The Good, The Bad and The Critic

Established on March 19th, 2012 and pioneered by film fanatic Michael J. Carlisle. The Good, The Bad and The Critic will analyze classic and contemporary films from all corners of the globe. This title references Sergei Leone's influential spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Review

Title: Thor Ragnarok
Year: 2017
Director: Taika Waititi
Country: US

Language: English

Aside from Loki (Tom Hiddleson) I have to admit that I really did not like the first Thor film. The fish-out-of-water (Thunder God out of realm?) story was far too cheesy and run-of-the-mill to be enjoyable. Infact I disliked it so much that I decided to skip The Dark World, which I hear had so-so reviews anyways. Thor:Ragnarok brought me back to the franchise, only because I was excited to see Jeff Goldblum and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in the same movie. 

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his homeworld and the end of his civilization. 

After 30 minutes of run-time, Thor and Loki are exiled from Asgard due to the powerful Hela, the Goddess of Death. They find themselves on the garbage planet Sakaar, which is very reminiscent of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. There's a sense of wonder and discovery as we explore the planet; it does not look like a CGI-created landscape...at least not until later when more action is to be had. Best of all, the planet's citizens happen to be infatuated with their hero; the incredible Hulk. 

Thor: Ragnarok is filled to the brim with personality, being incredibly well-written and full of humor that is actually quite funny. It's more of a comedy than a serious action-adventure, which makes the two hour run-time feel like a breeze. Its infusion of pure joy has an energizing effect on the audience that lasts long after the picture is over. 

If superhero movies are meant to be mindless entertainment then Thor: Ragnarok gets a 10/10 for escapism. This is a thoroughly refreshing departure from the brooding comic flick that has poisoned the DCU. One of the better Marvel movies I have seen. 


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