Veknoid_Outcast on 17 April 2018
Ragnarok...
The good:
- Direction. A good director can really elevate these superhero movies. Just look at Raimi or Nolan or Whedon. Taika Waititi was most definitely the right man for the job. His mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows was intelligent and witty and droll, and so too is this latest Thor flick. There's a looseness here, and an improvisational mood, that really benefits the production.
- Humor. Dear thunder lord, is this movie uproarious. Hemsworth is naturally funny, and the script lets him loose. Everything from Thor's interrogation scene to the Asgardian play (with cute cameos from Matt Damon and Sam Neill) to Bruce getting trapped in a parade honoring his alter ego -- it's laugh-out-loud funny. But the funniest part, by far, is...
- Jeff Goldblum. The man deserves his own line. Everything Goldblum does in this movie is pure gold. Every line, every gesture, every facial tic is priceless. His grandmaster is idiosyncratic, insouciant, and mysterious.
- Production design. The cinematography is nothing to write home about, but the production design, by Lord of the Rings alum Dan Hennah, is pretty great. Sakaar, with its heaps of trash, retrofitted buildings, and gladiatorial arena, is of course the highlight.
- No. Fucking. Natalie. Portman.
The bad:
- Hela and all the Asgardian stuff. Don't get me wrong; it's not terrible. It just pales in comparison to the wacky adventures and alliance-building on Sakaar. Hela is another in a long line of "meh" MCU villains, even if Blanchett is pretty good in the role. Some of her action scenes are a little unconvincing, too. She seems to go full digital in her battle with Hogun.
- Doctor Strange. This feels like unnecessary world-building, and it doesn't really serve the narrative.
- Odin's passing. I really, really like this scene on paper. I needed like three more minutes with it. It feels rushed. We bounce from Asgard to NY to Norway SO fast, and an iconic character departs far too quickly. The familial stuff with Loki/Thor/Odin is so rich in dramatic potential. Why not use it to its fullest?
7/10
Updated rankings:
OUTSTANDING
1) Captain America: Civil War
GREAT
2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3) Iron Man
GOOD
4) Guardians of the Galaxy
5) The Avengers
6) Spider-Man: Homecoming
7) Thor: Ragnarok
8) Iron Man 3
DECENT
9) Black Panther
10) Captain America
11) The Incredible Hulk
12) Avengers: Age of Ultron
13) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
MEDIOCRE
14) Doctor Strange
15) Ant-Man
16) Iron Man 2
POOR
17) Thor
18) Thor: The Dark World
