Prior to the release of Thor: Ragnorak, the hunky, sun-kissed character had unfortunately become quite a bore. Not only was the God of Thunder a flop in his own sequel Thor: The Dark World (2013) but similarly, in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor was nothing more than an empty shell of a character. A harsh opinion, maybe, but unfortunately one shared by many.
The third installment of the Thor movies proves that this sentiment was also shared by both the actor and the director, as Thor: Ragnorak instilled in the series a completely fresh tone, courtesy of director Taika Waititi. The slightly archaic and Shakespearian note given to the character during his debut was made successful by the direction of Kenneth Branagh, an incredible actor in his own right, most well-known for his adaptations of numerous Shakespeare plays.
However, it had lost its appeal as Thor’s archaism, which played out in his unfamiliarity with the ways of Earth became little more than slapstick comedy. Waititi’s comedic brilliance, which had already garnered success for 2014 horror-comedy, What We Do in The Shadows, provided Thor: Ragnorak a refreshing improvisational humour that rivals Marvel’s other comedic gem, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Moreover, the (re)appearance of both beloved and new characters was a treat. My personal favourites were the hilarious depiction of the Grand Master by Jeff Goldblum and Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Loki impersonating Odin. Even the depiction of Hala the Goddess of Death by Cate Blanchett was a perfect blend of intense and humorous, as Blanchett introduced a delightful amount of sass into her character that was reminiscent of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.
Moreover, the comeback of the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo tied the film back to the franchise and gave the Hulk some much needed screen time for viewers to realise he is not solely the brooding, angry, one dimensional scientist that he had been in the previous films.
Most impressive however, was Chris Hemsworth’s ability to restructure his character. Like the central theme to Thor: Ragnorak which takes from Norse mythology the idea of the destruction of the world for it to be rebuilt anew, Hemsworth resurrected his character from the ashes of Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron, and presented his viewers with a character of depth, drive and dazzle.
By taking away all the central elements that make up the original comic book Thor (his hammer, his cape and his flowing blond hair) Waititi and Hemsworth enabled the character to speak for himself without the weight of the symbols. Thor is able to stand on his own without the tools that overshadowed him in previous films.
Another refreshing aspect was the elimination of the romance plot that has underlined the past two Thor films. While I love Natalie Portman and the glamour she brought to the movie, the impossible long-distance relationship the last two films had established felt overdone. Rather, what this film needed, and what it delivered, was a story about finding out who Thor is outside of the Avengers, outside of his romance, and away from the legacy of his hammer, cape and hair.
What viewers can take away from Thor: Ragnorak is that Marvel learns from their mistakes. While the trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War (2018) seems incredibly intense and dark, seeing the latest Thor movie has left me with hope that Marvel recognises that the strength and attraction of the Marvel franchise lies in bringing the fun back to the superhero world. Now that Hemsworth is able to carry the character of Thor on his own and has brought back dimension to him, I am left in anticipation of what his character will bring to the fractured Avengers in the newest instalment coming out April.
~ S ~
Photo by Elijah Flores on Unsplash
