“Thor: Ragnarok” was released at the beginning of November, wrapping up the last trilogy of Marvel’s big three (Iron Man, Captain America and Thor) and making the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) the first franchise to break $5 billion at the American box office. “Thor: Ragnarok” was an excellent movie to break this barrier with. For those who want to see it (and I recommend that you do), it’s fun, colorful and comedic. If you’re still on the fence about whether to see it or not, be warned I’ll be delving into minor spoilers below.
“Thor: Ragnarok” sees the titular hero (played by Chris Hemsworth, “In The Heart of the Sea,” “Ghostbusters”) trying to prevent the downfall of his planet from the evil Hela (Cate Blanchett, “The Aviator,” “Elizabeth”) after the death of his father and destruction of his trusty hammer. Unfortunately, he is imprisoned on a gladiatorial planet and must escape with the help of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, “Kong: Skull Island,” “The Avengers”), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, “Spotlight,” “Zodiac”) and new friend Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson, “Creed,” “Selma.”)
It doesn’t feel like an “Avengers” movie at all. It’s fast-paced, colorful and doesn’t take itself too seriously. In this way (as well as it’s spacey setting) it has much more of a “Guardians of the Galaxy” vibe than any of the other “Avengers” movies. This could be a good thing if you’re into that like I am, but I have also heard some people say that they weren’t happy with the amount of comedy in the film. To them, I say relax. This is a movie about a Norse god and a giant green man fighting in space. It’s absolutely ridiculous subject matter and shouldn’t be afraid to be self-aware.
Cate Blanchett’s character is pretty awesome and definitely one of the best parts of the movie. She’s a strong female villain with clear motives and cool evil powers that make for some really cool-looking scenes. I think that makes her the strongest of the MCU villains thus far.
Overall, “Thor: Ragnarok” feels like an excellent segue into “Infinity War,” (Avengers movie scheduled for 2018) which is what we are all waiting for. Make sure to stay during the credits for two scenes that hint at the other films to come.