Usually when I see a movie, I can form a solid opinion of it almost instantly. But every once in a while, I need to truly contemplate how I feel about a film. Yesterday, My son and I saw Thor: Ragnarok and I am still on the fence.
Here's my dilemma...
Is Thor Ragnarok the greatest comic book movie I have ever seen or is it merely in the top 3?
What a nice problem too have.
As I sit down to write this, I still don't have the answer. What I do know, is that it was sensational. I also know it was the most fun comic book movie I have ever seen.
For me, The Dark Knight is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It transcends the comic book genre. I consider it more of a crimefighter trying to stop a terrorist story rather than a mere "comic book movie". So I will set that one aside. The creative team behind Thor: Ragnarok was not trying to make a deep movie (but its not totally vapid either).
So that leaves Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 1. I am still in awe of the combination of action, humor, and heart in that film. Although this installment of Thor's story does not have the heart of GotG, it has more action and humor. So I will take the cop out here and say that Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 1 is a better and more complete movie... but that I would be more likely to watch Thor: Ragnarok over and over again. It is going to be one of those movies that I will leave on every time it is playing on TV.
I try very hard to never spoil any movies, but if you are overly cautious, stop reading this now and go and see the movie immediately. If you trust me, I'll tell you why it is so awesome.
Everything is awesome! Everything is awesome when it is part of Thor: Ragnarok!
Thor: Ragnarok is the perfect comic book movie. Comic books are supposed to be exciting, humorous and fun. The writing team of Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost did the perfect job of writing a comic book for the big screen. What I found interesting is that this is all these three writers do. If you check out IMDB, you will find that super hero stories are pretty much all these guys tell. For many other comic book movies, they bring in movie writers who are willing and able to take a stab at the genre. However, this time, the producers brought in a team dedicated 100% to the genre.
Next, the producers teamed these writers with a rather unknown director, Taika Waititi. While checking out his IMDB page, one thing jumped out at me. Waititi directed several episodes of the brilliant comedy, Flight of the Concords. This teaming of writers dedicated to telling super hero stories with a director who knows humor made for the perfect combination.
There are so many quality one-liners in this movie that I thought it might be an advertisement for the #punchline tag here on steemit. Within the first five minutes, it is very clear that the audience should not take the movie too seriously (Why should they? It's a comic book movie!). Thor immediately starts cracking jokes to a skeleton... and then continues telling them to a giant fire demon. He continues doing this throughout the movie. But the humor never feels forced or gets in the way. That is one of the most impressive things about the film. Thor is funny... when the situation calls for it (and a few when it doesn't). But he is also fighting for the survival of his people. Therefore, the writers must know when to turn the humor off so Thor can be serious and heroic. Chris Hemsworth straddles the line between humor and hero perfectly.
Few people remember Thor's time as assistant to the regional manager at Dunder Mifflin, Inc.
Even though I laughed many times with Thor, he is not even close to the funniest character. Hulk is an absolute riot in the movie. Presumably because he has remained in his superhuman form for so long, Hulk has improved his ability to speak. He's still not quite at the conversational level of English, but he knows enough to be absolutely hilarious. Surprisingly, some of the best scenes in the movie are of Hulk and Thor talking (but the best ones are of the two of them fighting each other). In addition to Hulk's newfound verbal humor, he still has the ability to engage in some physical slapstick comedy as well. Did you ever wonder what the three stooges would be like if they had super-human strength? Wonder no more. Both Thor and Hulk will show you how it would look. Believe me, it's hysterical.
My 12 year old son, Timmy, thinks the funniest character in the movie is a rock monster named Korg (brilliantly voiced by director Taika Waititi). I honestly can't write too much without spoiling the jokes, but I have to agree with my son on this one. Although Korg is not a main character, it is nearly impossible to avoid smiling or laughing every time he is on the screen.
In addition to the jokes and slapstick humor, there are a couple of brilliant cameos. I would never spoil anyone's fun by revealing who they are, but they were incredibly clever.
I honestly do not think they missed on a single joke. Every one delivered. Some had me laughing a bit longer than I should have been. (I think I may have embarrassed my son a couple of times.)
But don't worry. This movie is not solely a comedy. It is an incredibly exciting movie that uses comedy. There is a ton of action. Normally, movie trailers give away all the best parts of a movie. The most exciting pieces are only slightly longer in the actual film. That is not the case here. There were many surprise action sequences. Even the ones that were shown in the trailer last for a significant amount of time. If I listed all of the different battles, you would think I was exaggerating... and I'd ruin your fun. So I won't. Out of the 130 minutes, I would estimate that at least 70 of them involved some sort of battle. When there isn't a battle, there is humor or a meaningful set up... for upcoming humor or action. There is no wasted time in this movie. In fact, I wish it were slightly longer so I could have seen a little bit more of one really cool fight.
Thor: Ragnarok is not all silliness. Hela, the villain wonderfully portrayed by Cate Blanchett, is pure evil. She is dark and vicious (She is also smoking hot! You go 48 year old Cate!). The character is fleshed out just enough to make the audience truly hate her. In addition, there are also some opportunities for characters to do some soul searching and decide which path they will choose.
What is perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that in-between the humor, action, and fun... they actually wrote a story that makes sense (if you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy a living comic book). The creative team did not leave very many (if any) plot holes. The writers took the time to make sure the audience could understand the reasons behind every characters' behavior/choices as well as the events taking place.
Ho hum. It's just a giant Hulk attacking an even more enormous fire demon. Yawn.
It seems that we have become so spoiled by today's technology that visual and sound effects are only mentioned when they disappoint. I refuse to ignore just how amazing both were in this film. They are perfect! Every detail from the world building, to the Hulk, to a giant wolf, all look incredibly real. I was very pleased that I chose to see the movie in a special Dolby Cinema theater. These theaters are designed to provide the best possible visual and audio experience possible. It did not disappoint. The visuals and sound were so amazing that it was worth the extra money to see it in Dolby. The next time I see it (which will be later this week) I am going to drive 30 minutes to see it in real 2D IMAX.
Can kids see it? Obviously, you have to use your own judgement, but if they could handle The Avengers they can handle this. Although it is not as dark as Avengers: Age of Ultron, it is still a comic book movie filled with a significant amount of unrealistic violence.
Should you see it? I can't believe you are still reading this. You should have closed your laptop and headed to the theater to see Thor: Ragnarok 1400 words ago!
One more quick F.Y.I. There are two post credit scenes. The first one is important to the future of the Marvel Universe. The second is just silly fun. Both were worth waiting for.
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0 (Is there a number lower than 0?)
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 1 (But not the bad kind. Double face palm because I couldn't believe how funny something was.)
Number of times my kid asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0 (Is there a number lower than 0?)
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 0 (Suspension of disbelief required)
Did my kids like it: My son LOVED it. I am taking my daughter in a few days.
Would I see it without my kids: I'd only see it 5-10 times without them.
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: See it in a premium theater (IMAX, Dolby, etc.) if you are able. It is worth the time and money.