r.ankers: Thor: Ragnarok

The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe did not disappoint. “Thor: Ragnarok” was released on Nov. 2 and held all of the major elements that have made so many Marvel films successful. The new movie revolved around Thor, God of Thunder, who faces several challenges in pursuit of a new villain. Hela, Goddess of Death, fights to destroy Thor’s home world, Asgard, and all of its inhabitants. In his attempt to stop Hela’s attempts at mass destruction, Thor gets lost on an unknown planet and must work with several unlikely characters in his efforts to return to Asgard in time to save his people.

While “Thor: Ragnarok” includes plenty of action and numerous fight-scenes, my favorite cinematic element of the newest movie was the absolute hilarity sprinkled throughout the script. Most of the Marvel movies include some form of comedy, whether that is Tony Stark’s constant sarcasm in the “Iron Man” films or the stupidly funny jokes throughout the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. However, “Thor: Ragnarok” does an amazing job of combining many of the successful elements of comedy from previous films in the Marvel Universe and tying them all together in one hilarious movie about Thor.

In addition to a phenomenal script that perfectly timed the jokes and comedic relief, Marvel managed to balance the story in several other ways. Like any good super hero movie, there were plenty of fight scenes. However, the action scenes didn’t detract from the storyline as they do in some movies. The fighting was relevant to the plot and in several cases also added an element of comedy to the movie. As expected for the God of Thunder, Thor was able to take on numerous opponents, defeat various enemies and use his skills in his favor. While it is expected that the hero will win, there were several moments that contributed to the question of whether Thor would be able to save his world.

The cinematography, casting and costuming only added to the excellence of the script and stunts. The filming and the special effects helped the various worlds and creatures come to life on the screen as they interacted with Thor and the other characters. The talented crew took ordinary objects and made them part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, the casting director pulled in several big names to star alongside the returning characters. Cate Blanchett joined Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as the trio portrayed immortals capable of immense good or terrible evil. Blanchett plays Hela, Goddess of Death, and is spectacular as she challenges Thor and Hiddleston’s character Loki. As always, Hemsworth and Hiddleston were amazing in their roles and the actors’ abilities aligned beautifully with the personalities and traits of their characters. I think Blanchett fit in well with her role as Hela and did a great job playing a beautiful, fierce woman who was willing to fight for what she wanted instead of sending minions to do her dirty work. While Hela had her share of monsters and henchmen to help her as she attempted to take over Asgard, Blanchett did well portraying a woman who would sooner fight her own battles than trust someone else to do it for her.

Overall, I think “Thor: Ragnarok” was an excellent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There were many of the classic elements of a super hero movie while still giving the audience something new and excited. The script, directing, filming and literally everything else made this a great movie to watch and an even better part of the series as a whole. The new movie has set the bar high as Marvel continues to release movies about its beloved characters.