Thor: Ragnarok – The God of Hammers finally becomes The God of Thunder
Verdict of The Idiot
Idiot-o-Meter: Far Out, Man
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) lives up to my expectations, as promised!
A Lord of Thunder (pardon the pun), a God of Mischief, a Goddess of Death, their father, a dragon, fire-demons, a cute stone-man, zombies, a giant wolf, a Hulk, an Elder of the Universe, a Valkyrie and the Sorcerer Supreme – Thor: Ragnarok maybe without a serious plot, but it is rightly one of the best Marvel movies to date.
Let’s be honest: out of all the MCU movies so far, Thor Odinson’s first two outings were the weakest (not counting 2003’s Daredevil). Thor could never hope to go toe-to-toe with MCU’s other stand-alone movies like Iron Man and Captain America. Even Ant-Man (2015), a film which Marvel had little hopes for, fared better than Thor (2011) & Thor: The Dark World (2013). But, Taika Waititi has changed all that with Thor: Ragnarok. Third time is indeed the charm.
Marvel’s most unorthodox hire to date, director Taika Waititi (Hunt For The Wilderpeople) stripped the character of the Odinson and gave him a fresh look, something the character desperately needed. Waititi changed almost everything about Thor – the hair, the hammer, the dumb-blonde routine, the eyes – all of it. He did it to the point where we are left wondering if Thor was always this funny or if Marvel finally realised that Chris Hemsworth had comedy chops.
Thor: Ragnarok is more about Comedy than Action/Drama
The plot isn’t that complicated or even worth mentioning. Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death breaks free from her prison and brings about the prophecy of Ragnarok: the destruction of Asgard and all life on it. The breadth of her power is formidable as she unleashes hell on Asgard and effortlessly manages to smash Mjölnir to smithereens. Thor looks way too easy for Hela and is promptly beaten and banished from his home and ends up in Sakaar, the planet of gladiatorial conflicts. Now he must race against time and find his way back to Asgard to stop Hela from annihilating his home. But first Thor has to fight his way through the gladiatorial arena of the Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe, who has a surprise waiting for him in the form of an old ally – the Hulk!
Comedy is what this movie is about, and Waititi keeps reminding us this little fact throughout its 130-minute runtime. Thor: Ragnarok is less about action or drama and more about comedy and Waititi is more than happy to dismiss or ignore anything that gets in the way of the big, bold, colourful LSD-fuelled picture he envisioned. The movie even makes fun of earlier MCU entries and constantly skewers Marvel’s own tropes, like when the Hulk bashes Thor like he did Loki at the end of Avengers.
Ass puns, vampire gags, wank jokes, in-jokes, pratfalls, snarky asides and general buffoonery – the movie is filled with comedy and the actors masterfully execute them to the level of perfection.
The Brilliance of Taika Waititi Makes Thor: Ragnarok Stand Out
The feather-light treatment of the script gave Waititi the chance to play with the characters as he saw fit. From a drunk Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to a very Goldblum-esque Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), the movie refuses to take itself seriously even though the stakes are high (Ragnarok literally translates to ‘the twilight of the gods’). Though Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) are missing from this film, their disappearance does not make much of a difference here.
Tom Hiddleston as the God of Mischief, Loki, is handsome as ever, beguiling the audience with his slick and witty lines. But, the best part was seeing the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and how he deals with his current predicament. Ruffalo brilliantly showcased the bipolar nature of Dr. Banner and his alter-ego like R.L. Stevenson did with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hiddleston, Thompson and Goldblum were terrific, but, the Hulk simply was better.
Even Allfather, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has a few funny lines at the start of the film which also showcased cameos from Hollywood celebrities like Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Luke Hemsworth playing Loki, Odin & Thor in an Asgardian play. Doctor Strange’s cameo was also top-notch, and it played beautifully with what Waititi hoped to achieve with this technicolour flick. And, of course, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee makes an appearance too, playing a barber who chops off blondie’s blonde locks.
But, the highlight of the movie, undoubtedly, is Korg, played by the director Waititi himself. The rock-hewn gladiator steals the show with his soft-spoken commentary and his indomitable cuteness. Anytime Korg is on screen, you know something insanely funny is about to happen. The selling point of Korg is his voice, the low soft-spoken tone that Waititi manages to come up. Look out Minions, you have stiff competition in the ‘cuteness-overload’ department!
The Villain Problem Plaguing MCU Is Prevalent In Thor: Ragnarok Too
There is something to be said about Hela (Cate Blanchett), the baddie in this edition of Thor, though. As with Marvel movies, the villains are in the story just to provide a plot for the heroes to overcome. While Blanchett’s portrayal was superb, she hardly had any real value in the movie except to bring about Ragnarok. Even Skurge (Karl Urban) had better motivations and layers to his character, though his role could have been better handled.
The soundtrack of the movie was just as good as the movie itself. Waititi made sure Marvel pulled all the stops to ensure Led Zeppelin gave permission to use their all-time classic Immigrant Song in the film. Led Zeppelin has always been very particular about licensing their songs and their asking fee for licensing just one of its songs is within the seven-figure ballpark. It took the film’s music supervisor the entire length of the production to get the go-ahead from the band. But, it was worth it.
Thor, in his previous movies, was the epitome of nobility and strength; all brawn and no brains. While he had his moments every now and then, he was never taken as seriously as Iron Man or Captain America. In Ragnarok, all that changed; suddenly Thor is one of the funniest characters in the MCU. I’m pretty sure there will be a Nick Fury joke on Thor in Avengers: Infinity War (Thor loses an eye).
Like Jon Favreau did in Iron Man, Waititi also gave his actors the freedom to improvise their lines and reboot their characters in a lighthearted way. The movie is unconventional, to say the least; it is the boldest and the most unMarvel film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t look too closely or too seriously, sit back and enjoy this madhouse pop art-influenced mix, one of the funniest films this year.
This isn’t a movie. This is an entertainer.
Verdict of The Idiot
Idiot-o-Meter: Far Out, Man
The Idiot’s Rating System:
4.0 – 5.0: The Dude Abides!
3.0 – 4.0: Far Out, Man!
2.0 – 3.0: Take It Easy, Dude!
1.0 – 2.0: You’re Out Of Your Element!
0.0 – 1.0: The Goddamn Plane Has Crashed Into The Mountain!
The Idiot's Corner 
5
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5
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4.5
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