Thor has always been a popular hero to comic fans, but unfortunately the films haven’t been big hits compared to the other Marvel films. So, the “powers that be” have decided to tweak the God of Thunder in order to reel in movie fans into the fold. Ragnarok is more of a cosmic adventure, taking its cue from the success of Guardians of the Galaxy films. For the most part, Thor: Ragnarok is another entertaining film and regardless of its change in setting or tone, the film never strays too far from Disney/Marvel formula.
As the story goes, Asgard’s very existence is in peril from Thor's sister, Hela the Asgardian goddess of death. In their first confrontation, both Loki and Thor are thrown out of the Bi-Frost and end up on the planet Sakaar. Trapped, the almighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for his survival and race against time to stop the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.
Well as I mentioned before, Marvel is on roll and Thor: Ragnarok will no doubt do gangbusters at the box office. Director: Taika Waititi and writers Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle do a great job in giving movie goers a more accessible Thor film. They’ve found the right balance between adventure and comedy and the costumes and sets are simply much more colorful and vibrant than its predecessors. All this, gives movie goers, a spectacular looking film from beginning to end. In fact, everyone in the film seems to be having a blast playing these characters and it shows.
The one downfall, as with every Marvel film, the villain once again seems underdeveloped. Simply offering another baddy, hellbent on power and revenge. Come on, if you are going to hire Cate Blanchett, then give her something more to work with. You can see that she relishes the role, but the movie goers are denied a truly worthy backstory that would give us more than a standard one-dimensional villain.
All in all, Waititi's Thor; Ragnarok is an entertaining film, that offers a somewhat refreshing tone and style that improves upon the series’ two previous instalments. It follows the standard formula that we’ve been accustomed to. In my opinion, with 16 MCU instalments under their belts, I think its time to break the formula and challenge Marvel fans.
