I truly believe Thor: Ragnarok will stand as Marvel's most beloved God of Thunder movie.
Certainly it will be the best-reviewed, highest grossing at the box office, superior to Thor and The Dark World by any tangible measure -- and introduces a vibrant new character in Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) who damn well better get her due screentime in future movies.
Indeed, Ragnarok is colorful and accessible and full of Taika Waititi's playful spirit, and it does its part to raise the stakes of this particular Marvel franchise. Big stuff happens, stuff that will reverberate into Infinity War and possibly beyond, stuff you kind of can't believe they actually went through with in this little segue before the whole team gets back together next summer.
But there was something about Ragnarok that didn't sit well with me.
Something I can't believe I'm even leveling as a criticism, especially after falling so hard for Ant-Man and both vols. of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Something that is making me feel like Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones) criticizing Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" in Amadeus:
How shall one say, Thor: Ragnarok?
Too many jokes.
Too many sight gags. Too many knowing character beats. Too many winky-winks at past movies, too many one-liners and witty ripostes, too many quick cuts away or long lingering looks for maximum comedic impact, too many nonchalant responses to what should be tense and dire situations.
If none of the characters feel any real peril, then why should we?
There are in fact only so many jokes the ear can hear in the course of an evening ... just cut a few, and it would be perfect!
If Ragnarok is an adjustment to the overly serious, faux-Shakespearean theatrics of Thor and The Dark World, then it feels like a slight over-correction, to the extent that it's hard to take any of this very seriously. If none of the characters feel any real peril, then why should we?
Make no mistake: Chris Hemsworth is worthy of goofball comedy -- achingly so, proven time and again outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- and his sidekick in this case, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, is the endearing straight-man, whose big green form has since evolved rudimentary conversational skills that are used to very funny effect indeed.
After the events of Age of Ultron, these two prideful Avengers find themselves captives on a distant planet where they're perfectly suited as contenders in a sort of interplanetary gladiatorial combat. Jeff Goldblum plays planet leader Jeff Goldblum, and as always he's perfect in the role -- I daresay this is the best Jeff Goldblum that Jeff Goldblum has played since his excellent turn as Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.
And all of this would be of little consequence, except that back home in Asgard, Hela (Cate Blanchett) is busy bringing about "Ragnarok," which is some kind of cryptic code-word for the destruction of this little slice of Valhalla that Thor calls home. Of course he wants to stop it, but he's trapped in this proverbial Thunderdome (pun intended).
Maybe the trouble here is that once again, Marvel stumbles on its villain.
Blanchett gnashes and gnaws on the role but can't seem to bite into it; she looks and sounds great as Hela, and I just don't care. Is it because she's ... telling too many jokes?
And to be fair, this movie is funny! Truly funny. You will laugh out loud and have a great time. And good on Marvel to keep trying things, banking on a decade of good will and crowd-pleasing hits in the name of keeping things fresh, feisty and yeah, funny.
But on its own Ragnarok just winds up feeling manic, slap-happy, maybe even trying a little too hard. I don't know how else to put it.
There are just ... too many jokes.
Topics Marvel
