THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) ****

Thor:  Ragnarok is set in the Iron Man 3 mold.  A fresh and energetic director (in this case, What We Do in the Shadows’ Taika Waititi) comes in and gives a potentially tired superhero a makeover.  Like what Shane Black did for Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, Waititi and his screenwriters see what Thor is made of by taking away everything that makes him Thor. His father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) passes away.  An evil villainess (Cate Blanchett) destroys his hammer and murders his friends.  Heck, he even loses his trademark golden locks when he is made to fight in a gladiatorial bout.  One holdover from the other Marvel films is the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  Even then, he’s a mindless pit fighter whom Thor must beat the snot out of in order to make him come to his senses.   

Facing the eventual destruction of his home world of Asgard, Thor and Hulk must find a way off the planet ruled by The Grandmaster (a hilarious Jeff Goldblum).  They turn to a ramshackle team of oddballs and misfits including a drunkard Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and a blue rock man (Waititi) to make their escape.  Naturally, Thor’s trickster brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) enters the fray.  Surely, he can be trusted this time, right? 

Waititi was a great choice to direct.  This isn’t a case of an indie director being given a giant blockbuster and being turned into a corporate Yes Man.  His unique sensibilities are firmly intact and as a result, Waititi has made the funniest Marvel movie to date.  Sure, we knew he can do comedy, but the big surprise is that he handles the action sequences with the knack of a gifted action director.  The opening sequence where the camera follows Thor’s hammer as it decimates a horde of CGI monsters is one of the best action scenes in a Marvel flick to date and the finale is a real showstopper too. 

Waititi even manages to steal the movie as the hulking, but soft-spoken alien sidekick.  In fact, all the new players are full of energy and help revitalize the franchise.  The villains in particular are a hoot.  Blanchett has never been hotter and it’s a treat to see her chewing the scenery with relish.  Goldblum looks like he’s having the time of his life playing the devious Grandmaster and Karl Urban gets a nice little character arc as a guard who is swayed by Blanchett’s power.  Also, be on the lookout for the members of Loki’s acting troupe.  They provide some of the biggest laughs in the film. 

Ragnarok is most importantly a testament to Hemsworth’s charisma.  He showed he’s a gifted comedian in the Vacation and Ghostbusters remakes, but he really comes into his own as a leading man here.  He also generates more sparks with Thompson than he ever did in two movies with Natalie Portman. 

Hemsworth plays the comedic material naturally.  It’s not like, “Oh look, Thor’s suddenly a comedian”; it’s a natural organic progression of his character.  In the first film, he was a headstrong youth ready to claim his throne.  Now, many sequels and team-ups later, he’s to the point where nothing fazes him, even a thousand-foot-tall lava beast.  He’s gone from hammer-wielding braggart to nonplussed wisecracking observer.  Whereas most of the characters in the other Marvel films seem to stay stagnant, Thor has shown he gets better with age. 

Another brilliant stroke was getting Mark Mothersbaugh to do the score.  It’s got a funky ‘80s flavor that is perfectly in tune with Waititi’s colorful throwback aesthetic.  Seriously, can we just get Mothersbaugh to provide the music for all the Marvel films for now on?    

Marvel Cinematic Universe Scorecard: 

Avengers:  Age of Ultron:  ****

The Incredible Hulk:  ****

Iron Man:  ****

Thor:  Ragnarok:  ****

Spider-Man:  Homecoming:  ****

Iron Man 3:  ****

Captain America:  Civil War:  *** ½

Ant-Man:  *** ½

Guardians of the Galaxy:  *** ½

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:  *** ½

The Avengers:  ***

Captain America:  The First Avenger:  ***

Captain America:  The Winter Soldier:  ***

Thor:  ***

Thor:  The Dark World:  ***

Iron Man 2:  ***

Doctor Strange:  ** ½  

2017 Comic Book Movie Scorecard:

The LEGO Batman Movie:  ****

Thor:  Ragnarok:  ****

Spider-Man:  Homecoming:  ****

Logan:  ****

Wilson:  *** ½

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:  *** ½

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets *** ½

Wonder Woman:  *** ½

Ghost in the Shell:  *** ½

Atomic Blonde:  **

Death Note:  **