Thor: Ragnarok is a very interesting entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Credit goes to Marvel for trying to do new things and add new elements to their movies. So, in that sense, Marvel has done a great job of never making me feel like “I’ve seen this before”. Alas, new and fresh doesn’t always necessarily result in great.

     The movie does two major things. On the one hand, it is incredibly entertaining. It has a lot of what you could want out of a giant blockbuster superhero movie. It is funny, it has great action set pieces, high quality visual effects, good story, and good acting. With heavy emphasis on comedic elements, the movie does turn into a comedy (Rush Hour comes to mind).

     On the other hand, the movie had a lot of dark content. World-ending stakes and a collective of heart-breaking events are at the centre of the story. Simply put, death and destruction are everywhere (Also reminding me of Rush Hour, though not that extent in terms of the size of the catastrophe).

     Therefore, ultimately, the movie is trying to mix comedy and dark content resulting in an attempt, consciously or unconsciously, to make a dark comedy film. However, the two tones don’t always mix as well as they should (at least, in my opinion). Some of the over-the-top, slapstick comedy feels very out of place with the rest of the movie. There were a few scenes were I literally was not feeling any enjoyment.

     A quick thought regarding the villain, Hella, the goddess of death. Although played by the amazing Cate Blanchett, is yet again an MCU villain that only exists to serve the hero on their journey, and not much of characterization is given for her to explore.

What I like

     First and foremost, in terms of fighting, this is Thor at his best. He is the god of thunder unleashed, and we’ve been waiting four films to see him fight like this. Also, Chris Hemsworth definitely has comedic chops.

     The fight between Thor and Hulk is satisfying, and you can feel the strength of the two characters. Tough it could have been longer.

     We get some historical information about Odin and the realm of Asgard, which was fascinating and had an impact on the story.

     Odin, as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, is always a delight to watch. He brings a lot of gravitas to the character. And of course, Tom Hiddleston does a fantastic job as Loki, the god of mischief.

What I dislike

     The dark and comedic sides did not fit many times. I felt a disconnect between the two, and that affected my enjoyment of the movie.

     A couple of plot points in the movie made little sense (but this is a bit nit-picking, as they did not affect the story as a whole).

     Suddenly, the Hulk is speaking in full sentences and Thor acts as if it’s normal and has been the case since they met.

     In previous appearances of the Hulk, the struggle between the character of Bruce Banner and the Hulk, along with their co-existence, has been taken as a serious issue. While in this movie, it is viewed through a comedic lens.

     Even though the character of Thor is played to, both, the comedic and serious sides of the movie (as is always the case with the Thor character), Bruce Banner on the other hand is played almost solely in a comedic way, as if the whole movie was a comedy. That is one more thing that found odd considering how he was portrayed in his past appearances.

     Some of the deaths resulting from the high stakes of the film had no emotional impact whatsoever. There was no build up to it. There were no repercussions felt from it. It just happened, and that’s it.

Score:
6.7 (For the serious dark side)
7.0 (For the comedic side)
6.0 (For the mix)

Scoring system inspired by John Campea (online movie critic, YouTube movie content creator).