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Thor: Ragna-rocks!
So, Thor: Ragnarok. We saw it on Saturday, and it was almost exactly what I expected from the trailers. A little cheesy in places, but a super-fun time, and maybe the funniest Marvel film to date (I might give Homecoming the edge, but it's a close call). Taika Waititi threaded a needle that I don't think any other MCU film director has yet managed, with the possible exception of Joss Whedon in the first Avengers movie: he made a film thoroughly grounded in the MCU canon so far, but his personal style shines through every moment. I think this movie shows that an MCU director can be more than a hired hand -- they can have a vision, and let that vision roam free, while still making a film that hits the necessary buttons and plot points. I hope that the architects of the MCU take this lesson as well, in their future personnel choices as well as their requirements that the directors toe the canonical line.
Some more specific thoughts, cut for minor spoilers.
So there are a lot of great things about this film. The humor, as mentioned, but it's not just that the movie is so often funny. It's how the humor works to advance Thor's overall personal story arc in such an interesting way. When we first met Thor, he was a big-hearted but obnoxious man-child, hot-tempered and oblivious to the effects his actions had on other people. That movie was about Thor growing up and learning how to take responsibility. In The Dark World and the Avengers movies, we see a more mature and serious Thor, a person who takes his responsibilities seriously: to Asgard, to Jane, to his team, to the universe. Now, in Ragnarok, Thor has matured to yet another level. He still takes his responsibilities seriously, but he doesn't take himself nearly as seriously. He takes risks, he cracks jokes, he reaches out to people and makes them his allies. He challenges the Hulk, Loki, and Valkyrie to do better than settle for life on Sakaar, and they all rise to that challenge in their own ways. And he's finally learned how to keep Loki from betraying him at every turn. It's a fantastic charcterization arc, and I hope we see the through-line carry into Infinity War.
Previous Thor movies have been notable for having casts filled with great female characters. Sadly, none of them are present (the absences of Frigga and Jane are at least noted, but I wish there had been some explanation for the lack of Sif -- the Warriors Three were all there, so shouldn't Sif have been at least mentioned?), but the two new female characters are both wonderful. The villain, Hela, is the first female big bad in the MCU films (unless I'm missing someone?); more than one person has referred to Cate Blanchett's performance as "evil Galadriel", and the description is apt. I particularly appreciate that Hela's motivations are not feminized or sexualized. She wants revenge, power, and mayhem, roughly in that order, like many a super-villain before her. The character could have been written as male with almost no changes to the script.
The other big new character is Valkyrie, and she is amazing. She also has a great character arc, she has her own feelings and motivations, and except for a couple of brief glances, the narrative doesn't treat her as a love interest for Thor or anyone else. There is, in fact, no romance in this movie at all, a rarity for the MCU, or any other superhero movie for that matter. It's a refreshing change, and I hope we see more like this in the future.
Unfortunately, the two women only ever interact to fight. Whether two women fighting counts as passing the Bechdel Test, I'm not sure. At least they're fighting over Asgard rather than a man.
I also thought that the Hulk/Bruce Banner was a good addition to the story, and I'm excited to see what happens to him in Infinity War. Loki doesn't do quite as much as in the last two movies, but then a little Loki can go a long way, and I think this film hit a good balance. Jeff Goldblum was delightful. Anthony Hopkins also doesn't get much to do, but one of those scenes is of him playing Loki playing Odin, and that moment was everything I wanted it to be.
In short, if the trailers appealed to you at all, you will enjoy this movie. Go, and have fun!
Some more specific thoughts, cut for minor spoilers.
So there are a lot of great things about this film. The humor, as mentioned, but it's not just that the movie is so often funny. It's how the humor works to advance Thor's overall personal story arc in such an interesting way. When we first met Thor, he was a big-hearted but obnoxious man-child, hot-tempered and oblivious to the effects his actions had on other people. That movie was about Thor growing up and learning how to take responsibility. In The Dark World and the Avengers movies, we see a more mature and serious Thor, a person who takes his responsibilities seriously: to Asgard, to Jane, to his team, to the universe. Now, in Ragnarok, Thor has matured to yet another level. He still takes his responsibilities seriously, but he doesn't take himself nearly as seriously. He takes risks, he cracks jokes, he reaches out to people and makes them his allies. He challenges the Hulk, Loki, and Valkyrie to do better than settle for life on Sakaar, and they all rise to that challenge in their own ways. And he's finally learned how to keep Loki from betraying him at every turn. It's a fantastic charcterization arc, and I hope we see the through-line carry into Infinity War.
Previous Thor movies have been notable for having casts filled with great female characters. Sadly, none of them are present (the absences of Frigga and Jane are at least noted, but I wish there had been some explanation for the lack of Sif -- the Warriors Three were all there, so shouldn't Sif have been at least mentioned?), but the two new female characters are both wonderful. The villain, Hela, is the first female big bad in the MCU films (unless I'm missing someone?); more than one person has referred to Cate Blanchett's performance as "evil Galadriel", and the description is apt. I particularly appreciate that Hela's motivations are not feminized or sexualized. She wants revenge, power, and mayhem, roughly in that order, like many a super-villain before her. The character could have been written as male with almost no changes to the script.
The other big new character is Valkyrie, and she is amazing. She also has a great character arc, she has her own feelings and motivations, and except for a couple of brief glances, the narrative doesn't treat her as a love interest for Thor or anyone else. There is, in fact, no romance in this movie at all, a rarity for the MCU, or any other superhero movie for that matter. It's a refreshing change, and I hope we see more like this in the future.
Unfortunately, the two women only ever interact to fight. Whether two women fighting counts as passing the Bechdel Test, I'm not sure. At least they're fighting over Asgard rather than a man.
I also thought that the Hulk/Bruce Banner was a good addition to the story, and I'm excited to see what happens to him in Infinity War. Loki doesn't do quite as much as in the last two movies, but then a little Loki can go a long way, and I think this film hit a good balance. Jeff Goldblum was delightful. Anthony Hopkins also doesn't get much to do, but one of those scenes is of him playing Loki playing Odin, and that moment was everything I wanted it to be.
In short, if the trailers appealed to you at all, you will enjoy this movie. Go, and have fun!