The End Of Times Gets A Surprising Sense Of Humor In 'Thor: Ragnarok'
- Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch
- Rated PG-13
- Action/Comedy
- Run time: 2 hr, 10 min
- Directed by Taika Waititi
- In theaters November 3, 2017
Only in a Marvel movie would a story about death and destruction become laugh-out-loud hilarious, and with an insanely star-studded ensemble cast. The studio is no stranger to the latter, and has been steering into the former more and more as of late, but Thor: Ragnarok may be its most impressive masterpiece when it comes to the combination.
In Ragnarok, which draws inspiration from the Norse myth of the same name, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is attempting to prevent the end of his beloved home of Asgard. Needless to say, it's about as difficult as it sounds. In addition to world-saving, Thor is dealing with his duplicitous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the terrifying Hela (Cate Blanchett) and a fighting ring run by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) that has him pitted against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
None of that sounds exactly like a walk in the park, and like it'd create a downer of a movie, but in true Marvel form as of late, there are jokes that will have the audience all but rolling on the floor. Whether it's due to a physical gag that includes Hemsworth slowly spinning while in chains and unable to keep eye contact with the big scary dude threatening him, or a few snide comments in a conversation between Thor and Loki, every kind of joke is covered in the 2 hour-ish long movie.
The one argument that can be made against this next installment in the Thor series is that the main character seems to have gotten a bit of a personality transplant. While the Asgardian has always had a subtle humor about him, he has been a bit more formal in his manners and the jokes were often almost more at his expense than coming from his lips. In Ragnarok, he's getting laughs left and right and speaks more than he probably did in the last three films he was featured in combined. As a standalone film, the tone is nothing to complain about, but when a line is drawn to connect all the Marvel films, it doesn't quite match up.
That aside, with a cast this incredible, it's difficult to find a stand out. Blanchett plays a terrifying (and still pretty fabulous) villain who looks like she never got out of her high school goth phase. Loki continues to be a constant low-key fan favorite mostly due to Hiddleston's easy charm shining through. Hemsworth proves to have some killer comedic timing in addition to the smile and muscles he's often known for as the Norse god. Ruffalo reminds us yet again that Hulk/Banner has grown into a truly beloved character and Goldblum...well, is peak Goldblum, in the most amazing of ways. And by the end of the movie, you'll already be wanting to know more about Tessa Thompson's bad-ass and hard drinking warrior, Valkyrie.
But it's director Taika Waititi actually helps create the true scene-stealer of the film by voicing Korg, a pseudo-gladiator creature made of rocks whose every earnest line brings either smiles or all out laughter. Between his direction and his portrayal of the lovable Korg, it's obvious that Waititi knew exactly what he was doing with this movie. He helped create a new Thor, one that you can easily imagine bantering with the Guardians in Infinity War, and one you definitely can't wait to see in movies to come.