A Riotous Buddy Comedy in Space, Spiritual Sibling to Marvel's Guardians

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2017)

I had concerns after Ragnarok's trailers. Not because they were weak, but more the opposite: I worried that the finished product couldn't live up to the steep expectations they'd set. That, and I had anxiety that the out-of-nowhere neon '80s theme would be a thin, superficial gimmick, slapped on to ride a trend and nothing more. In both respects, I couldn't have been more wrong. The trailer's just the tip of the iceberg for this epic, sprawling, colorful, unabashedly hilarious joyride of an adventure. It does the big blockbuster moments well, with power and meaning and a shiver-inducing use of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" in two key spots. The dialog is right on-point for the duration, looser and more conversational than any of the previous Marvel films. Credit director Taika Waititi for that, allowing the cast to ad-lib freely in nearly every scene. Sakaar, a new planet that doubles as hub for all the universe's discarded crap, is a day-glow fantasy that would've been right at home in one of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. In that setting, the retro graphics and glitchy synth score (a wonderful contribution from Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh) feel natural, and we're able to enjoy a fresh perspective on the Avengers' resident lightning-slinger. It does attempt to do an awful lot - I haven't even mentioned Cate Blanchett's sinister turn as this week's dark flavor - and that gives the first hour a rather scattered, random personality. Everything comes together nicely in time for the grand climax, though, and I left the theater with a huge grin and a new favorite of the MCU. It's everything I wanted, and a few things I didn't know I needed.