Thor Ragnarok

Thor returns with tons of laughs!

Happy belated Halloween to y'all! And just when you thought the superhero film ranking was led by Logan & Wonder Woman, voilá! Disney, ahem!, Marvel Studios returns with a vengeance in Thor Ragnarok! Let's admit it, the latest entries in the MCU have been rather mediocre archetypes of previous more successful efforts. Doctor Strange, Spider-Man Homecoming & Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 lacked most of what made other MCU films interesting or worth seeing at least. Anyway, and after two films that were good enough but not excellent, the mighty God of Thunder finally gets the film he deserves! and to make matters even better, you don't even need to watch Thor: The Dark World in order to fully understand what goes on in this new installment of "point blank" as Tony Stark calls Thor.

First of all, let's get rid of the "Aw,but the Ragnarok event in mythology has great battles, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters" nonsensical crap. These movies don't have to stick to the myth or comic books, by the book. The MCU is its own right thing. For instance,in Norse mythology, Fenrir (the giant dog) is the son of Loki and Hela is also the child of Loki. Now tell me how the hell Marvel is gonna show us Hela and Fenrir as Loki's children? Loki is already a well established and grounded character. At this point,I don't think any director/writer could change Loki's past and introduce Fenrir and Hela,as Loki's kids cause this would also bring tons of questions,plot holes and flaws.

Thor is back!

And so does his mischievous brother!

For the sake of MCU continuity,Marvel had to make changes in the Norse Myth and in the comics, and it fucking worked wonders!. Still, the film is mainly based on the Thor comics storylines "Ragnarok" (Thor discovers Asgard is doomed to Ragnarok and must fight to stop it from happening) and the Surtur saga (Surtur appears, and Thor and Loki team up to stop him). It also incorporates elements of the Marvel storylines "Contest of Champions" (the Grandmaster and Death host a tournament) and "Planet Hulk" (the Hulk becomes a gladiator on an alien world).

The performances of the main cast are impressive and exceptional.This movie also showed us the real "God of Thunder". For the first time he was extremely powerful without his hammer. That lighting streaming all over his body was pure awesomeness. In addition, the newly refreshing score/soundtrack really upped the overall musical environment to whole new levels. The eightish sound the score has, plus the varied color palette the many worlds seen on screen have, really drive you back to epic adventures filmed in the 1980's! And don't get me started on using "Immigrant Song"! a Led Zeppelin classic that screams God of Thunder!. Led Zeppelin rarely borrows their music for other media, and I'm sure they made the right choice when they noticed their lyrics fit the movie like a glove. Feel like singing?

Here's one of the greatest song ever written for your listening pleasure:

And just so you don't get lost in translation, here are the lyrics so that you can see how fantastic the soundtrack choice is:

Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!

We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
We'll drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming!

On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore

Ah-ah, ah!
Ah-ah, ah!

We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow
How soft your fields so green
Can whisper tales of gore
Of how we calmed the tides of war
We are your overlords

On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore

So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

 

Hela, goddess from hell!

The grandmaster and his "imprisoned workers".

This movie is mostly targeted for everybody looking for a good time. As stated above, you don't need any knowledge from previous Thor films and even other MCU movies which is great, because if you can entertain people that are not familiar with your products, it's because you're making fucking masterpieces! So, ten thumbs up for director Taika Waititi. 

Moreover, They finally gave hulk a personality. Even though he looks all big,formidable and scary,he was kinda adorable every time he talks. So glad they finally made him talk. Also, they really improved his CGI.This is the definitive version of Hulk in the MCU. Even the haircut they gave him made him look better.

Hulk smashes again!

Doctor Strange is in the craft beer industry now.

The newcomer, Tessa Thompson surprised me with her performance. They say she based her character's personality in Terminator's Sarah Connor. The criticism on why she isn't a white actress (like in the Norde myth) is completely pointless, and biased. She kicks ass in the role because of her talent, not because of her look.

Taika Waititi felt that, despite the events of the film setting up Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the film would not only stand on its own, but reinvent the franchise: "A lot of what we're doing with the film is, in a way, dismantling and destroying the old idea and rebuilding it in a new way that's fresh. Everyone's got a slightly new take on their characters, so in that way, it feels like Thor (2011)."And boy does Thor Ragnarok feel refreshing!. Waititi decribes his film as a "1970s and 80s science fiction fantasy, the most 'out there' of all the Marvel movies." He cited Big Trouble in Little China (1986) as a major influence on the film: "It's a fun adventure film that has big stakes, but also has a breakneck speed and takes you on a crazy adventure."

Girl power. Real girl power.

The Revengers!

Director Taika Waititi said that he wanted to showcase Chris Hemsworth's comedic talent in this film: "He's so good and underutilized in that department. He's legitimately one of the funniest things in this film." In addition, Hemsworth had to bulk up again for his role as the mighty god Thor. He had to follow a strict diet, and workout six to seven times a week, and eat around six thousand calories a day. Hemsworth's trainer, Luke Zocchi, revealed that Hemsworth put on twenty pounds of muscle for his role in the film, taking his weight over two hundred pounds for the film, by following an "old-school bodybuilding regime lifting a large weight-load for small number of reps." Zocchi revealed Hemsworth's favorite body part to train was his biceps, saying, "We design the workout around the body parts he's gonna be showing off the most, he's gonna have his arms and shoulders showing (through the sleeveless armor), so that's the thing we really focus on building up. He probably bicep curls thirty kilo dumbbells on average, each hand, so one hundred twenty pounds total. We always do seated incline curls, standing curls, and hammer curls. We started lighter and slowly, progressively get heavier." Zocchi said they are trying to deliver Hemsworth's best physique yet for this film.  

Tom Hiddleston  on the other hand, explains that since Thor: The Dark World (2013), "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification, not so much on good governance. Loki has always tested the limits of his power and the boundaries placed upon him. He doesn't just stick his finger in the electrical plug socket, he burns the house down. And now he has to deal with the consequences." He then adds, "It's in Loki's nature to change. He's a mercurial spirit, and the minute you try to define him he changes shape. But events in Ragnarok try and inspire him to change forever. The Goddess of Death shows up, and the stakes are high for everybody, so Loki, perhaps more than ever, is challenged to define himself in the face of that threat. He and Thor are in such an extraordinary situation where everything is so unfamiliar that their familiarity, as family members, becomes important." 

BFFs!

Suit up Revengers!

Unlike some people's petty,shallow claims,I don't think marvel is always using the same formula again and again since 2008. Cause if they fallowed that path since 2008,people wouldn't watch their movies for the past 9 years.And they definitely couldn't create the highest-grossing franchise of the planet without their major players like Fantastic 4,X-men and Spider man. 

Overall, Thor: Ragnarok plunges headfirst into unbridled comedy and Waititi gives his actors ample room to showcase their natural comedic talents, especially Hemsworth and Blanchett, who are rarely seen having so much fun. Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Ruffalo also shine, and Tessa Thompson steals scenes as Valkyrie, a hard-drinking Asgardian bounty hunter and former member of Odin's elite guard. Overall, the film benefits from its director's distinct style and measured irreverence, giving Thor a welcome boost of vitality.

Here's the movie trailer: