I'm trying my hardest not to not veer off into inane fangirl keyboard smashing here but seriously I LOVED THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. As someone who's been anticipating Ragnarok for over 2 years (ever since Taika Waititi was picked as the director and Cate Blanchett was rumoured to be in talks), I was in a position where I very easily could have been left feeling seriously underwhelmed. Because how could anything ever live up to the insanely high expectations I placed on this film? But no, Ragnarok is everything that I expected from such a talented and brilliantly unique film maker as Waititi, and
more.
Okay, let's start with the humour, because that's what so many reviews so far have been entirely focused on. Is there a lot of humour? Yes, there is. There is humour throughout the film, and it comes from all the characters not just a few. But please trust me when I say that this is humour which is unlike anything you've ever seen in the MCU. It's not quip based like the humour in Whedon's Avengers movies and it's not Gunn's GotG style humour either. This is Taika Waititi humour through and through, it's an entirely natural, absurdist style of humour. And it 100% works. Ragnarok is genuinely the funniest superhero movie I've ever seen, there was one woman in my theatre that laughed so hard that I thought she was going to give herself a hernia, lol.
Despite the humour, there are genuine moments of drama and pathos throughout, often in unexpected places which in my opinion makes those moments even
more effecting because you're not expecting them. Waititi has proven yet again that he is an absolute master of mixing comedy and drama together in a way that looks and feels completely effortless.
Next I'll mention the characters in a non specific way as to not include any spoilers. I'm serious when I say that there isn't a character in this movie that I didn't like. Not one. Every single one of them are played to perfection and are given their own little moments to shine. The MCU has finally produced a Thor movie where
Thor is the star of the show. Hemsworth is just brilliant, and trust me, everyone is going to love Thor as much as Iron Man and Cap, if not more, after this movie, no doubt. Hiddleston is in top form as Loki who is as deliciously
Loki as he's ever been, Tessa Thompson is an absolute joy as Valkyrie and I can't wait to see her again in the MCU. Hulk has an actual personality (!) and Ruffalo is awesome as both the big green guy and Banner who is just adorable and I love him. The Grandmaster is the most Jeff Goldblum-y character ever commited to celluloid, if that isn't entertainment then what is? And then we come to my Queen. Cate Blanchett is deliciously sardonic and evil as Hela, she struts and she preens everywhere and she's funny too which I wasn't expecting and was a joy to behold. She's basically over everyone and everything and let's them know it constantly. You can't help but like her though, because she kinda has an actual point and you feel shreds of sympathy for her. Even more minor characters like Skurge, Heimdall, Korg and Topaz are given moments to shine. Urban's cockney-esque Skurge has an interesting arc and really fun interactions with Hela, they bounce off each other very well. Korg has officially overtaken Groot for me as the most adorable character in the MCU. I love him guys, I can't even describe how much. He tried to start a revolution but he didn't print enough pamphlets and no one came.
Hmm, what else? There are some really nice easter eggs in this movie for MCU and Marvel Comics fans alike. Stan Lee's cameo is brilliant, one of the best so far.
The action is great, there are some really original fight scenes throughout. And I must say, it's so great to see not one but two absolutely kickass female characters with unique and different fighting styles in one film destroying anyone and everything in their path. The visual effects are also top notch. There is some real spectacle here, in scenes on both Asgard and Sakaar. Don't go in thinking it's going to look like GotG because it actually doesn't, there are some basic similarities but this is pure Jack Kirby visually. It's like someone took a Kirby comic and translated it to screen, just beautiful. And the score too is a triumph, part traditional sweeping grand orchestral and choral elements representing Asgard and part retro 80's style synth representing Sakaar, and they both culminate into one totally unique whole in the final act.
If I had to give two minor quibbles it was that I don't think Hela was in the film enough, and the balance between what was happening in Asgard and what was happening in Sakaar was slightly off. I know I'm biased when it comes to Hela, but I truly felt that spending a little more time focusing on her would have benefitted the film, not just because Blanchett is brilliant but because she disappears from the movie for a large chunk of time at one stage which was slightly disappointing for me. And I do feel that maybe slightly too much focus was put on the Sakaar portion of the film considering this movie is called Thor:
Ragnarok and it's main plot is about the destruction of Asgard. It felt like it was about 60% Sakaar and 40% Asgard when I can't help but feel it should have probably been the other way around. But don't misunderstand me, those two quibbles did not hamper my overall enjoyment of the film whatsoever.
So, overall? If you're even slightly interested in this film, for the love of Odin, GO SEE IT. It's the most thoroughly entertaining movie I've seen in what feels like forever. And the audience in my theatre clearly agreed, everyone was laughing, clapping and having a grand old time during the whole thing.
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