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nThor: Ragnarok (2017)
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nDirector: Taika Waititi
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nCast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, JeffnGoldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffallo, Anthony Hopkins, BennedictnCumberbatch
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nWithin the Marvel movies, there are the huge hits thatneveryone loves like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and The Avengers (2012) and then there are those films that people liked but don’t go bananas over, like thenThor movies. The first film was directed by Kenneth Branagh and I was reallynpumped for it because he’s known for doing Shakespeare adaptations and so I wasnlike, cool, he’s going to bring that Shakespearian quality to the Thornuniverse, which he did. That first film was all serious and tragic in true Shakespeariannfashion. It was followed by a less then spectacular sequel which really didn’tndo much for me. Which is probably why the Thor franchise has never been the onento light the Box Office on fire, well, at least not as spectacularly as thenrest of the Marvel Universe. Thor movies made money, but didn’t make as much asnthe rest. Which meant something had to be reworked, something had to be fixed, becausenpeople weren’t reacting as favorably to the Thor franchise as Disney hoped theynwould. So what’s a studio to do? Well, Disney did what they had to do, they triednsomething new for this third film to ensure its success. They made it funny. Didnit work?
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nThis time around Thor faces the takeover of Asgard by hisnevil sister Hella. Unfortunately, he accidentally ends up stranded on a distantnplanet where people are obsessed with Gladiator fights featuring The IncrediblenHulk as the star of the show. Oh, and Thor’s also without his magical Hammer Mjolnir.nCan he get back home to fix things in Asgard before his sister begins her reignnof terror? Will he ever get Mjolnir back? And can he win in a fight against thenHulk?
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nWith the success of films like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)nand Deadpool (2016), suddenly offbeat movies that didn’t take themselves sonseriously were the big money makers. And so, this new Thor movie is a thrill anminute, fast paced, joke fest. It’s lighthearted and crazy and I love it and sonhas the rest of the world; Thor Ragnarok has turned into one of the biggestnmoney makers in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. A huge part of thensuccessful formula for this enjoyable film is the guy behind the camera, TaikanWaititi. Who the hell is Taika Waititi you might ask. Well, he might not be a householdnname yet, but Waititi has been making movies for a while now. In all honesty,nhe’s a rather gifted storyteller. If you want to see what he is capable of, Inrecommend you check out a movie he made called Boy (2010), a touching and beautifulnfilm about a boy who misses his father. Waititi acts, writes and directs hisnown films, yes my friends, Waititi is a creative force to be reckoned with andnI have a feeling we’ve yet to discover what he can really do. I mean, if this is him working with a studios ideas, imagine when he does a project thats purely his. I predict good things from Waititi. You might remember himnbest for his performance in a faux Documentary What We Do in The Shadows (2014),na super funny film that follows a group of vampires who are all house mates inna flat in London. Just hilarious, highly recommend checking that film out. Afternseeing Waititi’s repertoire, you’ll understand perfectly well why Thor:nRagnarok is so hilarious. So remember, if you enjoy the funny in Ragnarok,nWaititi is the guy you have to thank.
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nWhat Waititi does with some of his films is he turns thingsnaround, he puts a tired idea in a new unexpected situation. I mean, there’s nonmore tired genre than the vampire genre and Waititi made it work. He made usnsee vampires in a way we hadn’t seen them before. I mean, did you ever thinknyou’d see vampires squabbling over who should do the dishes? “Fuck that!nVampires don’t do dishes!” Did you ever think you’d see Thor being traumatizednafter seeing Hulk naked? Well, in this movie he does, and that’s what I’m talkingnabout, he puts the characters we know and love in funny, unthought ofnsituations. Situations you’d never imagine seeing them in. Situations that mostnmovies would avoid. Not only is the film funny, but it shatters the foundationsnof the Thor universe to their very core. Thor goes through a life changingnjourney, more so than any previous films. Ragnarok shakes things up good.nNothing is sacred. All while spewing one liners. You wont feel danger or peril,nbut you’ll have one hell of a good time. You’ll bust a gut with the banternbetween Thor and The Hulk.
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nSpeaking of the films look, well, it’s very bright andncolorful. It’s very much in tune with the look and feel of two very importantncomic book artists who helped shape the character of Thor in the 60’s. I speaknof Jacky Kirby and Walter Simonson.nKirby and Simonson did some of the more seminal runs on Thor, they helped shapenand define what Thor eventually became, the way he would look. Waititi and crewnpaid homage to these classic artists by giving the film a very classic looknwith regards to set designs and the wardrobe of some of the characters. Thornhimself has a more contemporary feel, getting away from the long hair, thencapes and the hammer, making him less of a Viking. So the film is a bit of thenold and the new. Speaking of the old andnthe retro, If you love the 80’s then you’ll love the soundtrack which is puren80’s synth stuff. It has a John Carpenter/Stranger Things vibe going for it. Thor:nRagnarok is a film that is showing us just how important it is to put the rightnperson behind the camera, because without Waititi, this would be a veryndifferent film. This film shows movie studios can realize when something didnt work and that they shouldn’t be afraid to go in an entirely differentndirection to try something new and freshen things up. Who knows, it just might work. This is a lessonnthe DC Universe could learn from.
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nRating: 4 out of 5
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