey. Thor follows the trend of most epics of avoiding destiny. Thor’s goal throughout all three films has been to protect Asgard and Ragnarok brings the fourth the greatest threat in his sister Hela. She destroys his hammer, Mjolnir and before it can escalate, Loki calls upon the Bifrost to bring them back to Asgard. Hela jumps in the Bifrost and expels both Thor and Loki, leaving her to Asgard for the taking. Thor is sent to the junkyard planet of Sakaar and is taken prisoner by Valkyrie for the Grandmaster. A classic trope of the hero being exiled from home and having to find a way back. He is forced by the Grandmaster to battle his “Champion” who later is revealed to be The Hulk. He then tries to convince Hulk to help him get back home, but the Hulk doesn’t want to leave Sakaar as he is revered there and hated on Earth.
Hulk goes through his own arc as we discover that he has been Hulk since the battle in Sokovia and refuses to change back into Banner. Valkyrie also has her own arc as she used to be a proud Asgardian warrior but after being defeated by Hela and having to watch her fellow Valkyries be killed, she’s become a recluse alcoholic. Thor helps them overcome their issues and the three of them plot an escape from Sakaar and make it back to Asgard.
Thor battles Hela but is bested and even blinded in one eye by her. Like in the first film, Thor comes to his lowest moment as Hela forces him to watch his people be killed by her army. He sees a vision of his father and says he is nothing without his hammer. His father reminds him that the hammer was only created to help him control his powers and not the source and reminds him that he is the God of Thunder. In his fight with the Hulk earlier, Thor unleashed an unknown power of Thunder that beat the Hulk. After the encouragement of his father, he unleashes that power again and uses it to lay waste to Hela’s army. However, even after that, he admits that he cannot beat Hela, so he plans to unleash Ragnarok on Asgard leading to its destruction along with Hela’s.
The lesson that Thor is told by his father Odin, in the end, is that Asgard is not a place, it never was. At the beginning of the film in his final words to Thor, Odin calls the area in Norway home and says this could be Asgard. It’s like the old saying, “home is where you make it.” A simple lesson but an important one. Thor realizes that the only way to save Asgard (the people) is to unleash Ragnarok, the destruction of Asgard. In great epic irony, destiny is fulfilled in the destruction of Asgard but is also used to protect Thor’s people. The film ends with Thor, Valkyrie, Loki, Banner, and Heimdall leading the people of Asgard to a new home, which was hinted by Thor and his father to be that spot in Norway.
Thor’s journey taught him about the power that he has within and changed the way he looked at Asgard. He learned Asgard is about the people and not the place and that its legacy will last if its people do. It fulfills Thor’s desires to do good and protect his people although in an unconventional way. He comes out of this film a more experienced and rounded hero having discovered his true power and finding a new purpose.
My girlfriend described it as a movie that questions the integrity of the family and solidifies the character's loyalty to being either honorable or evil. Thor's father made awful decisions in his past when he and Hela fought for conquest. He realized the error of his ways and banished her, but his choices had major consequences that affected Thor and the rest of Asgard. This knocks Odin off the pedestal that Thor held him on, but he still accepts that his father was a flawed man. Even though he was flawed, he was still honorable and made choices for the betterment of others. Like Thor in the first film, he was flawed and made bad decisions but, in the end, he did what was right and became a more honorable god. Even Loki makes a choice to help his brother rather than betray him again. Thor chooses to use his power for good while Hela would rather use it for evil which is why he says he cannot let her take the throne. Thor made a choice in the end that although it led to the destruction of his home, it did give his people a chance to live on and start a new home.
However, the post-credit scene strongly suggests that their journey may not go as they had planned….
The Villain
Hela is the oldest daughter of Odin and the goddess of Death. She helped Odin conquer many before being banished to Hel when Odin had a change of heart. Upon his death, she is released and ready to claim the throne of Asgard and conquer the 9 realms and beyond. She resurrects the army of Berserkers and plots to turn Asgard into an Empire and conquer the other realms.
Her outer goal is simply to conquer and finish what she and Odin started. Her motivation is both of ambition to finish what she started and anger and resentment towards her father Odin. She shows her disgust towards her father many times and calls him a hypocrite. When she enters the Royal Palace, she is disgusted by the new mural in the ceiling and destroys it to reveal the original mural showing her and Odin conquering the Nine Realms. Before their final battle, Thor and Hela discuss their father and his faults. Thor tells her he understands her rage and accepts it but also tells her that she still cannot rule Asgard.
Of all the villains that Thor has encountered, she is the most threatening. Upon her first appearance, she makes her mark immediately by destroying Thor’s hammer. Thor and Loki are so shocked by this display of power that Loki calls upon the Bifrost to bring them back to Asgard so he can flee. When she arrives on Asgard, she makes quick work of Thor’s friends and lays waste to the Asgardian army. In the final battle with Thor, she proves to be the superior warrior and stabs out his eye in battle. Even after unlocking his true power, Thor is still not able to defeat her on his own and even admits to it. He is only able to defeat her in the end by calling upon Surtur to unleash Ragnorok and destroy Asgard along with Hela. The idea of the hero having to call upon a bigger threat to destroy the first threat is funny, creative, and speaks to the power that Hela possesses.
Hela is by far the best of the Thor villains being memorable for her power, her backstory, and even her comedic moments. She is played by Cate Blanchett who does an incredible job and at times is almost unrecognizable. Her design is very cool with the way she can manipulate her hair into a spiked crown and after two films with bland and forgettable villains, she is a breath of fresh air.
