Thor: Ragnarok Review

Thor: Ragnarok


Release Date: 13th October 2017 - Australia (Gold Coast, Queensland)


Production Companies
Marvel Studios
Marvel Entertainment (presents)

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 130 minutes


Budget: $180,000,000

Box Office Gross: $853,979,142 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)


Plot Summary
Building on the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor is imprisoned on the far side of the universe (the planet Sakaar, to be exact) without his mighty hammer. He's forced to engage
in an intense gladiatorial
contest arranged by the
Grandmaster, and to survive, must defeat his competitor - none other than former ally and fellow Avenger, the Incredible Hulk.

With his home world of Asgard under threat of destruction by the powerful and ruthless goddess of death Hela, the stakes for Thor have never been higher. Can he save it from the fierce villain's clutches? (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Chris Hemsworth - Thor
Tom Hiddleston - Loki
Cate Blanchett - Hela
Idris Elba - Hemdall
Jeff Goldblum - Grandmaster
Tessa Thompson - Valkyrie
Karl Urban - Skurge
Mark Ruffalo - Bruce Banner/
The Hulk
Anthony Hopkins - Odin
Benedict Cumberbatch - Doctor Strange
Taika Watiti - Korg (Voice)/
Surtur
Rachel House - Topas
Clancy Brown - Surtur (Voice)
Tadanobu Asano - Hogun
Ray Stevenson - Volstagg
Zachary Levi - Fandral
Steven Oliver - Cousin Carlo
Luke Hemsworth - Actor Thor
(Cameo)
Sam Neill - Actor Odin (Cameo)
Charlotte Nicdao - Actor Sif
(Cameo)
Matt Damon - Actor Loki
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Stan Lee - Barber (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Taika Watiti
Based on Comic/Executive
Producer - Stan Lee
Based on Comic - Larry Lieber
and Jack Kirby
Writers - Eric Pearson, Craig
Kyle and Christopher Yost
Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito and Brad Winderbaum

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Thomas M. Hammel
Producer - Kevin Fiege

Co-Producer - David J. Grant
Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designers - Dan
Hennah and Ra Vincent
Senior Concept Designer -
Sean Hargreaves
Set Decorator - Beverley Dunn 
Costume Designer - Mayes
C. Rubeo
Director of Photography -
Javier Aguirresarobe
Second Unit Director/Stunt
Coordinator - Ben Cooker
Stunt Coordinator - Kyle
Gardiner
Fight Coordinator - Jon Valera
Special Effects Supervisors - Brian Cox and 

R. Bruce Steinheimer
Visual Effects Supervisors - Jake Morrison 

and Stuart White
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Chad Wiebe
Animation Supervisors - Ben Anderson and 

Raphael A. Pimentel
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Steve Nichols
Editors - Zene Baker and Joel Negron
Sound Designers - David Farmer and 

Nia Hansen

Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan
Music - Mark Mothersbaugh


Review

Marvel has taken one of the Avengers through the cosmos into a completely new standalone film as 'THOR: RAGNAROK' becomes a full-scale interstellar action comedy with less balance. This movie doesn't mesh well with sci-fi, considering what has happened to its predecessor 'The Dark World' and the mistake has not entirely been fixed. The sequel has too much humour displaying that playful tone similar to one of Marvel’s previous entries, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and fails to return the omnipresence found in the first instalment. 

'RAGNAROK' has great visual eye-candy to behold the maximum impact and has no romantic subplot involving Jane Foster who was nowhere to be found as this relationship was quickly forgotten after the second film was criticised for putting too much focus on it. The film even featured the addition of everyone’s favourite Avenger, the Incredible Hulk who was once again played by Mark Rufalo. Having not read the original comics and neither Planet Hulk, I believe that this film should have been a continuation for the character who hasn’t been the main lead since 2008’s 'The Incredible Hulk'. 

Jeff Goldblum makes up for a terrifically entertaining performance as the Grandmaster. Cate Blanchett was the villainess Hela who succeeds at overpowering Thor which is something that Loki could not do and she was a better sequel antagonist than Malekith. Karl Urban convincingly portrays Skurge who unwillingly switches his allegiance to Hela as he becomes her right-hand man. Tessa Thompson was then added to the cast as Thor’s new reluctant ally Valkyrie. Mark Mothersbaugh’s background score fits the movie of its retro-spacey feel and its new colourful integration.

Although 'THOR: RAGNAROK' was newly appreciated by fans and critics who proclaim this to be the cinematic holy grail of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have to disagree on what they say about the movie. It is a bit of an improvement of 'The Dark World' but it’s a solid addition to the ongoing cinematic franchise of Marvel and therefore, a must-see film for all fans.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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