That said, most of Thor: Ragnarok is delightful.
#Korg thor ragnarok movie#
What’s more, save for two painterly instances of action as tableau, much of the fight sequences in the movie rely on dark and dreary CGI imagery. Still, there is an obligatory nature to some of Blanchett’s scenes, and you could argue that the entire Hela storyline should have been saved for another Thor installment. She struts about with the same sinister sensibility she brought to Cinderella scoffs at Asgard’s hypocritical patriarchy (there’s a great moment where she reveals the hidden history that lies behind the palace’s Sistine Chapel-like murals) and regally wears a fantastic helmet that seems to be made from the racks of demon deer (I love the way she brushes her hair back to make it appear). This plotline is far more routine than the goofiness going on on Sakaar, but at least Blanchett makes the most of it. Hela is Thor’s banished older sister (whom he never knew), back on the scene to make a vengeful claim to the crown. This involves that monumental threat to Asgard: Hela (Cate Blanchett), the goddess of death. I should probably get to what essentially accounts for the other half of Thor: Ragnarok. What most movies would treat as a violent showdown (and it does get to that), Ragnarok sets up as a light comedy of manners. This is true right from the start, when the tension of the movie’s dramatic opening-with Thor dangling in chains before a fiery demon named Surtur-is deflated by the fact that Thor awkwardly, apologetically spins away from Surtur as the demon threatens him, as if he were sitting in a wonky swivel chair. Sometimes he undercuts our expectations (as when he gives the physically imposing Korg a delicate personality) and at other times he undercuts the demands of the genre itself. Waititi employs a specific comic strategy-undercutting-that makes Ragnarok a lively, consistently surprising experience. Their bickering over who actually won the fight in the arena is part sibling rivalry and part “Who’s on First?” routine. (Hemsworth has a similar chemistry with Tom Hiddleston, returning here as Thor’s conniving brother Loki.) Having spent the past few years on Sakaar as Hulk, Banner can’t remember much and follows Thor around like an addled puppy, adding to the film’s punch-drunk demeanor. Hulk still resides in CGI’s uncanny valley-this is no Caesar from the Planet of the Apes films-but once he calms down to the size of Bruce Banner, Ruffalo and Hemsworth get to share some nicely comic scenes together. His adversary? In this franchise-minded Marvel Cinematic Universe, none other than Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). With his hair swept up like a rooster’s comb, the Grandmaster preens about his ramshackle city, playing DJ at his own parties and presiding over a gladiator-style tournament in which Thor, as his prisoner, is forced to compete. Largely a garbage dump, though punctuated by vibrantly colored shacks here and there, Sakaar is presided over by the Grandmaster (Goldblum). Goldblum anchors the film’s middle section, in which Thor (Chris Hemsworth)-on his way to rescue his home planet of Asgard from a monumental threat-gets sidetracked on the planet of Sakaar. Plus, Jeff Goldblum in blue eyeliner and lipstick. With its interplanetary adventures and psychedelic aesthetic, it’s like a Star Wars spinoff made by people short on sleep because they were binge-watching episodes of Teletubbies. A light, comic touch has been a hallmark of most Marvel movies, but Thor: Ragnarok may be the first one to qualify as slaphappy.ĭominated by bright colors and frequently dazed characters, the movie seems to have both downed a gallon of Mountain Dew and doused itself with it, giggling all the while.