The SPOILER FREE SHH Member's Thor: Ragnarok Review Thread

[honestbharani]

Snyder's characters seem powerful as hell to me.

We will agree to disagree then..

 

[HammerDown]

The things is also when you are building a cinematic universe you gotta take into account what's the end goal and how far should you really push it in every step of the way. Marvel was clearly on the long run and they couldn't really go "balls to the wall" power wise in the first movies or else it gets to a point where there is no threat and several team members would become even more useless... In the end i feel that with Marvel is all about that team effort and having everyone contributing a bit.

At this stage the heroes are getting much more incredible feats. They are becoming more powerful because the threat is basically the ultimate threat. Thor for example has been perfectly portrayed in terms of power level in Thor Ragnarok. He is a different beast all together when he goes Beast Mode.

 

[Mjölnir]

Should just have the romance end. Not one fan of the MCU like the romance with Bruce and Natasha.

You'd do betters sticking to stating your own opinions instead of talking for others, especially everyone else.

 

[baerrtt]

Hilarious AND epic. Mix 1980's Flash Gordon with Big Trouble In Little China and you get what I personally feel is 2017's most purely entertaining blockbuster.

 

[HammerDown]

Hilarious AND epic. Mix 1980's Flash Gordon with Big Trouble In Little China and you get what I personally feel is 2017's most purely entertaining blockbuster.

Cool that you had a blast watching it. It's truly a fantastic movie in many aspects.

 

[First Avenger]

Saw it again,this movie is a freaking triumph.

I know people think the first two movies are Marvel Studios' black sheep,but I think Thor's growth and character development get way overlooked. Each movie gives us something new about the character,even in The Dark World he gets a pretty clear arc. The character in Ragnarok is the result of everything that happened to him: he'd rather be a good man than a great king,he wants to be a hero,a protector,and this makes for a more confident and relaxed Thor, similar to how he was presented in the first movie,thanks also to the time he spent with the Avengers. But in order to be a hero he must also accept the responsibility that comes from being a Prince on the verge of becoming a King,coming full circle with the destiny the first movie alreadty set up. I felt it's a really well done character arc for Thor.

 

[Pond]

I think the first Thor movie is more than fine, very good movie indeed. No black sheep for me.

Second one is a mess, but its got some very good things in it.

 

[Surfer]

Saw it again,this movie is a freaking triumph.

I know people think the first two movies are Marvel Studios' black sheep,but I think Thor's growth and character development get way overlooked. Each movie gives us something new about the character,even in The Dark World he gets a pretty clear arc. The character in Ragnarok is the result of everything that happened to him: he'd rather be a good man than a great king,he wants to be a hero,a protector,and this makes for a more confident and relaxed Thor, similar to how he was presented in the first movie,thanks also to the time he spent with the Avengers. But in order to be a hero he must also accept the responsibility that comes from being a Prince on the verge of becoming a King,coming full circle with the destiny the first movie alreadty set up. I felt it's a really well done character arc for Thor.

I am glad to hear that Thor's journey or Arc was larger then just what was contained within this movie. However, I am wondering do you think if you were watching the Thor movies in order, that the style of this movie would feel out of place, since Thor the Dark World was considerably Darker then the first movie and now Ragnarok is just a much more light hearted and fun film? I have not seen the movie myself, and I am glad to hear that Thor's arc gives some Cohesion to the films. However, once again just wondering if you were watching them as a trilogy would the style of this film feel out of place with the previous two?

I guess to partially answer my own question though, I know that the sequels to these movies at least have buffers between them in the form of interconnected movies such as Age of Ultron, making it so when you watch the Dark World, Thor's arc does not skip straight to Ragnarok, but has the benefit of a team up movie between them to possibly make the style change not quite as noticeable. Still though, wondering what other people think. I mean sure you might have loved the film, but does it seem out of place with the trilogy? Just wondering.

Thanks!

Surfer

 

[First Avenger]

I am glad to hear that Thor's journey or Arc was larger then just what was contained within this movie. However, I am wondering do you think if you were watching the Thor movies in order, that the style of this movie would feel out of place, since Thor the Dark World was considerably Darker then the first movie and now Ragnarok is just a much more light hearted and fun film? I have not seen the movie myself, and I am glad to hear that Thor's arc gives some Cohesion to the films. However, once again just wondering if you were watching them as a trilogy would the style of this film feel out of place with the previous two?

