Thor: Ragnarok Review

Thor Ragnarok is a movie I can watch on repeat, and have! This film came out in 2017 and gave us our transition to the next two, huge Avengers movies. This movie was absolutely hilarious and I am never against watching it! It shows a side of Thor we’ve all known was there, but never really got to see. It also gives us huge character development for Loki, which was long overdue. Taika was an excellent choice for this film, and I’m looking forward to his next Thor movie. My only issue with this film is Hela’s relation to the brothers. I understand why they made her an older sibling, convenience for the film and audience, but the reality is that she’s Loki’s daughter. The large wolf is also one of Loki’s children, as is the 8-legged horse we see depicted in the art on the ceiling of the Asgardian hall. In the comics they acknowledge Loki to be the parent, so I fully believe they could have worked it in if they wanted to. Aside from that, it’s an incredible film that I would highly recommend. 

This film was packed full of hilarious moments, fun easter-eggs for viewers, and cameos. Matt Damon appears in Loki’s play as Loki, and alongside him is the oldest Hemsworth brother portraying Thor. The running theory is that Loki actually went to Earth, sought out a good actor, and kidnapped Matt Damon to play him in his production. Dr. Strange makes his full appearance in this film based on the end credit scene in his own film; I would have liked to see more interaction between him and Loki though, given Loki’s insticit to stab him. Stan Lee is the man who cuts Thor’s hair, which is just the next step in his journey to gather information for the Watchers! The Grandmaster appears in this film, and for those who don’t know, he is the Collector’s older brother; though I doubt their relationship will be shown in the future. The director himself, Taika Waititi, also makes an appearance in this film as Korg. And last but not least, though it is not a proper cameo, my home state of Texas is mentioned as one of the places Skurge got his stuff: “I’m particularly fond of these. I pulled ’em out of a place on Midgard called Tex-ass.”

While I try not to be too picky about the differences in this film from Norse Mythology, there are a few things I wanted to discuss. Ragnarok is brought about differently in Norse Mythology, but in this film it is brought about by Surtur (or Surtr), the fire giant who is determined to destroy Asgard. In this process, he destroys himself and Hela, which was an incredible way to display their power. I appreciate the way they feature the true power of some of these beings, though they still refuse to show Loki’s full abilities for some reason. We also meet a Valkyrie in this film, a strong female warrior that actually had strong similarities to the Valkyrie in Norse Mythology. For the record, her name is not Valkyrie, she is just a member of the Valkyrie. Her name is Brunnhilde, and she is on Sakaar to drink and forget because Hela killed her girlfriend in the battle. 

Something I found interesting was the usage of the Willy Wonka music as Thor is being introduced to Sakaar and the Grandmaster (something I wouldn’t have noticed without my mother pointing it out). A small but important thing to point out is that Thor passed out from the electric chip, but Loki remained conscious which is more evidence than he has been through far, far worse at the hands of Thanos. Hulk on Sakaar is also a reference to the comic series Planet Hulk. Bruce has been Hulk for 2 years, and is only able to return to his human form when a video of Natasha appears on the quinjet. Poor Bruce just wants to go home, but ends up doing the right thing and helping them defeat Hela. Apparently he also has 7 PhD’s, a fact I did not know before this film. 

Finally we get to see Thor as he was meant to be. He is funny, relatable, and comes into the full ability of his powers in this film. The film begins with him explaining how he ended up in a cage, and there is a theory that the film is lighter and funny because he is telling it to us from his perspective. He was out searching for the Infinity Stones, but then foresaw Ragnarok and had to focus his energy on saving his home. However, he helps bring about Ragnarok because he realizes that “Asgard is not a place, it’s a people.” We learn that he is no longer dating Jane, but based on everything else he has to go through, his relationship status is the least of his concerns. His relationship with Loki was also portrayed better; more as a sibling relationship and with a deeper understanding of one another. 

Loki was also portrayed much better in this film, though we’re still lacking the full range of his power as I mentioned earlier. His time on the throne pretending to be Odin was actually a good thing. He put resources and time into the arts and the people of Asgard, and lessen Asgards domain on the other planets. Though Thor viewed this as a bad thing, I don’t think it is because it shows that Loki has learned from his mistakes and does not seek a tyrannical rule on others. He also shows his care for his mother by picking her colors, blue and gold, for his outfit on Sakaar. By the end of the film, he has come full circle and realizes he could be much more than just the God of Mischief. 

Now for the end credit scenes. The first one is rather concerning, and is the lead-in to Infinity War. Thor and Loki are discussing Loki returning to Earth, and a large ship appears before them. Just from the look on Loki’s face alone, we can determine that it is Thanos’ ship. Thankfully we get another good film before having to suffer through the emotional destruction caused by Infinity War. The second end credit scene is the Grandmaster climbing out of a broken ship congratulating his people on their rebellion. We can assume that his rule over this planet is over, and I would love to see him seek out his brother in the future for shelter. 

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