Without a doubt, “Thor: Ragnarok” is the best movie of the “Thor” franchise. It feels very different from the serious and epic tone of the first two films and dives into the more comedic elements of the character, a tone one would expect from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This film has many differences from its comedy to its characters and the changes are welcomed.
As you may have seen in the trailers, the latest entry in the “Thor” franchise is not based on earth. It takes place mostly in space which is a nice and more interesting touch. It makes “Ragnarok” feel less tied to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but of course, still contains plenty of Marvel characters. We see the contest of champions run by the infamous being known as the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), brother to the Collector seen in “Thor: The Dark World” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” In the contest, we get to see a battle between Thor and The Hulk, which is advertised heavily in the trailers. Overall, the departure from earth (although a few scenes still take place there) is a good choice.
As mentioned before, this movie has a completely different tone than the last two in the franchise. While the first movie focused on Thor becoming more mature and preparing to rule and the second focused on the character development between Loki and Thor, this one feels a lot more loose. It still has the epic action and feel that “Thor” movies are known for but it shows that Chris Hemsworth has a comedic side, one that we will hopefully see more of in the upcoming films. Especially now that the stakes couldn’t be higher, the lightheartedness that the characters bring to the movie really makes it much more fun.
Apart from Thor and Loki, almost the entire cast of “Ragnarok” is different from the other two movies. This isn’t a bad thing because it showcases the way characters like the Hulk and Loki interact when they are forced to work together which really makes everything feel like a fresh take on these characters. Bringing more people into the already-chaotic MCU right before next year’s “Avengers: Infinity War” is an interesting call and I’d like to see how it ends up later. While many characters from the “Thor” franchise aren’t in this movie, “Ragnarok” gives light to a new beginning for the character.
A huge difference between this movie and the others is space. Thor has always been a character with more fantasy elements than science fiction, with the gods and monsters carried over from the comic book. We see less of that this time out and more sci-fi elements one would expect from “Guardians of The Galaxy.” Throwing Thor into a sci-fi setting and seeing how he deals with his environment is cool and interesting. Seeing the Hulk and Thor in space is an awesome experience as well.
Overall, “Thor: Ragnarok” has a very different feel from its predecessors and it’s a lot better. It’s never boring or lackluster like the previous installments, feels engaging and is filled with action and comedy. The new tone fits the characters better. “Thor: Ragnarok” is a great movie and is definitely worth your time.
Chris, 15, is a sophomore at DeKalb School of the Arts. He mainly reports on Hip-Hop and entertainment.