I guess to partially answer my own question though, I know that the sequels to these movies at least have buffers between them in the form of interconnected movies such as Age of Ultron, making it so when you watch the Dark World, Thor's arc does not skip straight to Ragnarok, but has the benefit of a team up movie between them to possibly make the style change not quite as noticeable. Still though, wondering what other people think. I mean sure you might have loved the film, but does it seem out of place with the trilogy? Just wondering.

Thanks!

Surfer

He's basically the same character with a more pronounced sense of humor,he just acts more like a human,especially with Hulk/Banner, which is part of his change through the movies. Of course his arc is more complete if you count A1/AoU,especially the latter.The movie informs the audience of its different tone within the first seconds and it totally works imo.

 

[Surfer]

He's basically the same character with a more pronounced sense of humor,he just acts more like a human,especially with Hulk/Banner, which is part of his change through the movies. Of course his arc is more complete if you count A1/AoU,especially the latter.The movie informs the audience of its different tone within the first seconds and it totally works imo.

Okay that sounds good. I appreciate your response.

Surfer

 

[First Avenger]

Okay that sounds good. I appreciate your response.

Surfer

You're welcome! The movie really is a surprise in the best way possible. Just throw any preconceived idea out of the window because it's a beast of its own.

 

[HammerDown]

Thor is basically the same character like people have said previously. He is just more loose and funny. Taika took what was really great like his comedic timing... and improved on that making Thor even more relatable, charismatic and lovable. In his core the fundamentals of who Thor really is and how he feels and approaches certain situations are still the same.

He has really grown as a character. There are a ton of great serious scenes in this movie featuring Thor. Where you see him angry, annoyed, sad, troubled, introspective... Taika did an astonishing job with the character and like Taika had said previously he did what he was set out to do, to make Thor the coolest character in his own franchise...

 

[Surfer]

You're welcome! The movie really is a surprise in the best way possible.

Well with everything I have been hearing I am definitely very excited to see it, but when I started thinking about the other Thor films being so different, I was just wondering if it would seemed out of place by comparison. However, you were able to put my mind at ease on the subject, as it sounds like you felt the large style change flowed well with the character progression, and that in the end it did not feel out of place. Sorry hope I didn't just put words in your mouth, but that was essentially what I got out of your comment.

So, thanks again! Now I just need to wait until November 3rd.

Surfer

 

[Surfer]

Thor is basically the same character like people have said previously. He is just more loose and funny. Taika took what was really great like his comedic timing... and improved on that making Thor even more relatable, charismatic and lovable. In his core the fundamentals of who Thor really is and how he feels and approaches certain situations are still the same.

He has really grown as a character. There are a ton of great serious scenes in this movie featuring Thor. Where you see him angry, annoyed, sad, troubled, introspective... Taika did an astonishing job with the character and like Taika had said previously he did what he was set out to do, to make Thor the coolest character in his own franchise...

That sounds fantastic. Can't wait!

Surfer

 

[hitmanyr2k]

Hilarious AND epic. Mix 1980's Flash Gordon with Big Trouble In Little China and you get what I personally feel is 2017's most purely entertaining blockbuster.

That's what I wanted to hear

 

[Mjölnir]

I guess it's time to write down some general thoughts about this film.

I really loved Ragnarok. How it was so much a Taika Waititi film with fresh and original ideas and tone, at the same time as being one of the superhero movies that draws the most from the comics in terms of ideas, visuals and detail. It's a great achievement to succeed with both at the same time.

In a Waititi film the characters are at the forefront and there's no difference here. He also said from the start that if the film is called Thor then Thor has to be the best character and he truly delivered on that. Here Thor is a very compelling protagonist that stands in the center of both the plot and the relationships, and I'm fully behind him even when he's up against a villain I love (and I have a tendency to root for villains now and then). He's heroic and more powerful than we've ever seen him before.

With the supporting cast we have a lot of standouts. Loki continues his arc with Thor which was very compelling to me, Hulk has gotten a completely new dimension to him, Valkyrie is a great badass addition and Korg is a real scene stealer (and I'm oddly fond of the silent Miek). I also really enjoy Heimdall's role in this.

When it comes to the antagonists Hela is played fantastically well by Cate Blanchett, just as expected. She's always a commanding presence and does everything from the vampy queen aspect to the badass, stone cold killer perfectly. The Grandmaster goes deliciously full Goldblum and just adds a great and quirky touch to finish off the tone of the planet that he rules. As for Skurge, he has a small but very satisfying arc.

