Spoilers Thor: Ragnarok Grading and Discussion

[The Nth Doctor]

I like how they explained away The Infinity Gauntlet that we saw in the first Thor movie in the weapons vault as being a fake. The explanation as to what Mjolner actually represented came out of the blue, and is a rather drastic departure from the comics, but it works in that it's keeping the character from getting stale on the big screen (If you are nothing without the hammer, then you shouldn't have it!" ) And, of course, the fact that we saw a Loki's gaze lingeron the Tesseract was not a coincidence. I'm sure that hesnuck it out with him, especially with Thanos coming.*

I also liked both of the scenes in the Vault, particularly how Hela dismissed each item. Although I have to wonder if she recognized the Tesseract as an Infinity Gem.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Clearly Marvel wanted a Taika Waititi and he has gone on the record stating that he doesn't really care for drama and is really only interested in doing comedies (so this is the closest he will ever get to touching drama) but I felt this movie leaned WAY to much on humor and tossed anything that could/should have carried any real emotion depth to the side.

I genuinely can not understand this and I'd love to see Waititi's quote about only wanting to do comedies.

Anyone who has seen Boy or Hunt of the Wilderpeople (both of which he wrote and directed) happily walks away with the fact that, yes, he has a gift for comedy, but the heart, drama and emotions running through them are the real centre-pieces of the films.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ragnarok, for all its inherent sillyness, more so because self-important Thor films have thus far come across as cumbersome and, at times, laughable, for the wrong reasons. Waititi embraced the daftness of the character and the universe and went with it. What lets the film down is the standard Marvel plotting. If they had a 100 minute cut that failed with audiences, it was likely because it was too po-faced without having a real emotional centre to it. Waititi (and what he got out of his cast) made this film by adding in all the irreverence to bring some actual heart and dimension to the characters.

Anyone who believes that Ragnarok is the closest Waititi will get to an "emotional film" either hasn't seen his back catalogue, or completely misunderstood them.

Up til this film Waititi had in fact only made one out-and-out comedy film (What We Do In The Shadows), with Boy, Eagle Vs Shark and Hunt for the Wilderpeople all in fact being misfit/family dramas with his unique comedic twist.

I've been saying this ever since Waititi was picked to direct Ragnarok, but any film fan should take the time to watch his previous films. They are a delight for in fact being emotionally complex with unique viewpoints on family.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I watched ...Wilderpeople last night along with my wife, who at best tolerates superhero movies. We both loved it. I totally agree with your description of it, Hugo.

 

[Unicron]

I've been wondering if Valkyrie's ship might get a model or two released, at least perhaps in Lego form (I've seen one or two tie-in sets for Ragnarok). It was one of the things I liked in the film along with some of the other ship designs.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I was lukewarm on the Thor movies but this was so entertaining. I think the personality of Thor here just perfectly meshes with Hemsworth and works like a charm. Combine that with a fun script and great sci-fi eye candy. The visuals were great because they managed to have a look and style of their own that is similar but different to that seen in Guardians of the Galaxy or other properties. I could see where some might feel the tone wasn't completely appropriate but the entertainment quotient was high with this one.

Not 100% sure about Korg but I had to smile when I checked the credits to see who it was.

Jeff Goldblum was at peak Goldblum and damn, Cate Blanchett is really hot as Hel....

 

[Booji]

A

I was ready to be a little disappointed, but I loved this movie. Completely met, and exceeded, my expectations. The cast was great. Valkyrie was badass. This is the Hulk I always wanted! The score was fun. Only negative was the use of a LedZep song... such an overrated and untalented lollicock band. As of now, this is my 4th favorite Marvel film.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Cate Blanchett is really hot as Hel....

I see what you did there...

 

[Evil Twin]

I liked it a lot. Way, WAY better than the first two Thors. Honestly can't decide if I liked this or GotG 2 better as far as 2017's Marvel movies go.