The Film's Pros
The Humor
Out of all the Thor films, Ragnarok feels like it has the most personality. The humor of this film is easily its strongest aspect and what makes it the most enjoyable of the Thor trilogy.
From the opening scene, this film packs the humor. From Thor awkwardly swinging around the chains to his banter with the Hulk to Korg’s one-liners, and of course, Jeff Goldblum, this film made me laugh so much. Chris Hemsworth’s personality was able to shine more and give Thor more personality beyond the honorable God. His facial expressions made a lot of his jokes hit and hit hard. The highlight of this was when Thor squirms in the chair begging the Grandmaster’s men not to cut his hair.
Watching this film right after Guardians Vol. 2, I noticed a similarity in the blend of humor and action. Ragnarok packs the awesome action with laugh-out-loud humor. It felt a lot like a Guardians of the Galaxy film and in a strange way it works for Thor.
Where I thought Thor: The Dark World had no personality and was completely forgettable, this film packs the personality and is one that I’ll never forget.
More Epic
Looking back at the first films, they both lacked an epic feel. The first film spent more time on Earth and went for a fish-out-of-water style of storytelling. While the sequel did spend some more time in Asgard but felt empty and dull. Ragnarok learns from the mistakes of those films and sets Thor in an epic story and the most epic feeling of any of the films.
There is rarely a dull moment in this film and after having to endure Thor: The Dark World that was entirely dull, it is much appreciated. The film takes the media's res approach to the storytelling, reminiscent of Greek tragedies, and is very fitting for Thor and a welcome change of pace. It opens with a battle between Thor and Surtur that is so awesome to behold and lets you know right away that this is the beginning of an epic tale.
And again, that is just the opening scene! There are so many awesome battles in this film including the battle between Thor and the Hulk at the Grand Arena and of course the final battle in Asgard. Watching Thor, Hulk, Loki, and Valkyrie take on the Berserkers on the bridge while “Immigrant Song” by Led Zepplin plays is the perfect way to top off the epic adventure that is this film.
Ragnarok brings the fun and action from start to finish and gives fans what they’ve wanted to see: Thor being awesome and doing awesome things. Thor’s god status had fans clamoring for a more epic approach to his films and Ragnarok gives them that epic feels while also balancing the comedy and dramatic moments.
The Film's Cons
Drastic Change in Tone
Now I know I just said that the humor was the strongest element of the film. However, I must admit that this is a drastic change in tone from the previous films and one that not everyone will get on board with. A drastic change in tone can sometimes catch a fanbase off guard and for some be a turn-off. I personally think the change in tone is a positive and injects new life into the franchise. Others may not see it that way though. The Thor films did need an improvement in personalities as the first film had some but not enough to stand out while the second film lacked any personality. So, giving more personality to the third installment was much needed. But what kind of personality people wanted, depends on your taste.
The first Thor film was more serious in its tone with a little bit of humor sprinkled in there. Thor was a God and man who took things seriously. In the Avengers, he was more of the badass who worked off the humor of those around him. So, to suddenly go from being a serious character to a very humorous one can be jarring for the audience. And while Thor: The Dark World showed that the direction the Thor films were heading in was not what fans wanted, one could argue if going the path of humor is what they wanted either? When most people think of Thor, do they envision wisecracks and jokes about who the strongest avenger is? Or would they envision a grand epic tale akin to an old Greek tragedy?
While I personally, love the more humorous Thor, I am sure that there are some fans out there who don’t love it as much as I do. My roommate always tells me he enjoys Ragnarok more than the other Thor films, but he doesn’t love it. This is another case of different strokes for different folks. If you like a Thor film with more humor and that takes itself less seriously then this is the film for you. If you prefer a Thor with more epicness and less humor, this may not be the film for you.
SKURGE the Executioner
Skurge is introduced as the replacement Guardian of the Bifrost but is then relegated to the janitor. When Hela arrives on Asgard she appoints him as her executioner. He could have been another threat to Thor and a story of someone proving their worth. Even though they try to give him the redemption arc, he was not likable off the bat, his actions were very predictable, and he was not a very convincing henchman. Unfortunately for him, he only proved to be a weak and unremarkable character. He could have not been in the film at all, and it would not have affected anything.
Other Notes
Disposing of Thor’s God Friends
This is more of an observation than a flaw that hurts the film, but I was not a fan of the way that they disposed of Thor’s God friends. I know not everyone in a Marvel film will live forever, but after these characters were given time and focus in the first two films, the way they were just killed off in this film caught me off guard. I remember when Hela kills Volstagg and Fandral with such ease, I was thinking, “That was easy.” It felt like director, Taika Waititi was wiping the slate clean of all remnants of the previous films.
Final Thoughts
Thor: Ragnarok still holds up as a great film and is easily the most enjoyable Thor film in the franchise. Director, Taika Waititi’s approach paid off as it is the highest-grossing Thor film and it's easy to see why. It's a fun adventure and re-established Thor as one of the coolest Marvel heroes. Waititi is returning for the next installment of Thor: Love and Thunder and I am excited to see what he does next and see how he can evolve Thor even more.
Is it a perfect film? No. The drastic change in tone may be off-putting to some fans. But you can tell that the filmmakers and cast had fun making this film and it shows in their performances. If I were to describe this film in just one word, it would be FUN.
Where the previous films felt either just okay or incredibly boring and unremarkable, this is the first time a Thor film that had me and many fans say, “That was awesome.” I had fun watching it the first time and I had fun watching it again. My girlfriend loved the funnier approach to Thor and called it her favorite Thor film.
If you have yet to see a Thor film, this is easily the one to check out. It’s got great action, great characters, lots of jokes and a fun time to be had.
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