Spoilers Thor: Ragnarok Grading and Discussion

[Grendelsbayne]

I just saw this yesterday and I was surprised this thread hadn't been posted (I guess it's not out stateside yet). So here it is.

My review (SPOILERS):

It was a fun ride and a beautiful movie, but not top tier. I think visually it had some of the most gorgeous moments of the MCU. Valkyrie was great, Thor and Loki's relationship was great. Odin's send-off was great (and I didn't even like Odin in the other movies). I also really liked the story in general - the (very 80s like) quest vibe was fun. The action was excellent - Thor in particular has never looked better, and I loved both Immigrant Song sequences (though I thought both were cut too short; they should've just let those awesome fight scenes completely blow up and not worry so much about making the audience feel the seriousness of the moment again, that would've fit the tone of the movie much better).

I'm not entirely sold on talkative Hulk - it came across better in the trailers than the movie.

I thought Hela was fine, but too much of her characterization is just sitting around whining about her past and occasionally killing some nobodies. I blame in large part the whole Skurge subplot, which I have to say was ultimately pointless. Skurge was great for his first scene and the movie really didn't need him at all after that. If the writers had let go of him, maybe we could've seen some actual flashbacks of Hela's glory days and given her a much more imposing presence. (This could've also given more screen time to Heimdall, who really deserved it, and made Thor's first vision of Hela's Asgard more impactful). Also, Hela felt like the weakest link in the movie visually speaking. That godstorm throwdown at the end should've been utterly amazing - and it was on Thor's end, but somehow they just couldn't come up with anything more impressive for Hela than throwing swords and spikes. Her dungeon scene was great, though. 'Half the stuff in here is fake.'

I loved Surtur. He was hilarious. Though from the very beginning, I wondered why it was a good idea to store his crown right next to the eternal flame?

I thought Korg and Miek were funny at first, but they took it too far. Especially the whole 'Miek's dead' thing just fell completely flat.

I absolutely loved the ending, though, with the new King of Asgard and his advisers. That ship above them - is that supposed to be Thanos?

Overall, I would compare it primarily to Ant-Man: a funny, but occasionally rough movie with some great characters and action sequences and a nice, heartfelt core (but this one had fewer rough spots than Ant-Man). As such I would rank it a little above the middle of the MCU pack and rate it a solid B-.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

It's an A for me. Probably my favourite MCU movie thus far. Giving it an A for the visuals, the humour, the art direction, Jeff Goldblum, Valkyrie, Odin, Heimdall, Thor, Surtur, Hulk/banner the celebrity cameos and fucking Korg, I loved that guy. One of my friends that i went to see it with is from new zealand so she got a thrill out of hearing Korg's accent.

The downside for me is that it's suffers from the MCU villain curse. I really liked Hela, but at times she felt like an afterthought. Cate Blanchett looked like she was having a very good time chewing the scenery. Also the Dr Strange cameo, whilst fun felt a bit unnecessary.

Be prepared for a good time at the cinema everyone.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

The celebrity cameos! I even thought to myself while typing that post that I should definitely mention that, and it somehow still slipped my mind. Sam Neill's reaction when (real) Loki was exposed was hilarious.

 

[Anwar]

Did Hopkins phone it in again, or actually seem like he was acting?

 

[Captaindemotion]

A+ from me. Thor 2 ties with Iron Man 2 as my least favourite MCU film. But this one may well be my favourite one yet; definitely up there with Captain America: TWS and Avengers. Loved the action sequences and, being a Led Zeppelin fan, the use of the Immigrant Song made them even better when it was played. The humour tickled my fancy bone and I’ve never laughed so much during a superhero film (but it never felt like a comedy or spoof). The cameos were great, especially those I wasn’t expecting. And, as with The Dark World, to its credit, they seemed willing to rock Thor’s status quo and shake things up for him and his family.

