Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

  • Released: 2017-10-24
  • Runtime: 131 minutes
  • Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
  • Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Taika Waititi, Rachel House, Clancy Brown, Tadanobu Asano, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Stan Lee, Georgia Blizzard, Amali Golden, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, Matt Damon, Charlotte Nicdao, Ashley Ricardo, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Taylor Hemsworth, Cohen Holloway, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Sophia Laryea, Steven Oliver, Hamish Parkinson, Jasper Bagg, Sky Castanho, Shari Sebbens, Richard Green, Sol Castanho, Jet Tranter, Samantha Hopper, Eloise Winestock, Rob Mayes, Tahlia Jade, Winnie Mzembe, Sean Edward Frazer, Connor Zegenhagen, Tracie Filmer, Tracey Lee Maxwell, Beatrice Ward, Donnie Baxter, Greta Carew-Johns, Mollie McGregor, Sophia McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Katie Anderson, Ash Ricardo, Sam Hargrave, Garreth Hadfield
  • Director: Taika Waititi
 Comments
  • Ltufano23 - 12 May 2024
    Top Tier MCU
    MCU Phase 3 continues with the hits as Thor: Ragnarok blows its predecessors away. While searching for knowledge regarding the Infinity Stones, Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) stumbles upon puzzling information regarding his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Returning to Asgard, Thor discovers his mischievous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) disguised as the All-Father, after banishing the rightful ruler to Earth. Upon locating him, Odin passes into the afterlife and in doing so, releases his imprisoned daughter Hela (Kate Blanchett). Exiling Thor and Loki to the trash planet Sakaar, the brothers must overcome their issues to save themselves, their people, and their realm from their hellbent sister.

    Thor: Ragnarok is easily one of the best MCU films to date. Joining the franchise, Taika Watiti takes on the directorial role, fresh from his acclaimed Hunt For the Wilderpeople. Adding in his wacky sense of humor and bold decisions, Waititi elevates the Thor franchise from forgettable to unforgettable. While moving away from the serious mythological lore of its predecessors, he allows the character of Thor to develop a larger personality and connect with the audience, outside of just his looks. After back-to-back films suffering from lackluster stories, Ragnarok successfully gives Thor the blockbuster he deserved.

    Previously, the Asgardians had mostly been a battle-happy group, with little personality outside of that. Taking the place of the one-note warriors, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taikai Waititi), and Miek (Stephen Murdoch) join Thor in his battle against Hela. While the latter two become an excellent comedic duo, Valkyrie adds a kick-ass fighter to Thor's team. Thompson plays an emotionally flawed, but redeemable soldier as her performance balances the comical and emotional traits. Tackling one of its predecessor's most glaring issues, Ragnarok's exciting characters create a much more fulfilling experience.

    Though it strayed far from previous adaptations, Thor: Ragnarok takes the character and his mythos on an incredible journey. Mostly attributed to Taika Waititi's bold choices, the film focuses on the heart and relationship of the Asgardians, while creatively accentuating their comedic characteristics. More than 15 films into the franchise, Thor: Ragnarok brings new and exciting ideas into the MCU, creating one of the greatest installments in the entire saga.
  • justbob1982 - 6 January 2024
    Waititi's blockbuster debut
    Version I saw: UK cinema release (3D) Actors: 7/10 Plot/script: 7/10 Photography/visual style: 6/10 Music/score: 7/10 Overall: 7/10

    Taika Waititi was midway through a meteoric rise when he made this big-budget effects-laden Marvel blockbuster.

    To the already stacked cast he added fellow antipodeans Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban and himself, and brought the production to his native New Zealand for filming. Standouts include Mark Ruffalo in a surprisingly prominent role that makes this a stealth Hulk film, and Jeff Goldblum bringing his idiosyncratic acting style that turns out to be a good match for Waititi's offbeat humour.

    While keeping some aspects directly drawn from the comics, Waititi and scriptwriters Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher L. Yost picked and chose what to retain and what to dispose of from previous instalments. Among the elements lost are Thor's trademark 'ye olde' phrasing, and love interest Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), although I am inclined to ascribe this to scheduling conflicts, given her return in Love & Thunder.

    Visually it is very much a Marvel film, with crisp photography in bright colours and lots of spectacular settings and action. However, Waititi's wit and sense of silliness are also very much in evidence. Some have actually said this is a bad thing, as it undermines the tension, but I found it very enjoyable.

    Thematically, the film deals with ideas around the reassessment of history and how to cope with disaster. I think it has more depth than many give it credit for.

    I have not yet seen Love & Thunder, partly because the broad consensus is that it is poor, which is a shame for multiple reasons. I hope we get more in future from Thor and from Waititi.

    For my full review, see my independent blog on Blogspot, Cinema Inferno.