Thor: Ragnarok is an absolutely gorgeous and brilliant film from top to bottom. The characters are meaningful, Thor is interesting again and the world he resides in feels alive and huge. This is a perfect film that will bridge perfectly to Infinity War. As it stands on its own, it’s a nearly perfect Marvel Studios film that is anything but a blueprint. So, shut up Internet people.
The Internet people, not all of them, cry about Marvel movies following a blueprint. Now, what’s hilarious with this argument is that comic books in general follow storyline and character arc blueprints all the time. Blueprints are good ways to replicate success and, if this is the case with Marvel Studios, they’ve got a nice set of blueprints.
That said, Thor: Ragnarok is not a blueprint.
It’s a unique masterpiece of its own. It’s a movie that balances out fun, story, characters and comedy. It has some drama, but it’s mostly a face-paced comedy that takes all the serious elements of Ragnarok from the comic and makes its own way to a more entertaining adventure that features some of the best from existing characters and introduces new personalities that hopefully reoccur in future Marvel films.
Having said that, you shouldn’t expect any less from director Taika Waititi, who has made his way through the film business with a sly smile, witty writing and a gift for getting the best balance from acting and story. The man knows how to direct and he does one of the best jobs with this generally Shakespearean-ridden Thor universe.
Let’s get right into it.
Official Synopsis
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer 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 an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela (Cate Blanchett). But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – and grapple with his silver-tongued adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the fierce warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and the eccentric Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).
The first act of Thor: Ragnarok starts with our hero chained up in a giant fiery demon’s lair, where Thor believes he needs to be in order to stop a cataclysmic event called Ragnarok, which will be the end of all Asgard. After a brief conversation with the demon, whom Thor dispatches quickly, Thor is convinced that he has stopped the destruction of his home world with the demon’s death, so he returns to Asgard victoriously…only to find more questions waiting for him. After discovering that his evil brother has been masquerading as their father, Odin, Thor and Loki go on a short adventure to Midgard (Earth) to try and locate their Odin, which they do with the help of Doctor Strange. Once located in Norway, Odin informs his sons of two things: 1) Ragnarok cannot be stopped and 2) His daughter, their sister, Hela, is heading back to rule Asgard once his death is complete and she is nearly unstoppable. The first act concludes with Hela returning shortly after Odin’s death, the boys, in the process of fighting and fleeing from her, are flung into space towards random realms, and Hela ends up arriving at and taking down Asgard.
The first act introduces a few things right out of the gate. We get an immediate feeling that this isn’t your typical Thor film with well-placed comedy leading the way and we get a solid/clear indication of what is at stake. All of this is done well and all of act one sets up acts two and three beautifully. I will say that I wanted to have a better entrance and understanding of Hela’s past, and her overall drive/purpose, but it’s not bad with what you get. It’s quick, easy and painless. I can dig that.
The second act begins with Thor hurled onto a strange planet called Sakaar, which is a junk planet run by a man called the Grandmaster, whom also runs a deadly gladiator match for a chance to leave the planet (the only way out). Thor is captured by a junker named Valkyrie, who is a ex-Valkyrie that fought the likes of Hela with Odin, and sold to the Grandmaster. Anyway, the deal on the planet is that you can’t leave without beating the grand champion. Once introduced to the clearly insane Grandmaster, who has Loki on his advising staff, Thor works his way to the grand champion fight in hopes of winning, leaving and returning to Asgard to fight Hela and take back his home. In the process of trying to win, Thor also works on convincing Valkyrie to fight with him, but has to withstand her multiple rejections. While trying to gather his team, Thor ends up fighting the grand champion, who turns out to be the Hulk, who has learned speech while away from Earth, as well as away from Bruce Banner. A fight ensues and Thor survives, though he doesn’t win. Eventually, Thor, Bruce Banner, Loki and Valkyrie, along with the help of a rock man named Korg, find their way off Sakaar and head to Asgard to stop Hela in hopes of preventing Ragnarok.
The second act is a breeze. It works, it builds up the drama and action and ends right where it needs to end in order to set up the last act. How Taika Waititi balances out drama, action, comedy, while still maintaining a strong story, is nothing short of amazing. The guy did a great job of getting the most out of story and characters in this act, which is the act where it counts the most. His pacing is brilliant and it absolutely never lets up. Anyway, act two is just as fun as act one, which means that there is nothing but well placed hope for act three.
In true Digitalchumps fashion, we won’t get into act three. Just know that it concludes well and doesn’t short change the audience with any aspect of what’s been set up so far in the film. You’re gonna love the rest of the adventure.
Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is an absolutely gorgeous and brilliant film from top to bottom. The characters are meaningful, Thor is interesting again and the world he resides in feels alive and huge. This is a perfect film that will bridge perfectly to Infinity War. As it stands on its own, it’s a nearly perfect Marvel Studios film that is anything but a blueprint. So, shut up Internet people.
(Reviewed on an Xbox One X)
On the 4K side of the tracks, Thor: Ragnarok is built for HDR. This film is delightfully colorful. From the cityscapes, to costumes and characters, even all the way up to the colorful environments that all of these things reside in, you’re going to get some gorgeous, lush colors that shine through in 4K. In addition, the contrast balance between blacks/whites is nice and adds some much needed depth to the picture. There is a lot of green screen, so some of that does show through, but the fantasy worlds built in the film still look spectacular.
In terms of features, here’s what you’re getting:
– Director’s Introduction
– Deleted/Extended Scenes
– Exclusive Short/Team Darryl
– Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years
– Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor
– Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie
– Finding Korg
– Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown
– Journey into Mystery
– 8bit Scenes
– Directors Commentary
Gosh, lots of content to enjoy here, but let’s be real. You’re here for another Darryl episode. Totally worth it. In all seriousness, this release is packed full of goodies and plenty of great insight and interviews with cast and crew. Good additions to the value of the 4K asking price.
