Thor: Ragnarok: Review

• My jaw is officially dropped.

• Plot Summary: "Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization."

• So I said in my review for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, I think that the MCU had gone overboard with their humor. It bothered me a bit in Doctor Strange, it really bothered me in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, they have hit an entirely new level. Thor Ragnarok is flirting with being a spoof movie. Now I don't want to be a grouch. Everyone loves to laugh. Spaceballs might be my favorite comedy of all time. I love that the comic book movie genre is finding ways to make their movies different. Logan was essentially a western. Wonder Woman was a war movie. Spider-Man Homecoming was like a John Huges movie. But I think the problem with making a spoof movie out of a universe that has already been established, is that it completely changes the characters and it makes you not take ANYTHING seriously.

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• If you can essentially think of Thor: Ragnarok as a pocket universe from the MCU, I think you can really enjoy this movie. I think the problem with Guardians Vol. 2 is that it was constantly being conflicted between humor and emotions. Whenever I was supposed to take something seriously or be emotional, it would completely undercut it with a joke. I don't think that ‪Thor: Ragnarok‬ has anything to undercut. It's a really funny movie. I had a really fun time. I think that for what Taika Waititi was going for, he succeeded. I just wish that this movie would have been something else. I thought that a third Thor movie could have been really good. I thought that this could be the final battle between Thor and Loki for the thrown, and all the while Asgard is about to be destroyed and Hulk is there. I think that it could have been a pretty epic battle. But I think you should go see this and take it for what it is.

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• Some of the stuff that Taika Waititi threw into this movie made my jaw drop. One particular scene towards the beginning is straight up something Mel Brooks would do. I'm not gonna spoil any of the jokes. This is probably the funniest MCU movie. The theater I saw it in, everybody was laughing. A guy behind me snorted at a couple of the jokes. I love the trailer when the used The Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin. That song is used twice in the movie. I'm a sucker for a good adrenaline song in a movie (probably why I loved Baby Driver). The second time they use that song, I thought to myself "This is actually pretty awesome right now." I think there's enough action to satisfy but not impress you at all. I think some of the CGI and the fight sequences aren't going to age well at all.

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• Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo are both great at comedy. Tessa Thompson was a cool addition to the cast. Jeff Goldblum was perfect for the character that Taika Waititi gave him. There's a character named Korg played by Taika Waititi that was really funny. They way that character talked alone made me laugh. I don't think that Cate Blanchett belongs in this movie at all. If they would have used her character in a better movie, she would have been awesome. She's can play a great villain. And she did the best she could with what she was given and the movie that she was in. The stuff they make her say and the movie they've put her in just doesn't work for me.

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• So look, I had a really fun time watching this movie because I embraced what I was given. I don't at all like that this is the path that the MCU has chosen to go. Taika Waititi has completely screwed up anything that The Russo Brothers want to do with Hulk. I can enjoy a good comedy (which this was one), but I just think that movies like Thor or ‪Guardians of the Galaxy‬ can be something new and fresh and not have to be a comedy and completely change the characters and the world. I think you could have made this like a classic epic like Braveheart or Gladiator and end the conflict between Thor and Loki. But instead we have Mark Ruffalo in his everyday clothes flying a spaceship. Comedy is a complicated genre ESPECIALLY when it's in an established universe or series. So for now, I can have a good time and worry about how Infinity War is gonna look later. My grade for Thor: Ragnarok is a B+