Kind of a Battlestar Galactica-esque ending there. So the entire population of Asgard consists of 200 people? ...Okay.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I
So the entire population of Asgard consists of 200 people? ...Okay.

Yeah, I thought that was weird, too.

 

[Anwar]

I liked it a lot. Way, WAY better than the first two Thors. Honestly can't decide if I liked this or GotG 2 better as far as 2017's Marvel movies go.

Kind of a Battlestar Galactica-esque ending there. So the entire population of Asgard consists of 200 people? ...Okay.

When you live for thousands of years, maybe you just don't feel like reproducing too much.

 

[LJones41]

I felt that this movie really could have been something. I will admit that it became the first Marvel film that I managed to enjoy since "Ant-Man". But this tale of Asgard's Ragnarok and Thor's ascension as king could have been one on an epic level.

Unfortunately, I feel that the narrative was undermined by too much humor and some moments of sloppy writing. And I didn't need to see Doctor Strange or hear Tony Stark being mentioned more than once. Too bad.

I liked it a lot. Way, WAY better than the first two Thors.

I wish I could agree, but I can't.

It also seemed as cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe was channeling Larry Fong's work for Zack Snyder in one scene featuring the Valkyrie's memories of her first encounter with Hela.

 

[Turtletrekker]

A friend of mine made the comment that he finally has a good memory of Hulk fighting a giant dog.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I give this movie a solid A. It's one of the best Marvel films and the best Thor film in the series.

Great performances overall. Cate Blanchett killed it as Hela while Tom Hiddleston continued to impress as Loki. The characterizations were done well for both returning and new characters, though I didn't really care for Jeff Goldblum's dry humor. The relationship dynamic between Thor and Bruce/Hulk was almost as admirable as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers'.

It was sad to see the Warriors Three get killed, though everyone but Hogun barely made an appearance on screen. Heimdall was instrumental in helping the citizens of Asgard flee. While it was sad to realize the destruction of the kingdom, it was, ironically, necessary to in order to save it from Hela. Besides, Asgard was not a place. It was the people.

 

[ATimson]

The Warriors Three are throw away characters in the grand scheme of things but not to the character of Thor. They are presented as his best friends. They are senselessly disposed of (sans Siff because only one bad ass good girl per movie?) and never mentioned again.

Sif's actress is busy on Blindspot - they probably didn't want to do another recast like they had to do with Fandral in the last movie, just for the sake of killing her.

 

[LJones41]

It was sad to see the Warriors Three get killed, though everyone but Hogun barely made an appearance on screen.

That was soooooo disappointing. Just . . . disappointing on so many levels.

 

[Gryffindorian]

"We are not gods. We are born, we live, we die. Just as humans do." -Odin

"Give or take 5,000 years." -Loki

Thor: TDW is on one of the networks at the moment. Sometimes I lose sight of this tidbit when I see how seemingly omnipotent the Asgardians are.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Sif's actress is busy on Blindspot - they probably didn't want to do another recast like they had to do with Fandral in the last movie, just for the sake of killing her.

The weird thing is Jaime Alexander said on Twitter that she was in Ragnarok (or at least heavily implied it). I wonder if there's a deleted scene lying on the editing floor with her in it.

 

[Anwar]

And I didn't need to see Doctor Strange or hear Tony Stark being mentioned more than once. Too bad.

The whole point of a shared universe is that the characters all co-exist and intersect with one another instead of pretending that no one else exists except their own little corner of the Verse.

I mean really, first all the complaints about how no one else showed up in Dark World and Iron Man 3 and stuff, and now that they show that characters co-exist you complain?

What will it take?

 

[Turtletrekker]

In my head canon, Sif was off world at the time on some mission just as she was when she appeared on Agents of Shield seasons 1 and 2.

 

[Anwar]

In my head canon, Sif was off world at the time on some mission just as she was when she appeared on Agents of Shield seasons 1 and 2.

Word of God is that Loki banished her because he was afraid she'd realize it was him impersonating Odin, same reason he wanted to get rid of Heimdell.