 

[USS Firefly]

I also think the movie is great, but was a little bit disappointed with the quick deaths of the warrior three.
And of the absent of lady Sif, because we have so few female heroes in the Marvel universe and she would have kick Hela's ass

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I also think the movie is great, but was a little bit disappointed with the quick deaths of the warrior three.
And of the absent of lady Sif, because we have so few female heroes in the Marvel universe and she would have kick Hela's ass

You complain about the quick deaths of the warriors, then (in a way) wish Sif was there to die with them (she would have, be honest with yourself you saw what Hela could do)

The best thing about Sif not being there is that she's alive for any future appearance now if they want it. Plus they gave us Valkyrie! Now they can join up!

Great movie, the Korg departure from the comics started off a bit too much for me, but then I came around and just enjoyed it for what it was and loved it.

Hel was one of my favourite villains yet. She did exactly what the story needed, I was pleased with that and doubly pleased with Skurge's arc, I expected nothing more than a 1 dimensional henchman at first.

And a Bi-Beast easter egg made my day, in the bottom right of the tower of champions.

 

[LJones41]

A+ from me. Thor 2 ties with Iron Man 2 as my least favourite MCU film.

I guess we have different tastes. I've always liked both movies very much.

 

[Venardhi]

It is a very different film from the previous two Thor movies and probably the better for it even if I'll miss the many charms of their lovely academics. Probably the most purely entertaining MCU addition since the first Guardians flick. The villainess was well performed but underwritten as usual (with maybe just a bit more dimension than most).

Waititi's Korg was probably just a bit overindulgent, but it may have just felt that way knowing he was the one behind it. He and the rest of Sakaar could have easily filled their own film though, and I was almost disappointed to head back to Asgard for the inevitable showdown.

Solid A.

 

[jep316]

So based on what we saw happen to Thor..clearly the scenes with him in the leaked Infinity War trailer were either deliberately misleading or wasn't finished with CGI since in those scenes he still possess something he lost in Ragnarok (and I'm not talking about the hammer).

 

[Mage]

Yeah, this movie was just pure genious if you ask me!! I laughed at load so much, and I appreciate some of the intense changes for Thor in this movie. In a lot of the MCU movies, at the end, the characters are where they started with some new experiences. Civil War already ended on a bit of a low, and this movie went further. When you really look at it, this wasn't a happy end.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

This is film is so much damn fun, just as I hoped it would be! So many great quips from the entire cast and Jeff Goldblum stole every scene he was in. I knew Sam Neill was going to cameo in some form (although I wish it had been a scene with Goldblum), but I had no idea Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon were going to as well! Nor did I know about Scarlett Johansson's, although her pre-recorded message was pretty much the same (if not exactly the same) dialogue from the end of Age of Ultron. Stan Lee's cameo was amusing as always, but it was a bit sad to see the Warrior Three die so quickly (if heroically), and despite saying she was in it, it's a shame Jamie Alexander didn't appear as Sif (maybe her scene was deleted?).

Valkyrie is a fine addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I hope we see plenty of her in Infinity War and whatever its sequel is called. Talking Hulk was a riot, even if it meant less CGI-free Mark Ruffalo, but I'm doubtful if the MCU will forever keep the Hulk in Hulk form. Just like the in the comics, I'm sure he'll eventually revert back to Banner at some point, but in the mean time, we know it'll be fun.

I rate the film ten out of ten Jeff Goldblums.

So based on what we saw happen to Thor..clearly the scenes with him in the leaked Infinity War trailer were either deliberately misleading or wasn't finished with CGI since in those scenes he still possess something he lost in Ragnarok (and I'm not talking about the hammer).

Considering the trailer for Ragnarok cleverly didn't spoil the missing eye (there's a shot of him on the Bifrost Bridge in full lightning mode in the trailer but with both eyes), I would say the Infinity War trailer carefully avoided it. I say that as someone who hasn't watched any of the fan-recorded videos because I prefer to wait for the proper high-quality triler.

 

[Ethros]

Off topic and fairly irrelevant, but just thinking about the Immigrant Song.. I might get slapped for saying this, but I do prefer the Karen O/Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross version

 

[jep316]

. Talking Hulk was a riot, even if it meant less CGI-free Mark Ruffalo, but I'm doubtful if the MCU will forever keep the Hulk in Hulk form. Just like the in the comics, I'm sure he'll eventually revert back to Banner at some point, but in the mean time, we know it'll be fun.

On set photos of Infinity war show Ruffalo as Banner standing next to Doctor Strange confronting Iron Man... so maybe Strange helps Banner revert back from the Hulk.

 

[Unicron]

Valkyrie is a fine addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I hope we see plenty of her in Infinity War and whatever its sequel is called. Talking Hulk was a riot, even if it meant less CGI-free Mark Ruffalo, but I'm doubtful if the MCU will forever keep the Hulk in Hulk form. Just like the in the comics, I'm sure he'll eventually revert back to Banner at some point, but in the mean time, we know it'll be fun.

I'm not overly familiar with Valkyrie in her comic form, but I thought this was an interesting take on the character and it would be fun to see more.

Considering the trailer for Ragnarok cleverly didn't spoil the missing eye (there's a shot of him on the Bifrost Bridge in full lightning mode in the trailer but with both eyes), I would say the Infinity War trailer carefully avoided it. I say that as someone who hasn't watched any of the fan-recorded videos because I prefer to wait for the proper high-quality triler.

IIRC, the trailer did a similar thing with the use of Thor's lightning against Hulk. Which I think was a wise choice. I do find it interesting that in the original teaser, the shot of Hela destroying Mjolnir is apparently in an ally (perhaps on Earth) rather than in the Norwegian field (something fixed in the later trailers). There's also the shot of Loki flipping his daggers which is presumably meant to be in the Bifrost battle, but maybe it was just for the teaser?

 

[Star Wolf]

I got a totally different feel from the Doctor Strange scene in Ragnarok than I did in Dr Strange. At first I felt menace coming from Strange as he warned Thor. , Here In Ragnarok he just seemed to be a trickster doing a version of what Loki does to Thor

 

[UssGlenn]

I do find it interesting that in the original teaser, the shot of Hela destroying Mjolnir is apparently in an ally (perhaps on Earth) rather than in the Norwegian field

There was a whole deleted sequence where they find Odin in New York. Presumably, the whole confrontation with Hela took place in the city in the original version.

 

[LJones41]

A movie about the possible end of Asgard wrapped in a comedic buddy film. Hmmmm . . .

 

[Unicron]

There was a whole deleted sequence where they find Odin in New York. Presumably, the whole confrontation with Hela took place in the city in the original version.

Okay, thanks.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Off topic and fairly irrelevant, but just thinking about the Immigrant Song.. I might get slapped for saying this, but I do prefer the Karen O/Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross version

Not by me. I love that version...although granted I heard that version first. I'm betting I'm going to get slapped for that.

On set photos of Infinity war show Ruffalo as Banner standing next to Doctor Strange confronting Iron Man... so maybe Strange helps Banner revert back from the Hulk.

Ah, good to know. From a dramatic standpoint, it makes more sense to have Banner interact with everyone instead of the Hulk, at least early on. Although, come to think of it, Hulk was in full Hulk mode in the original Infinity Gauntlet mini-series, so what do I know?

I'm not overly familiar with Valkyrie in her comic form, but I thought this was an interesting take on the character and it would be fun to see more.

Yeah, I'm not at all familiar with the character in the comics, but I really enjoyed her and a large part of that was thanks to Tessa Thompson.

IIRC, the trailer did a similar thing with the use of Thor's lightning against Hulk. Which I think was a wise choice. I do find it interesting that in the original teaser, the shot of Hela destroying Mjolnir is apparently in an ally (perhaps on Earth) rather than in the Norwegian field (something fixed in the later trailers). There's also the shot of Loki flipping his daggers which is presumably meant to be in the Bifrost battle, but maybe it was just for the teaser?

What's really strange about the setting of Mjolnir's destruction is that the Norwegian field is shown in one of the shorter teasers sometime after that first trailer. But otherwise, yes, they did a great job of hiding all of the big surprises.

There was a whole deleted sequence where they find Odin in New York. Presumably, the whole confrontation with Hela took place in the city in the original version.

Ah, I didn't know about that either. That makes more sense.