Thor Ragnarok review

[Westside Steve]

Thor Ragnarok
Marvel
PG-13.         130 min
Okay here’s my perennial Marvel versus DC disclaimer oh, you know which I like better, but of the Marvel guys, Thor is one of my favorites. Not because I think the comics present and accurate look at the Norse gods or anything just because of my Viking and Celtic genetics.
I’ve also enjoyed the entire Thor series dating back to the one directed by one of my favorite thespians, Kenneth Branagh who we twice get to talk about this issue. Anyway one of my biggest complaints how about most superhero films these days, especially the Avengers series, is that they are almost completely constructed from deafening noise and endless CG battles. I had feared that THOR RAGNAROK was going to be another one of those but praise Odin it turned out to be at least a little more fun. The legend of Ragnarok, as we should remember from our discussions over aquavit and pickled herring, is the final battle between the gods and the ice monsters. Odin had made a deal to trade one of his eyes for Future Vision, but unfortunately it turns out that all he found out was that he and all his warriors who have been waiting in Valhalla since they fell bravely in battle, are going to lose. Talk about jinxing somebody’s no-hitter…
There are a couple little forays into this legend but as usual with any superhero movie the plot itself is little more than a handful of nonsense into which the action scenes and in this case, comedic dialogue can be placed. It’s clear from the beginning that this one is meant to be a comedy / action film. Not quite a silly as GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY but along those lines. Not a bad idea since I really wasn’t looking forward to 2 hours of explosions and overbearing otherworldly peril. A few things are constant throughout the series, first of all you should understand you can never really trust Loki. We find that with the death of Odin, or whatever serves as death for Norse gods oh, that Anthony Hopkins, reprising his role as Odin, probably doesn’t need the money anymore. I’m also guessing lead actor Chris Hemsworth  was tired of the hairstyle as he gets a more modern  cut halfway through the film We have an added rivalry of sorts, actually much closer to the back and forth between Mr. Spock and Dr McCoy.  Anyway if you are a member of the church that worships the Norse gods he will probably be disappointed with the blasphemy. For the rest of us who try not to take superheroes too seriously and are getting a little bit weary of the constant cacophony this is a welcome relief. Not a great relief but better than nothing. Remember I tried to grade superhero films on the Curve so a B minus makes this one an above-average offering, not to be compared with Academy Award winners.
B-
WSS