Thor: Ragnarok

I am a huge fan of Marvel and Norse mythology. I didn't know what to expect before I watched this movie. Honestly, I wasn't such a huge fan of the previous two movies of Thor, but I can tell you that this movie is the best Thor movie of all time. I watched this movie much later after it was released, so yes, I know this is so overdue. Better late than never right?

Ragnarök

Before I get on to the review, let me just tell you a bit about Norse mythology. Ragnarok, in Old Norse, means 'Doom of the Gods'. Long story short, Ragnarok is the end of the world followed by the cycle of new life. Led by Loki, he, his horde of Frost Giants and He'ls army of the undead attack the gods. Hel is the goddess of death, and also Loki's daughter. The aftermath of the battle saw the death of most of the gods, including Thor and Odin. The wolf and also Loki's son, Fenrir, killed Odin by swallowing him whole. Heimdallr and Loki fought to death. Thor killed the world serpent Jörmungandr but died due to his wounds exposed by poison. Flames by dragon Nidhug spread across the world, killing whatever was left. After Ragnarok, a new earth rose from the sea.

Marvel vs Mythology

So let's get back to the movie. Compared to the Norse mythology, Marvel's version of Ragnarok is very tame. Let's compare three similarities and differences:

1. Hel or Hela is Odin's first born in the movie and also Thor's older sister. As mentioned before, Hel is one of Loki's three monstrous children. The wolf Fenrir is actually her brother. She does not set Ragnarok in motion; It's Loki.

2. Valkyries are actually reapers. They reap the souls of the fallen warriors. But like the movie, it is true that Valkyries are a superior group of flying women warriors (how cool is that though?).

3. The ending. In the movie, Loki and Thor and well, everyone else (except Odin) survives. There's no end of the world, just the destruction of Asgard. Instead of Nidhug burning the entire place, it's Surtur in the movies.

MCU Version

Thor: Ragnarok is arguably the funniest superhero movie ever made. Because of its comedic tone, Thor: Ragnarok is a very lighthearted movie, shifting the grim reality of the impending Infinity War. Right from the start of this movie, it made me laugh all the way to the end. It begins with Thor giving a monologue as he is being chained up. I loved the way Thor talks and acts towards the fire demon, Surtur, especially the line "Surtur, son of a bitch" after Surtur addressed Thor as "Thor, son of Odin".

The interaction between The God of Thunder and his brother, well adopted brother, The God of Mischief, is perhaps the funniest exchange. Loki's "Oh shit" is quite memorable when Thor finds out that he is posing as Odin. The pair then travels to Midgard where Loki had left Odin in an old folks' home but it is being demolished. Loki is transported elsewhere by Doctor Strange while Thor makes his way to Doctor Strange's home. I didn't quite get the part of Doctor Strange appearing in the movie, but it did serve up a lot of laughs. We will, however, get to see Doctor Strange in Infinity War. Loki's funny line: "I have been falling for 30 minutes!" is really good.

I'm a little confused as to why Odin seemingly happened to die right before Hela arrives. It seemed a little unrealistic and I had really hoped to see Odin in battle. It would have been a much meaningful death if Odin is killed in battle. But I get why Odin had to die. If not, the throne wouldn't have been empty and Thor wouldn't get a helping hand during his fight with Hela. Hela appears as a powerful being (further proof is the destruction of the Mjölnir and her past with Odin) but having almost similar character as Loki when she orders them to kneel. Loki then calls for the bifrost but Hela follows them, throwing Thor and Loki out of it.

Thor finds himself in another planet called Sakaar created by the Grandmaster. In this artificial planet, he meets Loki who had already suited himself in the new environment. As a prisoner, Thor is forced to be a gladiator. Thor finds out the truth about his captor, who happens to be the last Valkyrie. In the gladiator match, he fends himself against the crowd favourite, which is The Hulk. Loki's reaction towards Thor vs Hulk is just as entertaining to watch.

Thor manages to get Bruce Banner out of The Hulk. Thor repeating the lines 'the sun is getting real low' ends up irritating Bruce Banner (I was laughing too much at this point). Thor assembles his own team called 'The Revengers' (it just goes to show how creative our beloved God of Thunder is) consisting of Loki, Bruce Banner and Valkyrie. In order to get out of the planet, the team needs to steal a ship. The 'Get Help' method used by Thor and Loki is making fun of the trope and it left me in tears. Of course, Thor sees right through his brother and leaves Loki behind, knowing that he will get out one way or another.

Thor and his entourage (or en-Thor-rage) arrive in Asgard where chaos has already reigned. Asgardians, saved and led by Heimdall, proceed along the bifrost, only to get caught in between Fenrir and the army. Thankfully, Loki and the other warriors arrive in a ship big enough to fit everyone in. While Bruce Banner turns into Hulk (a tad bit late after he slammed onto the bifrost) to fight against Fenrir and Valkyrie shooting off the army with a huge gun, Thor makes his way to fight Hela. Thor loses his eye during the fight but gains the upper hand by using his real strength, the lightning. That was not enough. Thor then orders Loki to take Surtur's crown and place it in the eternal fire. Loki spots the Tesseract and we all know he's taking it. Surtur kills Hela and torches the whole of Asgard.

Asgard is not a place, it's a people

Even though Asgard is gone, the Asgardians are safe and are en route to Midgard. Thor now dons an eyepatch, a parallel to Odin. Hopefully, Thor is a much better ruler than Odin was. But as Thor and Loki overlook space, they see a huge ship looming over them.

I'm really curious to find out more and I definitely can't wait for Infinity War. Thank you Loki, son of Laufey, for not killing Thor and yourself. If Ragnarok happened for real, there wouldn't be any realms left, no people and definitely no Infinity War (and is that a... good thing?).

Critique

Marvel is great with their movies because they know how to hook their audience. For this movie, I would say that their dialogue, especially the funny ones, is much better than the plot. It would have been nice to see more of Hela. In this movie, it is as though she's just another villain trying to take the throne but does nothing to spread her reign (other than killing the guards). Hela's character is focused too much on her past.

An underrated character is Skurge, also known as 'The Executioner' (though he hasn't executed anyone). All he wanted is a chance to prove himself. Initially, he is just another villain working for Hela but he redeems himself by sacrificing to save the Asgardians. Skurge is funny right in the beginning and I love his two guns named 'Des' and 'Troy'. In the end, Skurge did prove himself by showing that he is a saviour and not some coward.

Of course, what is a Marvel movie without Stan Lee? Stan Lee made a cameo in this movie as a barber who cut off Thor's glorious golden locks (I really miss that lovely hair). However, Chris Hemsworth still looks dashing as his face chiseled by the gods themselves. Well, technically, Chris Hemsworth is playing the role of a god, so he's not far off from a god.

I'm a little upset that Marvel didn't follow the Norse mythology's Ragnarok, but perhaps it's for the best. As mentioned above, I really like to see the full gang altogether for the Infinity War.

Rating

If you're feeling really down, watching Thor: Ragnarok really makes your day. A rating of 8/10 seems appropriate for a hilariously good movie.

[Tags: #Marvel #Thor #TheAvengers #Loki #Ragnarok #movie]