Then there's the visuals. Asgard looks the best it's ever done with it's old fantasy feel, mixed with some cosmic sci-fi aspects. But as that's mainly building on what we've seen it's of course Sakaar that's the standout location in this regard. It's a wonderful and colorful place with so much that just screams Jack Kirby, and it's a great concept to build a world out of trash. Muspelheim has an interesting take with being a dyson sphere, but it's not really something that stands out as much as the other places.

The action is just fantastic and it's probably my favorite representation of top tier power action in superhero films. Again Thor is the main star and he has some incredible sequences both with and without Mjolnir, and it's done differently depending on which. But while Thor is the center everyone get to participate with cool things, and unsurprisingly Hulk and Valkyrie are the other two standouts among the protagonists, while Hela is great on the other side.

Regarding the tone it's often very comedic, and I love Taika's humor, but I also think that when it's really needed things get to be serious and even dark. Overall I think the balance works very well, with some snags on the way. The pacing of the film is very brisk, which often works but in the first act there are parts where it doesn't flow perfectly and some things are perhaps going by a little too quickly to get on to the story. I don't have any big issues here but there are some.

Adding to the tone is a great score that I really liked when listening to it before seeing the film, but I think it works even better in the film. The mix of a classic orchestral score and attitude of the 80s synth music works very well to set the tone of the places and scenes and strongly differentiate them from each other. The callback to the score of the first Thor was such a wonderful choice that really elevated a powerful moment.

Another thing that really made me happy were all the Easter eggs, cameos and general pulls from the comics. The film is full of them without it ever feeling forced or unnatural (although Stan Lee cameos almost always become a pretty meta moment). I'm sure there's lots of things I missed on my first viewing as well.

I'm sorry if this was rambling and not formulated in the best way, but I just wrote this on the fly as the thoughts came to me and I haven't reread what I've put down. As I said in the beginning I love this film and it's definitely in the top tier of MCU films on my list.

 

[First Avenger]

Well with everything I have been hearing I am definitely very excited to see it, but when I started thinking about the other Thor films being so different, I was just wondering if it would seemed out of place by comparison. However, you were able to put my mind at ease on the subject, as it sounds like you felt the large style change flowed well with the character progression, and that in the end it did not feel out of place. Sorry hope I didn't just put words in your mouth, but that was essentially what I got out of your comment.

So, thanks again! Now I just need to wait until November 3rd.

Surfer

At the end of TDW Thor tells fake Odin he'd rather be a good man than a great king. This movie totally follows that choice.

 

[Surfer]

At the end of TDW Thor tells fake Odin he'd rather be a good man than a great king. This movie totally follows that choice.

Great to hear.

Surfer

 

[Surfer]

I guess it's time to write down some general thoughts about this film.

I really loved Ragnarok. How it was so much a Taika Waititi film with fresh and original ideas and tone, at the same time as being one of the superhero movies that draws the most from the comics in terms of ideas, visuals and detail. It's a great achievement to succeed with both at the same time.

In a Waititi film the characters are at the forefront and there's no difference here. He also said from the start that if the film is called Thor then Thor has to be the best character and he truly delivered on that. Here Thor is a very compelling protagonist that stands in the center of both the plot and the relationships, and I'm fully behind him even when he's up against a villain I love (and I have a tendency to root for villains now and then). He's heroic and more powerful than we've ever seen him before.

With the supporting cast we have a lot of standouts. Loki continues his arc with Thor which was very compelling to me, Hulk has gotten a completely new dimension to him, Valkyrie is a great badass addition and Korg is a real scene stealer (and I'm oddly fond of the silent Miek). I also really enjoy Heimdall's role in this.

When it comes to the antagonists Hela is played fantastically well by Cate Blanchett, just as expected. She's always a commanding presence and does everything from the vampy queen aspect to the badass, stone cold killer perfectly. The Grandmaster goes deliciously full Goldblum and just adds a great and quirky touch to finish off the tone of the planet that he rules. As for Skurge, he has a small but very satisfying arc.

Then there's the visuals. Asgard looks the best it's ever done with it's old fantasy feel, mixed with some cosmic sci-fi aspects. But as that's mainly building on what we've seen it's of course Sakaar that's the standout location in this regard. It's a wonderful and colorful place with so much that just screams Jack Kirby, and it's a great concept to build a world out of trash. Muspelheim has an interesting take with being a dyson sphere, but it's not really something that stands out as much as the other places.

The action is just fantastic and it's probably my favorite representation of top tier power action in superhero films. Again Thor is the main star and he has some incredible sequences both with and without Mjolnir, and it's done differently depending on which. But while Thor is the center everyone get to participate with cool things, and unsurprisingly Hulk and Valkyrie are the other two standouts among the protagonists, while Hela is great on the other side.

