In the past few months, I’ve seen four movies.
'Thor: Ragnarok', and
'Blade Runner (2049)', three times.
where 'Blade Runner' feels likes a four course meal that is a journey with every bite,
'Thor: Ragnarok" is more like a big bacon cheeseburger.
And it was in thinking about that analogy that I started to realize,
with the exception of...
...the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' films,
it’s becoming more difficult to find anything interesting to say about the 'Marvel' movies,
by virtue of their cheeseburger assembly line.
Even the efficiency of their quality has become a redundant statement at this point.
The 'Thor' movies have always felt like a bit of a strange anomaly in the 'Marvel' universe.
The three movies couldn’t be more different from each other.
The first, directed by Kenneth Branagh,
is a Shakespearean drama about two brothers warring for their father’s love.
'Thor: The Dark World' is about...
uh...
Actually I don’t...remember what 'The Dark World' was about.
There’s some red...oily thing?
And some elves.
And uh...
....Natalie Portman?
*chuckles*
I remember liking the second one once I managed to turn my brain off completely
and just bathe in the movie's wonderful visuals and art design.
Even if it was at times, confusingly derivative
right down to it's...
...'Portal 3' ending.
In 'Ragnarok',
Hela, the Goddess of Death returns to take over Asgard
and Thor and Loki find themselves kicked to the gladiator planet Sakaar,
run by Jeff Goldblum.
Thor is pressed into combat and, as you’ve seen in the trailers, when he gets there...
his first opponent is the Hulk.
'Thor: Ragnarok' is by FAR the best of the three 'Thor' movies,
and might crack the bottom of my list
of Top 5 'Marvel' movies.
It knows not to take these Norse Gods in tights too seriously.
It actually has a comfortable plot that keeps things moving.
There are the expected charismatic performances across the board.
But what really makes 'Ragnarok' shine is the direction by...
...Taika Waititi.
After Edgar Wright left 'Ant-Man' because he said he didn’t just want to be a director for hire,
Marvel has gained a reputation for only hiring directors who will fall in step.
And their homogenized quality might seem to support that idea.
Except for one problem..
['Come and Get Your Love' HEY, HEY]
Perhaps, no one was paying attention when James Gunn wandered on set and made 'Guardians',
A movie that felt fresh and interesting
...just when the 'Marvel' formula was beginning to harden.
I think 'Ragnarok' may be a little less broadly innovative than people are giving it credit for.
You can definitely see 'Guardians'' influence here.
'Ragnarok' is working with a bright colorful palette that doesn’t shy away from pastel purples and neon yellows.
It distinguishes between its two primary locations symphonically,
using an 80s synth techno for the gladiator planet Sakaar,
and a pretty standard orchestral score for Asgard.
But the area where it really surpasses 'Guardians'
and every other 'Marvel' movie...
...is in its humor.
This is by far, the funniest film in the 'Marvel' universe,
a great comedy
carrying what might otherwise be an average 'Marvel' plot.
And I think that is primarily due to New Zealand director Taika.
Whose previous works include...
'Flight of the Conchords'
and 'What We Do in the Shadows',
both of which I loved.
And boy, does this feel like it was cut from the same dry humorous template as those two.
Right down to its interpretation of Korg,
a giant rock monster that felt as though he was assembled from the rocks of New Zealand
and taken directly to Sakaar.
Which makes sense, given he’s actually voiced by the film's director, Taika Waititi.
"Hey, man."
"I'm Korg."
"We're gonna get outta here."
"Wanna come?"
Given his background,
it’s no surprise then that the director and cast interviews I read estimated that
anywhere between 80 to 90% of the movie's dialogue was improvised,
much of it by Taika himself yelling suggested lines from behind the camera.
Now that can be a complete disaster in the hands of a poor director,
but man does Taika hold it together,
unusual to see a satisfying, big budget action movie
that might be the FUNNIEST movie of this year.
And that’s what I find remarkable about the film.
As with any other average or better 'Marvel' movie,
the rest is a mixed bag of...
really good
or meh.
The finale on the rainbow bridge made for a fairly satisfying conclusion.
Despite a lot of questionable green screen,
there are a few moments throughout of astonishing beauty that had me trying to take in the entire composition of the screen.
The use of music to separate locations in the movie was clever,
but I never really heard a memorable piece of score.
The film is stacked with nothing but charismatic actors
and you can tell they’re all having a lot of fun.
Though Jeff Goldblum DOES play Jeff Goldblum,
and Cate Blanchett’s Hela,
while I loved the character’s design,
ultimately ends up in the same bucket of forgettable
'Marvel' heroes
that can’t hold a torch to Hiddleston’s Loki.
But these are all quibbles and bits,
like counting the number of sesame seeds on the bun of a cheeseburger.
Should you pay to go see it?
I think so.
Who doesn’t love a good cheeseburger?
Thing is, a lot of the setup here requires that you have knowledge of the previous movies.
And if you do have knowledge of the previous films,
you probably already know whether 'Ragnarok' is for you or not.