Surpassing all expectations, Thor: Ragnarok, can easily be credited as the funniest film to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We expect a superhero film to be an action packed adventure but Thor: Ragnarok is primarily a comedy with some great action sequences sprinkled in at just the right moments. Taika Waititi, the director of the film, leaves no opportunity to make his audience laugh. The awkward pauses, the bits where the tension is at its peak, or even when the characters are in grave danger, Waititi makes the most out of every possible scenario.
The title Ragnarok is what forms the premise of the film. Asgard is in danger. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has been away for a while and was under the assumption that his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) was taking care of the realm. To his shock, it was Loki (Tom Hiddleston) throughout who had taken Odin’s place as the King of Asgard. Odin being away from Asgard has led Hela (Cate Blanchett) to break free. Hela, Odin’s first born and the Goddess of Death, assumes her right to the throne and will not stop at anything to get it. Ragnarok, in a nutshell, is about the destruction of Asgard and building it again. At the root of it, Thor: Ragnarok is all about home and family, and that spirit is maintained through the entire course of the film.
We’ve all seen enough superhero films and more often than not, they function on the same template. But Thor: Ragnarok manages to waver away from it so smartly that it doesn’t let your interest dwindle even for a bit. As already shown in the trailer, Thor’s hammer is destroyed by Hela like a glass, and now he’s left without his loyal weapon. Of course, he’s going to save the day in the end but how he does it without his trustworthy weapon is what makes for a captivating hero’s journey.
The relationship dynamic between Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor will definitely make you wonder why nobody had utilised this excellent banter before. Thor’s “He’s a friend from work” has already been shown to the audience but honestly, had they kept it under wraps, it would have been an ecstatic moment in the theater. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away from the hilarious back and forth between the two. With a short visit to Earth, a large part of this film is set in Sakaar and Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster totally aces his role. Jeff’s Grandmaster is the foolish kind of evil who makes you laugh but you can sense that it has the capacity to turn menacingly evil. MCU must not let go of Jeff. His hand gestures, perfectly timed pauses between dialogues and even his impatient attitude does not allow you take your eyes away from him, even though the cinematography in these scenes by Javier Aguirresarobe, is beyond stunning.
The classic third act fight sequence with the Immigrant Song playing in the background is simply a treat for the audience. It’s shot aesthetically well but coming from Marvel, we expect them to be the kings of the staple superhero fights anyway.
The antagonist of this film is Thor and Loki’s sister Hela (played by Cate Blanchett). Cate gives everything into making Hela the best kind of evil but sadly, there isn’t much given to Cate to build on. Hela is one of those unidimensional bad guys who is out there to just kill. What Hela lacks on paper, Cate tries making up for it in Hela’s aura and she partly succeeds as well but when you find that even her henchman Skurge (Karl Urban) has more of a story arc that the film’s main villain, you know there isn’t much to her anyway. Tessa Thompson plays Valkyrie who once participated in the fight against Hela and is now spending her life drinking and selling scraps to The Grandmaster. You expect this character to become Thor’s love interest but we’re just glad that the director didn’t waste much time on the love track but rather built her as an individual. Apart from making every character as funny as they could possibly be, the director himself voices the alien made of rocks, Korg, who is going to be a fan favourite in no time.
With 80s nostalgia in full vogue right now, the film’s background score by Mark Mothersbaugh, sticks to the popular vibe and it fits perfectly well.
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Marvel announced the maker of its next Thor Instalment but Taika Waititi delivers so well that we’re left wishing for new directors to pump some fresh vision to the superhero universe. With a DC film coming next week, the competition is going to be at its peak but so far, Marvel’s best film yet is here to entertain.
Source: Indian Express
