No more calling Thor the “weak link” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not after the sheer scope of “Thor: Ragnarok,” the third in the thunder god’s trilogy and undeniably the greatest.
While his fellow Avengers have been having some compatibility issues on Earth, Thor (Chris Hemsworth, equal parts heroic and cheeky) has been crisscrossing the Nine Realms for some dirt on the Infinity Stones.
He returns to Asgard empty-handed, just in time to see Hela, Goddess of Death, escape her other-dimensional prison. Cate Blanchett is the vengeful would-be queen, with malice on her mind and a twinge of psycho in her eyes. “Darling, you have no idea what’s possible,” she sneers, reveling in her own supremacy. No one’s gonna stop her when she comes for Asgard’s throne.
The ensuing clash sends Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston, fiendish as ever) to the wastes of Sakaar, a psychedelic space-city straight out of a Ziggy Stardust song. The orchestrator of Sakaar’s famed gladiatorial contest is the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), watching all the while from his glitzy skybox. Think delusional suburban dad with a control complex, and you’ll start to get the picture.
Thor gets promptly snatched up for Grandmaster’s arena games, the champion of which is big, green and has a legion of adoring fans. Together, Hulk and Thor have to smash their way off Sakaar before Hela sends Asgard into the abyss.
Marvel movies have always been characters-first affairs. With that in mind, every story should take them a few steps ahead, but here, the heroes move forward in leaps and bounds.
Robbed of his hammer and his blonde mane, Thor has to scratch and claw like us lowly mortals to get to Hela. Bad-boy Loki’s hoping for a shot at redemption. Ex-warrior Valkyrie, played by an all-around badass Tessa Thompson, tries to keep her old demons drowned in booze, but some encouragement from the thunder god sends her back to the front lines. Big props to Mark Ruffalo for injecting new life into the Hulk and even more frantic nerves into Bruce Banner.
Bubbling in the subtext is the dire threat of Ragnarok, Asgard’s predestined destruction, but Kiwi director Taika Waititi is careful not to get too heavy-handed. Tensions run high but never stray into morbidity.
“Ragnarok” also makes stakes in its claim for the funniest Marvel movie ever. The banter between Thor and his rage-fueled frenemy, not to mention the constant one-upmanship between the Asgardian brothers, makes for a plethora of giggle-worthy moments. Waititi is a comedy class act as Korg, a squeaking man-mountain of stone whose best friend is an insect who has knives for hands (Korg’s words).
For every laugh, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, and that means Michael Bay-worthy levels of outer-space destruction, plus the rematch of the century when Hulk and Thor throw down in Grandmaster’s pit.
“Ragnarok” gets so sky-high insane that the plot sometimes comes close to burning out, but its host of top-notch characters keeps things from spinning too far out of control.
Most pieces of “Ragnarok” still feel fresh, no small feat when we’re seventeen movies deep into the MCU. It’s got hints of “Avengers” grandeur and “Guardians of the Galaxy” snark, but only gods and monsters can deliver this kind of epic. Sit back and enjoy the lightshow.
Oh, and make sure you stick around after the credits for not one, but two post-credit scenes that will play major dividends in Avengers: Infinity War.