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Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THOR: RAGNAROK (3D)
EDITOR'S PICK
'Thor: Ragnarok': Best of the three Thor films (Review By Troy
Ribeiro, Rating: ***1/2)
This seventeenth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily the best of
the three Thor films. Unlike its previous two Thor editions which were sombre
battle epics, this one is treated as a whacky adventure excursion where the
hammer-wielding God of Thunder battles in the prophesised catastrophe -
Ragnarok.
According to Norse mythology, Ragnarok is a series of future events, including a
great battle, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major
figures and some Gods. It is also referred to as the "Fate of the Gods" and
"Twilight of the Gods."
Here, the narrative begins after the Battle of Sokovia. The quest for the
Infinity stones and knowledge leads Thor to the fire demon Surtur who informs
him that his shape-shifting brother Loki has been impersonating their father
Odin. During this face-off, Surtur taunts Thor about the coming Ragnarok, which
will see Surtur destroy Thor's native Asgard.
Agitated, Thor fights Surtur and claims his crown, seemingly forestalling the
prophecy. He returns to Asgard and confronts his devious brother, who tells him
that he has left his old father on Earth. They travel together to Earth and with
the help of Stephen Strange they locate their father in Norway. But Odin is on
his deathbed.
On the passing away of Odin, sibling rivalry surfaces for Odin's throne. Thor
has to be wary of his devious brother and fight his long-lost, older sister,
Hela - The Goddess of Death. How Thor saves Asgard from extinction and claims
his rightful position as the heir of Odin, forms the crux of the tale.
Chris Hemsworth as the good-natured Thor, is goofy and charismatic. It is a
delight to watch him grow from a divine, dude-bro into an inspiring leader. Tom
Hiddleston as Loki, is cool and twitchy as ever. It's exciting to see him share
screen space with Chris Hemsworth and together they exude brilliant sibling
camaraderie.
Cate Blanchett, dressed in a form-fitting fetish gear and sporting a twisting
antler-spiked headgear represents the formidable Hela - The Goddess of Death.
She puts a stamp on her villainess in her introduction scene when she destroys
her brother Thor's hammer and banishes him to the trash planet, Sakaar.
Mark Ruffalo is charming as the spaced out Bruce Banner and lost in space Hulk.
He does add a personal charm to the characters he plays. Anthony Hopkins as Odin
is staid and Karl Urban as Hela's reluctant henchman Skurge is intriguing.
The person who makes her presence felt strongly is Tessa Thompson. Her Valkyrie
is dubious and loose, scarred by failure but not haunted by it. She swaggers
through every scene with a cocktail of self-confidence and danger, you wish you
were cool enough to imbibe.
On the technical front, the film boasts of high-powered visuals, both live
action and computer generated. They include familiar elements from the film's
predecessors.
There are moments that might bring the audience back to events seen before on
screen, be it a citizen's uprising, or exodus of refugees amid strife and
battles. But the only issue here is that the tale takes a comic book stance,
which is formulaic. And what elevates the viewing experience is Mark
Mothersbaugh's background score.
Overall, the film is a fun watch which will appeal to non-Marvel fans too.
