Now that the Marvel and Star Wars franchises are steadily pumping out multiple movies per year, studios seem to be more willing to get creative with their brands. Fans, eager to explore the margins of these universes, want spin-offs, side stories, and weird detours. It’s the reason why Star Wars is doing its standalone series (we’re getting a Bobba Fett movie!) and also the explanation for something as weird and unexpected as Thor: Ragnarok, which has the vibe of a Bill & Ted movie starring Thor and The Hulk.
Thor: Ragnarok has a similar tone to Guardians of the Galaxy: irreverent, eccentric, and deliriously fun. I consider Guardians to be blockbuster perfection, whereas I’d call Thor: Ragnarok more of a minor classic (Guardians has to get credit for going first, after all). But, nonetheless, this is an absolute blast. Directed by New Zealander Taika Waititi, best known for comedies like What We Do In The Shadows, Ragnarok is just as much a comedy as it is an action movie. The result is probably better described as flippant and playful than hilarious, but it’s the perfect fit for the film’s ambitious absurdity.
Ragnarok is exceptionally bizarre: it’s like a really, really well-made Heavy Metal vignette blown out to feature length. The production design is tremendous: the sets are lush and vibrantly colorful, the creatures and landscapes exotic and intoxicating. Everything from the costumes to the CGI (far better here than in Captain America: Civil War) are top notch. There are gigantic fire demons, undead armies, and intergalactic wormholes. Korg, a friendly warrior made from a pile of rocks voiced by Waititi himself, nearly steals the entire movie. Jeff Goldblum shows up and does Jeff Goldblum stuff.
Not that Goldblum is the only star who’s signed on to chew scenery and deliver campy dialogue. Tessa Thompson is wonderful as a drunken, disgraced former warrior; Cate Blanchett is Hela, Thor’s evil sister and the film’s central villain; Karl Urban has a surprisingly well-developed arc as Hela’s brutish lackey; additionally, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and Idris Elba all reprise roles form previous Thor films. At this point, the Marvel films have the star-studded power of an Ocean’s 11, except this one takes place in outer space and has Jeff Goldblum vanquishing those who vex him with something called “the Melt Stick.” Superhero movies may dominate our multiplexes, but it’s hard to complain when they’re this exhilarating.
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