Regarding the tone it's at times very comedic, and I love Taika's humor, but I also think that when it's really needed things get to be serious and even dark. Overall I think the balance works very well, with some snags on the way. The pacing of the film is very brisk, which often works but in the first act there are parts where it doesn't flow perfectly and some things are perhaps going by a little too quickly to get on to the story. I don't have any big issues here but there are some.

Adding to the tone is a great score that I really liked when listening to it before seeing the film, but I think it works even better in the film. The mix of a classic orchestral score and attitude of the 80s synth music works very well to set the tone of the places and scenes and strongly differentiate them from each other. The callback to the score of the first Thor was such a wonderful choice that really elevated a powerful moment.

Another thing that really made me happy were all the Easter eggs, cameos and general pulls from the comics. The film is full of them without it ever feeling forced or unnatural (although Stan Lee cameos almost always become a pretty meta moment). I'm sure there's lots of things I missed on my first viewing as well.

I'm sorry if this was rambling and not formulated in the best way, but I just wrote this on the fly as the thoughts came to me and I haven't reread what I've put down. As I said in the beginning I love this film and it's definitely in the top tier of MCU films on my list.

Sounds great Mjolnir! Thanks for sharing your non-spoiler review.

Surfer

 

[Timebomb]

I think the first Thor movie is more than fine, very good movie indeed. No black sheep for me.

Second one is a mess, but its got some very good things in it.

Agreed. I thoroughly enjoy the first Thor and for whatever faults TDW has (there is a lot) it still has the scene with Loki on the throne at the end and that scene always puts a smile on my face.

 

[Moridin]

I am glad to hear that Thor's journey or Arc was larger then just what was contained within this movie. However, I am wondering do you think if you were watching the Thor movies in order, that the style of this movie would feel out of place, since Thor the Dark World was considerably Darker then the first movie and now Ragnarok is just a much more light hearted and fun film? I have not seen the movie myself, and I am glad to hear that Thor's arc gives some Cohesion to the films. However, once again just wondering if you were watching them as a trilogy would the style of this film feel out of place with the previous two?

I guess to partially answer my own question though, I know that the sequels to these movies at least have buffers between them in the form of interconnected movies such as Age of Ultron, making it so when you watch the Dark World, Thor's arc does not skip straight to Ragnarok, but has the benefit of a team up movie between them to possibly make the style change not quite as noticeable. Still though, wondering what other people think. I mean sure you might have loved the film, but does it seem out of place with the trilogy? Just wondering.

Thanks!

Surfer

I don't think it's that much more tonally light hearted really, it's just different, it embraces the weird cosmic stuff way more than the last two.

I think the humour aspect has been way overblown by people. I went in expecting something way funnier then what I got. There's a good balance of everything, it's funny, it's adventurous, but it gives quieter dramatic moments time to breathe (much like people who have seen Wilderpeople, Boy & Eagle vs Shark were expecting).

Thor himself is a bit wittier and colloquial, more experienced, wiser and relaxed. Still at times goofy, still at times serious. He's very clearly the same character from the previous films but I think his personality is better defined and he's been made more of a badass when he needs to be. In that it's much like the Winter Soldier comparison where Steve Rogers personality became better defined and he got a major upgrade in the "he's a badass" department.

The biggest thing I think is it feels a Waititi film. Like IM3 feels like a Black film.

This is also the most Jeff Goldblum role that Jeff could possibly Goldblum. I hope to see more of him.

 

[Mjölnir]

I think Ragnarok has periods where it delves deeply into the comedic aspect but it definitely has the moments that are serious, heartfelt and/or dark. All three Thor films have different tones but while TDW is the one that tries to be the least light and the most serious it's Ragnarok that succeeds the best in that area, while also being by far the most fun.

This is also the most Jeff Goldblum role that Jeff could possibly Goldblum.

I highly approve of this sentence.

 

[BigThor]

I've felt that people were over blowing the comedy aspect too much since the first reactions came out.

You can actually go find old posts from a month ago where I've stated that.

 

[Marvelocity]

Agreed. I thoroughly enjoy the first Thor and for whatever faults TDW has (there is a lot) it still has the scene with Loki on the throne at the end and that scene always puts a smile on my face.

Sounds like you and I are on the same page. I would love to hear your thoughts on Ragnarok after you've seen it.

 

[Timebomb]

Sounds like you and I are on the same page. I would love to hear your thoughts on Ragnarok after you've seen it.

I will definitely post my thoughts here. Unfortunately I have a week to go. This is going to be a long week.