Someone recently said Superhero films were the Millenium's version of the Western and that may be accurate. Westerns were around for a very, very long time and changed cinema history and there are some really good ones and some really terrible ones. No matter what you have to give insane kudos to Disney and Marvel for creating the largest cinematic Universe ever spanning Television and film and knocking it out of the park every...single....time. What was their mis-step out of 20+ films? The Incredible Hulk? Maybe. They've recouped that a hundred times over. I haven't always been super impressed with everything they've done and I do think certain aspects of the franchise is showing wear. The first Thor I actually thought was one of their least impressive films but the second one I thought was absolutely incredible. Thor Ragnorak falls somewhere in the middle for me. However, that's on sheer entertainment because as I read some things on this film I realized the sheer dept and fan service they pay to true comic fans. I was always a DC Comics kid so I miss a lot of the Easter eggs but Marvel fans must be over the moon. The film also is much more comedic than others in the Universe, above and beyond what would normally be there and honestly (especially in the beginning) it felt a little forced. The CGI is decent and the characters are a ton of fun. I honestly think Ragnarok was built for the die hard Thor and Hulk fans and they probably love it.
Chris Hemsworth returns to the role as the God of Thunder. Hemsworth is one of the Marvel castings that was done with complete perfection. God help anyone ever having to play this role after him. In Ragnarok I found he wasn't quite as "strong" as he was in other films but then that also makes sense too given the storyline. He still commands the film perfectly and best of all his ego doesn't get in the way of the other characters. He shares the spotlight perfectly. Mark Ruffalo also appears as Bruce Banner and The Hulk. I personally think they made The Hulk look more like him. I'm not a Ruffalo fan and I never thought he was particularly well cast but he does well in this. He's basically always the same as Banner. He and Hemsworth have good chemistry. Tessa Thompson joins the team and apparently it's a huge deal for fans as she plays Valkyrie. She is a great character and perfect in her role. I loved the setup for her friendship with Hulk. I could see her carrying her own film. Tom Hiddleston also returns with perfection as Loki. He and Hemsworth have always had incredible chemistry and it's great seeing him back. He's one of the best anti-heroes/sometimes villains in movies. And you can't hav a great hero with a villian or in this case a villainess as Cate Blanchett takes that role. She is one of my least favorite actrors (I know...blasphemy) but she is good in this part. She is perfect given the story. Also to be honest, I knew she looked familiar but I couldn't place her at all until I read here. As with many Marvel films but especially Ragnarok the supporting cast is amazing. Jeff Goldblum, Idris Elba, Karl Urban (fantastic role), Anthony Hopkins, Taika Waititi (who is also the director and he gives an amazing voice role in a hilarious and fun turn as 'Korg' who was easily my favorite character in the movie.
Taika Waititi is not a well known director and yet he handles this big budget Marvel spectacle expertly. I can't imagine what it must be like handling these characters and the special effects and the lore and the story and do so quite well. The space travel alone is incredible and the battle scenes as well and the amount of choreography and people involved. So really my review is this ... for me who is not a huge Marvel fan but respect the heck out of this massive Universe and the popcorn type fun it provides, it was okay on the scale of what they've offered. But for those of you who adore Marvel and have been fans all your lives, I think you'll be blown away by this and the Easter eggs are plentiful. This definitely shows that the universe is not in danger of slowing down anytime soon.
7/10
