Imprisoned on an alien world, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) uncovers a threat to his home planet of Asgard that could lead to Ragnarok — the end of the Universe. With the help of the Incredible Hulk (Mark Buffalo), Thor must defeat the ruthless Goddess Hela (Kate Blanchett) and in order to do that, he must sacrifice something beyond measure.
We say, “Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy.”
TAYLOR: Everybody loves this film because it’s oodles of fun. It’s going to sound weird for me to complain about something deemed fun, but Thor: Ragnarok crams fun down your throat. If Thor is a character that starts at one end of the spectrum, an arrogant God King, stuffy and straitlaced then this is the relaxed, cocky Thor. I’m sure hanging out with the Avengers has rubbed off on him, but I don’t think there’s any denying that this film tries very hard to be funny.
HOWE: Oh come now Taylor, it is a comic book after all. I think you are being way too picky and hard on Thor: Ragnarok. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I thought this has to be the best Thor movie out of the entire Gods trilogy. It does have aspects wrong with it; it is not perfect by any stretch but to complain of funniness, well, maybe you were just in a grumpy mood when you went to see it. I enjoyed it so much I am going to see it again this weekend, I think.
TAYLOR: No, my problem with it is that there’s no point in going to see these movies anymore, except for the jokes. The reason is: they’re all the same. Thor, in a cheap moment of narration to bring the audience up to speed, tells us, “So, for the last few years, I’ve been running around the universe trying to find this or that glowing bauble.” It’s as if even the characters in these movies are tired of their existence. To then run around making quips in between obligatory fight scenes, while successful in this film, is not the right fit for Thor, or in a film about stopping the end of the Universe, nor does it produce any lasting value. Everyone, including the audience, is just going through the motions.
HOWE: There was a lot, in fact, a tonne of fighting, to be honest, but it’s a Thor movie — he has a big hammer to toss about. At least in this film you can see the fighting, unlike some of the last few superhero movies we have reviewed. They have been so blurred, so close up and so fast that you don’t really know what is going on. I have no issue with the amount of violence in this, I feel the film is well balanced in that sense. Added bonus, Loki has returned with his devilish grin and is back up to his playful ways, it wouldn’t be the same without him.
Taylor gives Thor: Ragnarok 2.5 haircuts out of 5.
Howe gives it 4 big skull helmets out of 5.