Talk about a difference four years can make.
After the less than stellar Thor: The Dark World, Marvel Studios kinda figured some changes had to be made to the God of Thunder's franchise. Natalie Portman wanted nothing to do with the series anymore, many of the remaining actors were bored, and audiences weren't very impressed with what they were seeing. So, what better way to inject some life into the weakest of Marvel's franchises than by giving it some much needed new blood?
While Christopher Yost did return as screenwriter again after Thor: The Dark World, much of the staff was brand new. Devo legend Mark Mothersbaugh came in to provide the music. Javier Aguirresarobe was brought on as director of photography. Erik Pearson, the man behind the scripts of many of Marvel's one-shots, was brought on to punch up the screenplay. Finally, a new director was brought on board with a completely singular style: Taika Waititi. This winning combination, along with the return of Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Hopkins, and Elba; as well as new cast additions like Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, and Mark Ruffalo reprising his role of Bruce Banner/Hulk, all adds up to by far the best Thor film to date. Even if there are still some problems.
Right from the very first scene, it's obvious this will be a very different Thor film. The story begins with Thor recapping events since we last saw him while he sits imprisoned in Muspelheim, a contrast from Odin's lore dumps that preceded the first two. The execution is quite different too; not only is Thor recounting events to a skeleton, but the tone is immediately noticeably quirkier. When Surtur, lord of Muspelheim, attempts to intimidate Thor, the scene is undercut by several gags. Then, when Thor swings into action, Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" comes roaring on, as if Waititi is declaring as soon as possible that this is a Thor film with attitude and with his stamp all over it.
I'm not going to go into too many spoilers since the movie is still relatively new, so I can't get into deep into the plot or all the surprises in store if you haven't watched Thor: Ragnarok yet. But I will say that that undercutting I mentioned is probably the film's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The humor in this film is so fresh in comparison to the relatively stale previous Thor movies, thanks to Waititi's encouragement of improvisation. One of Hemsworth's greatest abilities as an actor is his comedic ability, something that the first two films touched on plenty but Ragnarok fully embraces. However, it seems odd that Thor's behavior has changed so drastically since Age of Ultron, unless those two years gone searching for the Infinity Stones really messed with his head.
Still, for all the sharp humor in the movie (and there is a lot), there are a lot of gags that don't work. Many emotional moments are cut short by a gag. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. It makes me almost wish Waititi could have held himself back just a little bit. Sure, there's nothing wrong with making a funny movie, but too much levity could make it feel like there are no stakes. Considering all of Asgard is on the line in this story, the stakes should feel higher but that's hard to believe when everyone is cracking jokes or getting into slapstick. Characters we've grown to know die swiftly and painfully, but the movie doesn't allow these moments that should be tragic to linger.
Without going into too many spoilers, I had major issues with how Ragnarok handled the supporting cast of the last two films. I understand Jaimie Alexander couldn't reprise her role as Lady Sif due to obligations with Blindspot, but for her character to not even be mentioned was downright insulting. And the casual drop of why Jane Foster isn't in the film is particularly dismissive, although again understandable because Portman wanted nothing to do with this film after her miserable experience on The Dark World.
That being said, Thor: Ragnarok once again proves that Jeff Goldblum is a goddamn national treasure. He is unabashedly hilarious in this film from the second he shows up as the Grandmaster. Goldblum delivers his somehow Goldblumiest performance yet, with some absolutely amazing line delivery, witty improvisations, and brilliant banter between his fellow cast members. The second he pops up on screen, the film comes alive. This is no longer your average Thor film; this is a trippy outer space adventure that just happens to star Thor, Loki, and the Hulk.
The other new cast additions also carry much of what makes this film so strong. Tessa Thompson is delightful as Valkyrie, never once does she need to be rescued. Her sudden turn to help our heroes is a bit sudden, but earned all the same because of all the time we've spent with her. Cate Blanchett is mega intimidating as Hela and even though her character is pretty one-dimensional, Blanchett has a great time killing Asgardians with glee. She doesn't quite nail the comedic moments because they're often forced, though. Unfortunately, I think the movie kinda wastes Karl Urban as Skurge. His arc never seems to go anywhere, and it's resolved far too quickly without much satisfaction. In the end, his role could have been cut out and nothing of consequence would have been lost.
Other highlights to the cast include an cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role of Doctor Strange in a brief scene (teased at the end of his film) that's honestly better than his entire movie, made golden by Thor's reactions to his powers. This scene also has by far the best line of the entire film, but I'll let you guys discover that for yourself.
Mark Ruffalo manages to fit right into the scenario, as this movie works in the story of "Planet Hulk" without going too crazy about it. Ruffalo wants again gets to shine as the conflicted scientist scared of himself, now even more terrified because he was Hulked out for an extremely long period of time. This time around, Ruffalo plays Hulk 100% without any input from Lou Ferrigno, and he plays Hulk as an egotistical but insecure brute who knows he's not very smart, but actually feels like he belongs on Sakaar. But as Banner, he bounces off of Hemsworth's improvised lines wonderfully all while still trying to be the straight guy.
Thor: Ragnarok may rely too much on its humor, but it is a needed dose of levity considering this film leads almost directly into Avengers: Infinity War. It doesn't have much respect for the first two films, and instead chooses to throw those elements aside instead of trying to fix them. However, it is by far the best Thor film, thanks to Taika Waititi's ingenious creativity (and his brilliant appearance as Korg), the best cinematography of any MCU film, and Chris Hemsworth's freakish comedic talent. This is what Thor should have been all along, and time will only tell if Marvel agrees to continue this direction and give Thor a number...4.
We're going back to the small screen as Frank Castle returns for his own Netflix series, and he is ready to punish once again.
Next time: The Punisher
No comments:
Post a Comment