Will ‘Ragnarok’ be the franchise’s biggest film?
ONE OF the more common critical swipes at Marvel Studios’ Thor franchise has been that despite the comic chops of its stars, the tone has been as weighty as the superhero’s hammer, if not his gold-tress extensions.
In “Thor: Ragnarok” (opening Nov 3), the third film in the Asgard series, Disney/Marvel’s myth-laced muscleman sheds his long locks, and with them, it seems, the pseudoShakespearean gravity of the cinematic proceedings.
Because fresh director Taika Waititi has lightened the mood, “Ragnarok” is the best-received Thor film so far among critics. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) again suit up, aided and abetted by the humour of Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hera (Cate Blanchett) and Grandmaster (a wry, campy Jeff Goldblum).
Both previous films, 2011’s “Thor” (score: 57) and 2013’s “Thor: The Dark World” (54), receivedmiddling aggregate marks from Metacritic. “Ragnarok,” on the other hand, has a next-level 74 as
of Monday, based on 17 reviews. (“Ragnarok” also has a 98 per cent “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, far above “Thor’s” 77 and “Dark World’s” 66.) “Ragnarok’s” scores could dip a bit as more reviews arrive, but the trend should hold to form.
The challenge for critics, it seems, is how best to describe the franchise’s fun-loving new vibe.
“Daft as a badger sandwich and twice as funny,” writes Empire’s James Dyer who, like Total Film’s Kevin Harley, tabs this the Marvel cinematic universe’s most humorous film yet.
“A goofy, kitschy-but-fun romp,” says IGN’s Jim Vejvoda.
And Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Nashawaty calls the selfaware movie “basically a Joke Delivery System.”
What many of the critics especially agree on is that given Marvel’s decade of Hollywood superhero domination, steering Thor toward the funny was a necessary tack — a countermeasure “against the inevitable creative fatigue,” writes Screen International’s Tim Grierson.
“’Thor: Ragnarok’ is almost an admission that you can’t play this material straight,” says the Guardian’s Steve Rose. “This is probably the wisest strategy.”
One that could have Marvel laughing all the way to the bank, as “Ragnarok” — following a US$645 million worldwide haul for “The Dark World” — has a shot at becoming the first Thor film to top US$700 million. — WPBloomberg