Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Directed by: Taika Waititi | 130 minutes | action, adventure, science fiction | Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Taika Waititi, Rachel House, Clancy Brown, Tadanobu Asano, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Georgia Blizzard, Amali Golden, Charlotte Nicdao

There’s no denying that the translation of Marvel comics about superheroes and all their combative experiences to the big screen has turned out to be a true formula for success. The arrival of successful comic book adaptations means that (especially) fans are eagerly looking forward to the next Marvel production. The public has since been introduced to a series of superheroes who individually – but also collectively in ‘The Avengers’ (2012) and ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015) – demonstrate which characteristic powers they control.

So is superhero Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Son of Odin. God of thunder. Avid hammer thrower. Stripped of his powers and banished to Earth in ‘Thor’ (2011) and fighter against the dark evil Malekith in ‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013). After Kenneth Branagh and Alan Taylor, the baton passes to Taika Waititi. A bold but excellent choice. The New Zealand director follows the characteristic guidelines of Marvel, but at the same time dares to unleash his own, so-called Taika style. The result is that the third film about Thor is not repeated, but rather involves the necessary mutations.

This time, Thor is up against his extremely vengeful sister Hela (Cate Blanchett), whose existence he never knew existed because Father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has kept it quiet from him and his adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) all along. But now that the beloved home of Asgard – or really everything – is in danger with the dreaded arrival of Hela, the Norse God has changed his mind. The siblings’ first meeting is anything but cordial, and a short-lived wormhole battle leaves Thor stranded without a hammer in the futuristic Sakaar (the dumping ground of the planets), while Hela manages to reach lush Asgard.

On Sakaar, Thor is reunited with Avenger companion Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) whose rages, including being a giant gladiator, are wonderfully expressed. Although there is a great variety between the different events, the adventures of Thor and others on Sakaar are more entertaining than what Hela, Goddess of death, is eating in Asgard in the meantime. When Thor and his gleaned “Revengers” team manage to escape the domination of the eccentric Grandmaster (played fantastically and playfully by famed Jeff Goldblum) in Star Wars-esque fashion, siblings eventually come face to face again. .

In ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014) the use of humor was a hit and that is apparently contagious because it soon becomes clear that often witty jokes also predominate in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. Waititi manages to keep up this wit from start to finish, largely thanks to the comedic performance by the star cast and the filmmaker himself also manages to use his voice in an amusing way. All this is (fortunately) not at the expense of the frequent action scenes. Although some battles are covered in more detail and are better developed than others, the musical use of, among others, Led Zeppelin’s appropriate Immigrant Song or the electronic beats of Magic Sword offers a solution. This gives the imaginative battles just that little bit extra.

To keep the authenticity of aliens intact, a little more attention could have been paid here and there to the inevitable use of CGI (special effects). Ragnarok means the end of everything, but this is not taken so seriously. Thor undergoes a serious transformation in this part: he not only loses his magical boomerang hammer, but also his long blond locks have to suffer. It gives the superhero a tougher look and he finds an even more powerful substitute for his hammer. Cate Blanchett has the honor of playing the first female villain in a Marvel film and she lives up to it. As the unrelenting Hela, she knows how to change her hair into jet-black antlers in a (literal) instant, which improves her enemy appearance. Tom Hiddleston knows how to put Loki down again in a devious way and Thessa Thompson shines in her role as tipsy Valkyrie. A pleasant guest role is reserved for Benedict Cumberbatch with his short but powerful performance as Doctor Strange and the faithful cameo appearance of Stan Lee, one of the creators of the Marvel comics, is also worth mentioning.

Mark Ruffalo captured the attention of thousands of fans during the world premiere of ‘Thor: Ragnarok’. He had put away his phone but left his Instagram livestream on, so that followers got to hear the first fifteen minutes of the film in terms of sound. An unintentional Hulk action or perhaps a brilliant marketing stunt? In any case, it has generated quite a bit of interest. The combination of humor and action makes the film a pleasure to watch and compared to the previous two films, the latest Thor is in many ways “Marvelous”.