Thor: Ragnarok is, without a doubt, the funniest installment in the Thor series so far as it successfully captures the comedic essence of the Marvel comics that fans have come to love. Some have even gone so far to say that it is the funniest movie the Marvel franchise has ever released. Praises are given to director Taika Waititi, the genius behind the mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, for being able to deliver a movie that had the audience laughing all throughout.
In this third installment, we find Thor trapped somewhere on the other side of the universe – away from Asgard and without his hammer – as things go from bad to worse on his home planet. We are also introduced to Hela, played by the amazing Cate Blanchett, who wreaks havoc in order to gain more power.
The premise of the movie is a classic “superheroes clash against the evil force” – something that has been done again and again in these Marvel movies. Amazingly, though, Thor: Ragnarok makes it seem like a brand new experience as it combines its charmingly offbeat humor with hardcore sword wielding and (yet even more astounding) some good ol’ machine rifles.
The movie was also incredibly dynamic in a sense that it was able to bring together bits and pieces from classic and modern themes: Thor with his beer, a gun-clad Asgardian, and Bruce Banner dressed in Tony Stark’s clothes on an alien planet. In a setting that is otherworldly and sometimes almost ethereal, the presence of guns and other modern-day effects gave a striking contrast, yet it all meshed wonderfully thanks to great screenplay and comedic timing.
It also helps that Thor: Ragnarok has a stupendous cast that seemed to enjoy playing their characters and not taking themselves too seriously. Cate Blanchett’s Hela was a remorseless villain who would stop at nothing to gain more power and control over the universe. It is a character that can easily turn into a cheesy, one-dimensional figure, but Blanchett gave a stunning performance that was deliciously vivid and forceful.
We also have Chris Hemsworth who, right off the bat, shows us that we would be seeing lots of slapstick comedy from him. Completely abandoning the serious Thor that we saw in the first two installments, Hemsworth delivers an oftentimes goofy yet charmingly hilarious character capable of making you laugh with his foolish antics. Tom Hiddleston also gives an unexpectedly hilarious performance as Loki as he gets into one embarrassing situation after another because of his brother.
Thor: Ragnarok is an extremely enjoyable film that has all the classic superhero movie action scenes that people look forward to – but with a comedic flavor that the audience will remember it for.
