“Thor: Ragnarok” was not nearly as entertaining as the previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Actor Chris Hemsworth stars again as Marvel superhero Thor in “Thor: Ragnarok.”
Photo courtesy of Marvel.com
“Thor: Ragnarok” felt like a cartoon, not an extravagant superhero spectacle film. I was extremely disappointed because I was not a huge fan of the last two “Thor” films. The first movie was decent and the second film was arguably the worst film in the MCU.
With Taika Waititi as the director, my expectations for the film were high as I hoped it would be better than the previous “Thor” films. Unfortunately, there was not a sense of nuance as the same elements from past “Thor” films were constantly repeated.
One thing I found upsetting was the treatment of each character. The film tried to give backstory and emotional weight to the characters but failed miserably to do so. For example, the character arc for the Executioner was so telegraphed, and the conclusion to his “arc” fell so flat. Without spoiling anything major, he was a very predictable and cookie-cutter character.
The film was also inconsistent. Moments of dramatic tension would drastically switch over to moments of humor, and I could never fully catch my breath.
The MCU films are so unique because people are infatuated with these heroes. When a movie does not permit a lot of time in exploring these characters, it is robbing them of their “Marvel experience.”
Thor himself has never even been fully explored before. This movie was Marvel’s opportunity to positively shine the spotlight on a character that is not as popular as the Hulk or Iron Man, but the film missed its mark.
As I was watching the movie, I found myself confused and bewildered by the plot. Things simply happened with little explanation or causation. There was one touch toward the end of the film that was clever that played into a previous event but once again, I do not want to spoil it.
Hulk’s appearance in this film made no sense. The way in which he arrived to the gladiator planet, Sakaar, is so lazy and illogical. I did not really think that the writers would just try to play it off like this. At the end of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Hulk went into the quinjet and just flew up into space. That was how he made his way to Sakaar. It just made no sense.
The action was still somewhat enjoyable, even though there was an abundance of computer-generated imaging (CGI) effects and no realism. “Thor: Ragnarok” made me feel disappointed when I should have loved it. The superhero film genre is still my favorite, but after this and other superhero films this year not living up to expectations, I feel like none of them have that special spark anymore. Hopefully next year things are different for the MCU with “Avengers: Infinity War” or “Black Panther.”
“Thor:
Ragnarok” – 5.5/10
