By Emerald Green
The highest-rated Marvel movie in history at 94%, according to Rotten Tomatoes, “Thor: Ragnarok” premiered last Friday, Nov. 3. Director Taika Waititi received critical acclaim for his first Marvel Studios film, and it has already grossed more than $211 million worldwide. Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as the God of Thunder in the third installment of the Thor series and 17th movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), leading audiences into the final stages before “Infinity War” next year.
The beginning scene opens with Thor caged in a dark and unknown abyss chatting with his inmate, a decrepit skeleton. He soon learns of the prophecy of Ragnarok from his keeper, Surtur. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) makes a five-minute cameo in the film, setting up the movie’s climactic plot. The Son of Odin and his (recently alive) adopted brother, Loki learn that their eldest sister and Goddess of Death, Hela (Academy Award winner, Cate Blanchett) will return to claim Asgard as the rightful heir to the throne after their father’s death. The true plot becomes clear once Thor lands on the planet of Sakaar where the audience re-connects with old faces and meets new ones.
Mark Ruffalo continues to develop the character of the Hulk even though it has been confirmed that he will not have his own series like Edward Norton and Eric Bana. Jeff Goldblum delivers a fresh performance as the eccentric Grandmaster of Sakaar. Tessa Thompson plays Valkyrie, a scavenger with a dark past and Marvel’s first LGBT character. Thompson herself is of Afro-Panamanian descent, but Valkyrie’s original character was depicted with blonde hair and pale skin. This is a progressive step for Marvel and the entertainment industry toward diversity.
The film keeps audiences laughing from the moment the opening credits disappear from the screen. Thor’s pure and undisturbed humor is nonstop throughout the entire film, and so is the constant comedic relief from the other characters’ situational irony. The fight scenes’ choreography is perfect, keeping audience members nervous for more. The hair, costumes, and graphics that give the movie its aesthetic were especially unique to the film since most of the movie is set on a different planet.
Unlike some Marvel movies, writers did not leave audiences crying over any character deaths by the end but instead teased them with the introduction of a mysterious new threat in the post-end-credits scene, a tradition to every new Marvel film. Perhaps, this villain will be unveiled in the next film to be released in February of next year, “Black Panther,” or in the much-anticipated, fourth Avengers film: “Infinity War,” arriving May 4, 2018. Both movies will have to compete with “Ragnarok” and the high standards Marvel has already set for family-action comedies.
