Thor Ragnarok

(2017) *** Pg-13
130 min. Walt Disney Pictures. Director: Taika Waititi. Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett.

/content/films/5082/1.jpgComedy has always been a good friend to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the introduction of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man back in 2008. As the DC Extended Universe has floundered in darkness (hoping to rebottle the lightning of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy), Marvel has successfully doubled down on the laughs, particularly with the Guardians of the Galaxy films. So it’s not exactly a shocker that the seventeenth MCU film mashes up Thor, the Incredible Hulk, and the Guardians of the Galaxy sensibility for a rollicking comedy, Thor: Ragnarok.

Which brings us to New Zealand’s Taiki Waititi, a comedy director of increasing international prominence. The man behind Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the riotous What We Do in the Shadows gets to play in the universe’s biggest sandbox, and he doesn’t waste the opportunity. In his third (more or less) solo outing, the god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth’s Thor) tentatively teams up with his half-brother the god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston’s Loki) to protect home realm Asgard from Ragnarok, the apocalypse promised their long-lost sister—uh oh—the goddess of death (Cate Blanchett’s Hela). Along the way, the odd-couple buddy comedy swaps buddies, pairing Thor with that not-so-jolly green giant the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, more recognizable in the form of near-hapless nice guy Bruce Banner).

The fast-moving plot also allows for plenty of wry bouncing around the universe, Douglas Adams-style. Much of the action takes place on the planet Sakaar, a sci-fi Roman Empire where a Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) distracts from his tyrannical elitism with gladiatorial contests, and a runaway Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson of Dear White People) exploits the system. Add the return of Anthony Hopkins as Asgardian ruler Odin, and you have another superhero movie bursting with riches: two Oscar winners, four Marvel superheroes (two in cameos I won’t spoil), three worlds worth of eye-popping production design, and enough gags to rule them all.

Waititi brings a cartoon sensibility to the film, with jokes literally flung into the background and punctuated with funny sound effects. In brief bursts, Thor: Ragnarok achieves the kind of grandeur the first Thor film considered necessary (a slo-mo flashback to a Valkyrie battle, for example), and certainly there’s enough spectacle to threaten exhaustion deep into the third act. If the film has a problem, it’s that the sheer volume of comedy renders the story nearly weightless despite the deaths of established franchise characters and the threat of the end of a world.

Thematically, Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t have much to offer, but it does, like Iron Man 3, devote some effort to rounding off a trilogy of films while opening a door to future adventures for its lead character. Above all, Waititi revs up this vehicle for a wild ride, the sort of wide-eyed adventure likely to send Marvel's giant core audience staggering out of the theater wearing a collective smile.

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