If you are a fan of Chris Hemsworth’s long, golden locks, then his newest movie might be a little bit of a disappointment for you.
You probably already know from the trailers that the mighty Thor loses his hair for a new ‘do, but Thor also loses something else from his past Avengers and standalone movies: his painful seriousness. Thor: Ragnarok is refreshing for movie-goers, providing many comedic quips as well as exciting action. Marvel seems to be learning from its funniest blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, and letting Hemsworth’s humor shine through on the big screen.
After the dramatic reveal at the end of Thor: The Dark World, audiences might have expected Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to pose more of a threat as Odin—but this conflict was resolved relatively quickly. Thor and Loki spend little time on Earth in this film; they only stick around to have a quick chat with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), as revealed in the end credit scene in Cumberbatch’s own feature film, and then to meet the real Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Soon, the action really starts to pick up when the Goddess of Death, Hela (Cate Blanchett), shows up on the scene and throws Thor and Loki off to a strange catch-all of a world, after managing to destroy Thor’s iconic hammer.
As if Thor weren’t already at an all-time low, he’s then pitted against his “friend from work” the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a colosseum run by the Grandmaster, an eccentric dictator whose mannerisms are nailed perfectly by Jeff Goldblum. Thor needs to get back home to Asgard to prevent complete annihilation of the world— which is the actual definition of the Norse word “ragnarok”—so he gathers his limited crew of Loki, the Hulk, and dangerous Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to tussle with Hela before she grows too powerful.
Director Taika Waititi, a New Zealand native, had only tackled smaller indie films before he took the gig for Ragnarok back in 2015. Waititi is used to being a funny guy, especially considering that most of his previous works were highly based in comedy. So when Marvel reached out to him with the Ragnarok offer, he was initially a little hesitant. After all, this set would be significantly larger than anything he was used to—and there was this grey cloud hanging over the Thor franchise after less successful attempts at standalone movies.
“In a lot of my films,” Waititi said, “the biggest theme is family, making families out of those around you.” This mindset fits well into the Marvel cinematic universe, as many recent films also highlight this theme. Not only was Waititi on-theme for Marvel, but he was also fully capable of bringing a sense of fun back to the God of Thunder. Waititi managed to cultivatea comfortable and humorous atmosphere on his set, and his lighthearted efforts shine through into the film. Overall, Thor: Ragnarok may have been the end for Asgard, but it also represents the rebirth and redemption for the character of Thor and his franchise.
Thor: Ragnarok is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action and brief suggestive material. It runs 130 minutes.