Thor: Ragnarok Hammers Out A Hit

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2019)

Despite how poorly directed and filmed the movies Thor and Thor: The Dark World were, the third movie in the franchise, Thor: Ragnarok, brings comedy, action, and new characters to the table. Thor: Ragnarok is beautifully filmed and directed by Taika Waititi, who had previously acted in the unfortunate movie The Green Lantern. Not only did Waititi direct and produce the film, but he also starred in it as a side character, Korg. I find this movie fascinating due to its marvelous acting, comical script, and astonishing photography.
This movie is about Thor's struggle to defeat his older sister, Hela, the Goddess of Death. This journey takes him to multiple planets where he meets new and old characters. Thor starts out in the Underworld where he fights a demon named Surtur who was prophesied to destroy his home. Later on in Sakaar, Thor gets reunited with the Hulk and meets new heroes such as Valkyrie and Korg. While Thor was stuck on another planet, Hela was planning on taking over all realms in the universe. She raised her army of dead soldiers and her giant wolf Fenris. With the help of his friends, Thor escapes Sakaar and flies back to Asgard. Thor and his friends take on Hela and her army. As they struggle to fight them, Loki, his brother, shows up with an army of prisoners from Sakaar. Thor then fights Hela, and while he does so, he uses his true powers to help fight her. He strikes her with a lightning bolt. Unable to defeat his sister, Thor had nothing else to turn to, but I will not spoil the ending for you.
One thing I enjoyed about this film was the incredible acting. Chris Hemsworth, who had taken on the role of Thor four times before (Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers, and Avengers: Age of Ultron), used his superhero experience to create an amazing, lively, hilarious character in the latest Thor movie. Not only did Hemsworth portray a perfect Thor character, but he even improved from the previous movies from the franchise. Hemsworth wasn't the only talented actor that was thrown into the mix. Actors such as Tom Hiddleston (Thor, Thor: The Dark World), Cate Blanchett (Carol, The Gift), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk, The Avengers), and Tessa Thompson (Creed) also starred in the film. Although Mark Ruffalo is an extremely accomplished actor, his role in this movie lacked some personality. I personally believe that he could have put a little more effort into his performance. On the other hand as a newer actress in Hollywood, Tessa Thompson had a giant role to fill. Although her experience is limited, Thompson was not a let down. She couldn't have been a better fit for the part. From her snarky looks to her skillful fighting, Thompson was the best Valkyrie possible.
Another great thing that was added to the movie were the classic Marvel cameos. Of course, none other than Stan Lee himself was the one who gave Thor a haircut. Dr. Stephen Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange, The Imitation Game) had also appeared in the beginning of the film. Once in Asgard, Thor witnessed a play that was being put on about Loki's tragic death. The actor who played Loki was actually Matt Damon (Jason Bourne, The Martian) and Thor was actually played by Hemsworth's least known brother, Luke Hemsworth (Hickok, The Anomaly).
Lastly I loved the way they filmed the movie, the effects and photography were absolutely superb. Waititi, the director, used brilliant colors and astounding special effects to draw in the viewer. All the effects blended in seamlessly, all scenes connected perfectly together. Not only were the effects great, but Waititi showed both sides to the confrontation. At some points, the movie would only focus on what Thor and his allies were doing, and then on the other side, viewers would get to see the devious plans Hela had for the Universe. Waititi used his special effects to also create some of the most iconic entrance scenes in Marvel history. When entering the fight with Hela, Thor dropped down from the sky in slow motion, lightning bolts crackling and exploding from his skin. Valkyrie entered by walking, also in slow motion, along the beautiful rainbow bridge, dressed in her iconic warrior uniform, with gigantic fireworks exploding in the background. Although some of the entrances were serious yet prodigious, Waititi decided to put some comedy back into the way he filmed this movie. The Hulk's entrance was my favorite one of all. He started off as Bruce Banner, observing Fenris from a spaceship. Banner decided to aid in the fight by taking on Fenris and releasing the Hulk. So he jumped out of the plane, and without turning into the Hulk, Banner crashed onto the bridge and laid there until he was able to turn.
One of the key themes to this movie is peace. In every Marvel movie, the goal of the hero is to create peace within the world. Each hero has to defeat a villain that comes their way in order to keep harmony in the universe. Another major theme within this movie is power. Throughout the movies Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, Loki and Thor had power disputes. Loki wanted to take control over the throne, he even pretended to be King Odin. However, in this film it is Hela who truly wants to seize power of the throne. Although Loki, Hela, and Thor all fight about power, Thor doesn't really care about being king. He just wants the best for his people. In the end, Thor ends up as the newest King of Asgard.
In conclusion I find this movie to be one of the best movies in the Marvel movie series. I enjoy watching this movie because not only does it tell the story of a hero, but it takes the viewer on an extremely fun and adventurous journey through different realms. This film was also enjoyable because of the way the director wrote the script and executed the movie.