November 17, 2017 1 min to read

Thor Ragnarok

Funny, fast paced and well-rounded, Ragnarok is one of the stronger Marvel installments of the past few years.

by Zach Saul

Thor: Ragnarok is really, really funny. It seems as though Marvel spent some time reflecting on the failures of 2013’s Thor The Dark World and went out of the box for this edition. I have to say, it was an excellent choice. The action sequences are fun, suspenseful, and self aware and this edition does a better job navigating the insertion of a Greek god (well sort of) into a more modern landscape. The cast features faces moviegoers are very familiar with like Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki - but also incorporates fabulous performances from Cate Blanchet as Hela, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster. As a moviegoer who isn’t as enthralled by superhero movies as most; I think these marvel installments really hinge on the villains and the chemistry each builds between the protagonists and the villains. Thor delivers us a crop of villains that are probably more funny than interesting - but are no doubt enjoyable within the context of the movie.

As can be expected from today’s Marvel movies, the special effects here are gorgeous and the art direction in Thor Ragnarok is worthy of serious acknowledgment. It might have been a big budget movie - but the designers for this movie made use of every dollar as the costumes, environments and combat scenes were awesome to look at.

The Good: The Thor sequel is really funny, and it’s mass appeal, self awareness, and sensibilities are impressive. A very talented cast delivers some awesome performances - and there aren’t really dull moments of dead periods.

The Bad: As much fun as Thor: Ragnarok was I have to admit even in the context of 2017’s Marvel slate (let alone this decade’s Marvel slate) it was pretty unremarkable. At least in my eyes Marvel has really become a victim of it’s own success… and their movie formula is so tight I don’t feel surprised by anything that takes place in these movies - and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.