Thor: Ragnarok

Thomas Capone | Contributing Writer

“Thor: Ragnarok” is the first great Thor film in the franchise, thanks to the film’s director Taika Waititi. While remaining consistent with the other Thor installments, Waititi brings a new vibe to the table and totally revamps the series.

The film centers around Thor losing his hammer to the villain Hela, the Goddess of Death, who will use it to destroy Asgard, unless Thor can return in time to stop her. Along the way, he finds himself on the planet Sakaar, where, as seen in trailers for the film, he meets up with Hulk along with new characters Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, and Korg, played by director Taika Waititi.

Normally, a film’s cast has one or two characters who steal the film. But here, all the characters have great moments of both heart and comedy.

Hulk is given some of his best character development and Mark Ruffalo indicated that this film is the start of a mini Hulk trilogy that will play out through other films such as this May’s “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Chris Hemsworth is also at his best in this film. Hemsworth has struggled adopting other roles, but he comes into his own in this installment. It is also great to see Tom Hiddleston back as Loki, who also has a great mix of both comedic and heartfelt moments.

Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is set up as the female Han Solo. She excels at keeping the film’s tone balanced; the film never gets too dramatic or too comedic. Out of all the new characters in this film, Valkyrie is the one to look forward to seeing again the most.

Waititi also does a great job of varying the film’s comedic moments. Some scenes feel improvised and spur of the moment, while others feel more scripted. The humor is also consistent throughout the film and jokes that open the film are still referenced at the end of the film.

While the film does have lots of comedy, it does not detract from the very real issues of losing one’s home, or watching loved ones suffer and die.

Taika Waititi has arguably created the best directed film in the marvel franchise, finding the perfect balance between comedy and darkness. “Thor: Ragnarok” further develops Thor’s character while also introducing a continuous plot for other Marvel characters. “Ragnarok” is without a doubt the best Thor film so far and is one of the best films in the Marvel universe, earning the film a score of nine out of ten.