More comedic than menacing ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ channels ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ humor
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Thor: Ragnarok,” the third in what many assume to be the final installment of the franchise, departs from the earnest spectacle of its predecessors in favor of the broader, more comedic feel of “Guardians of the Galaxy” — its stablemate in the Marvel/Disney menagerie of cosmic narratives.
No longer stressed over some menace looming over Earth, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is reintroduced to audiences as a self-aware god on a hero’s journey through the Nine Worlds. Along the way, audiences are tipped off to expect as much slapstick as mythological menace during the two-hour film.
Take the opening scene — please. Thor is trussed up in chains over a fire pit in Muspelheim, the realm of Surtur, the fire demon of Norse mythology who is destined to consume Asgard with unquenchable flame at Ragnarok.
While Surtur sits on his throne prattling on as villains are inclined to do when they believe they have the upper hand, Thor apologizes for the chain slowly spinning him so that his back is to the giant fire demon half the time — depriving Surtur the dignity of being seen gloating. It’s an oddball scene that effectively establishes Rated: the tone of the film — for better or worse.
After freeing himself and forestalling the menace of Surtur, Thor returns to Asgard to find the realm of the gods under the rule of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) disguised as Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Asgard has fallen on hard times under Loki’s rule, so Thor presses his childhood friend and rival into service to find Odin and return him to his rightful throne.
Thor and Loki’s quest takes them to Earth where they encounter another Marvel superhero who recently starred in his own movie. That hero helps Thor and Loki reconnect with Odin, who then informs them that he has an older child, a daughter named Hela (Cate Blanchett) that neither knew existed. Hela is determined to conquer Asgard, the place she once called home. As Odin disintegrates into a puff of colorful sparkles, the beautiful, but deadly Hela materializes and is immediately confronted by Thor and Loki.
It turns out that Hela, who calls herself the goddess of death, is more powerful than both. When they attempt to retreat to Asgard through a dimensional portal, Thor and Loki are thrown off course and redirected to Sakaar, a planet that is part gladiatorial arena and part garbage dump.
Thor is taken prisoner by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), a troubled woman with her own ties to Asgard. She delivers her prisoner to the Grandmaster (Jeff