Thor: Ragnarok

Thor, the mighty God of Thunder is back with an instalment about his journey to save Asgard from trouble. According to prophecy, the godly realm will soon be destroyed by Sultur, the fire demon. Thor, in an incredible initial action sequence, wails down the said creature and returns with the crown that could make the prediction come true. Little does he know that there's another evil coming forth to trigger an even greater misfortune which will demand everything in him to stop it from happening.

Taika Waititi's comedic sense and timing are spot on. There's a general Rule of Third about comedy. First time, establish. Second time, confirm. Third time, break the pattern. And the director has followed exactly that in order to fill the scenes with humor riots! Be it Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) reply to Sultur as the son of a bitch after the demon addressed him as son of Odin, chain-swirling breaks that interrupt the fire demon's epic monologue, Banner (Mark Ruffalo) ending up falling flat before confronting Fenris Wolf or the 'get help' technique, follows the rule. Even the additional amusing persona Korg (Taika Waititi) has a childlike feminine voice which is total opposite to what we would expect looking at his mountainous rock-figure physique. Anytime he and his assistant Miek are onscreen, it's heavily entertaining!

Speaking of humor, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is too cute and hilarious! You can literally watch him speak all day! His first appearance and brawl with Thor is probably the picture's best, coolest scene! Hulk pounding Thor repetitiously is painful to watch. Naked Hulk and interactions between the two, be it calm or chaos, are the bangs for our bucks! When Banner is out of Hulk, the banter between the protagonist and him are fun too! Revengers is memorable! Part of the reason why Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) flicks click with the audience is, the makers know how to not take themselves too seriously in depicting stories out of comic books. While the same has been done here, certain portions transpiring in Sakaar, such as the type of music and instruments that are being played in Grandmaster's guest room seemed to have touched the fines of mockery a little. It felt too much like Earth and nothing like a universe elsewhere. Also, the initial segment in Asgard features like a stage play instead of being a real venue; something's off.

Most of the plot points and story progressions make sense. Banner has been Hulk for 2 years because his anger has been stimulated and used for gladiator purposes continuously. Cate Blanchett as Hela and Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster are wonderful additions to the universe! No one would have expected to see Matt Damon in an MCU film! Give this guy a superhero role already! And of course, what is an action movie without actions? The awesome first fight in Muspelheim where Thor drops his hammer on a dragon's lower lip, Hulk hopping bounds to hit Sultur and Hela awakening the army of the dead using Eternal Flame are jaw-droppingly good! During the escape from Sakaar, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) jumping over a spaceship with the height and breadth of a scene that could cause your heart to stop is nerve-wrecking! Hulk versus Fenris Wolf could have been a little longer though.

Emotionally, the film would have been more powerful if Thor had a character flaw; an emotional journey; an inner trackway to walk on. Throughout the tale, we see him being stripped the hero status. He is anytime vulnerable. He loses his hammer, trips away as an exile, captured, treated like dirt captive, thrown away to an entertainment battleground with hair being shaved, pummeled by the antagonist Hela over and over again which eventually costs his eye at the end. He has to reinvent himself by finding his true power, potential, strength and ability before actually becoming the deserved King of Asgard. Plot taking place in Sakaar may seem like a diversion, but it is situated there just for this purpose. All these ideas make up for a solid external journey. With an emotional arc to fulfill, the character would have become tons more interesting as audiences could have connected with him on that deeper level.

Typically, most Marvel superhero films thus far are loaded with expositions. Thor: Ragnarok even begins with one, helplessly. Although the director has tried to infuse these boring, long-winded information into fairly engaging scenarios such as Sakaar's introduction with Thor on a rolling conveyor belt and Hela's recollection about her past with Odin through semi-motion caricatures, the overabundance of needless information is still heavy-handed. There's even a section where a passerby loads out the status about Thor-Jane relationship, which could have been just avoided.

Writing wise, the script's decent. Seeing Asgard through Heimdall's eyes is innovative. Hela uncovering the truth of Asgard is surprisingly shocking, and when the place crumbles down to pieces to fulfill the prophecy, it's sad to be honest. In a plot that's travelling on a steer clear path, unnecessary tours that do not help move the story forward should be eliminated. It disorganizes a plot that's on the way to its destination. It's nothing but distractions. For example, Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) appearance could have been removed. Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) betrayal prior to leaving Sakaar is unnecessary as the character had a potentially fascinating closure right there to become the next leader of the anarchic world.

Mark Mothersbaugh's techno theme and background score extensions of it are eargasms! There's a timely edit which merges the face of Hulk onto Banner's body in the Quinjet video recap. Computer graphics are top notch! Sultur, 3-headed strongman, Fenris Wolf and Hulk are visual effects achievements. Scrapper 142's shooting arms vehicle with automatic staircases, doors falling to form a bridge, Valkyrie's defeat on winged horses, Thor glazing the walls of transportation portal, Hela's costume and evil antlers are beautiful stuffs! As usual, the end credits are rendered with utmost creativity pertaining to theme.