As more and more Marvel pictures come out over time, the more formulaic they seem to become. Thor Ragnarok is a movie which breaks the repetition and, like a lightning bolt, brings a surge of new energy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thor Ragnarok is the third standalone film for the god of thunder in the MCU. Coming off the back of two predecessors which received mostly mixed reviews, Taika Waititi seemed to have been set up with a difficult task. Waititi’s response was to almost completely overturn the Thor line of movies by moving away from the genres of the previous films. By giving the character and the setting a huge makeover, Taika Waititi has been like a defibrillator for the Asgardian’s series.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe needed this movie. Critics and audiences were beginning to feel disillusionment with Marvel’s films and their noticeable similarities. Thor Ragnarok is a noticeably unique addition to the Marvel universe, using Taika Waititi’s signature sense of humour, vibrant colours and effects, and a plot which is not all too concerned with setting up the next Avengers movie (unlike some others). Many have compared the new style of Thor movie with James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy projects, and yes, there are parallels to be found. However, they overall possess a different tone and a distinctly New Zealand sense of humour, which much of the world has yet to be exposed to (until now). Even the soundtrack to this film is distinct, and whilst there are few memorable pieces of music, the implementation of 1980s B-movie synthesisers was a great complement to the overall feel of this movie.
Australian megastar Cate Blanchett stole the show in my opinion. Her excellent depiction of the Asgardian death goddess created a rare species which I shall here dub ‘Interestingus Marvelus Villainus’. Marvel has been plagued with villains who are too often just businessmen in suits or evil versions of the hero (Ant-Man‘s Yellowjacket, Iron Man 1 and 2’s Iron Monger and Whiplash, The Incredible Hulk‘s Abomination and Dr. Strange‘s Kaisilius spring to mind, but there are plenty of others). Whilst Hela can be perceived as just another sinister sibling of Thor’s, her characterisation is wonderful, portraying a being whose sole purpose is to do what she’s doing in the film and loving every second of being a vessel of pure evil. Blanchett pulled out all the stops for this role, even studying Brazilian dance-fighting capoeira to portray the movements of Hela’s fighting style.
Here’s hoping that Waititi’s brought back by Marvel to give us another great Thor story.
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