‘Last time we saw you, you were trying to kill everyone. What are you up to these days?’
My reviews of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have started to read like anything I write about Doncaster Rovers. A sliver of optimism mostly dwarfed by sneering indifference and constant disappointment. I tend to be pretty generous with these movies when assigning a score out of ten, but I’ve been waiting a long time to be moved by a Marvel film. Thankfully, Thor:Ragnarok is that film…
Some hi-jinks from Loki result in the release from captivation of Hela, Odin’s first born and the Goddess of Death. Otherwise known as Cate Blanchett. Other new additions include a spirited Tessa Thompson as the last of the Valkyrie’s, an unconvincing Karl Urban as the flip-flopping Skurge and Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, the leader of a planet of cutthroat gamblers. No really. And what an addition the latter turns out to be.
It’s no surprise that master comedy director Taika Waititi was at the helm for Thor:Ragnarok as he wrings hilarious performances, not just from Goldblum, but from the whole cast. While other supposedly comedic Marvel exports such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool have a pretty low gag success rate, Ragnarok is consistently, laugh-out-loud funny with the rapport between Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddlestone particularly delicious.
Another plus point is that the appearance of other Marvel characters doesn’t feel shoehorned in. Both the Hulk and Bruce Banner are vital to the success of Ragnarok and even the inclusion of Doctor Strange works fine. This is in stark contrast (pun intended) to the groan inducing inclusion of Iron Man in Spiderman: Homecoming.
Waititi’s first foray into the MCU isn’t an unqualified success however. Despite the best efforts of the always wonderful Cate Blanchett, Hela is yet another uninspiring Marvel villain. The series would benefit from a recurring villain that runs through a number of films in order to enable some character building rather than the current ‘monster of the week’ format that sees a new enemy vanquished in each entry.
I had pretty much abandoned the MCU before this film but the overwhelmingly positive reviews for Infinity War pulled me back in. I watched Ragnarok solely as a stepping stone to get to the latest Avengers film but it surpassed all expectations and it is probably one of the most successful Marvel films ever, certainly of the last decade.
It is frustrating that these films can be this good but they so seldom are. A minor masterpiece.