*. In terms of its formula Thor: Ragnarok is just like every other Marvel movie, but to give it its due, its better in most regards. That means that while I could appreciate and even enjoy it, I’m sure I’ll never want to see it again and only a day after watching it there were big parts that I could no longer remember.
*. What’s the same this time out? The sprawling plot that draws in a crowded cast of extra characters played by big stars. The villain with an army of disposable mooks who wants to, yes, open another portal to Earth (here it’s the Bifröst Bridge) so that they can . . . I don’t know. Either kill everyone or else sit on a throne lording it over them. Motivation for these baddies always seems kind of vague.
*. As far as the story arc goes, it follows the tried-tested-and-true pattern of every pro wrestling match. The hero starts out strong, then gets taken by surprise and is humbled/loses his power. He has to spend some time on the outs, getting his mojo back/powering up so that he’s ready for the re-match, wherein he kicks ass and re-establishes the proper order of things.
*. Would these movies be better if they were a little more focused? Did we need to have Doctor Strange drop in here? Or the Hulk? The whole subplot where Thor is whisked off to a game-show planet where he fights as a gladiator has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, though seeing Jeff Goldblum do his shtick was fun, and made me wonder when Nicolas Cage might be coming back to Marvel. Was Ghost Rider that big a set-back?
*. As it is, the story didn’t need all these extras. It already has Thor (Chris Hemsworth) bickering as per usual with Loki (Tom Hiddleston). And there are other Asgardians like Heimdall (Idris Elba), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Skurge (Karl Urban). Anthony Hopkins as Odin passes the torch with some flabby words of wisdom. Plus there’s Cate Blanchett as Hela, another distinguished actor that Marvel squeezes into spandex but doesn’t give much to do but strike various poses. She seems bored by power. Hela, that is.
*. There’s little to add at this point. Director Taika Waititi, who also provides the voice of Korg, was going for something more comic, and he got it. Though the humour is still very much in the Marvel vein: dry wise-cracking in the face of danger, or just taking a poke at the sheer portentous ridiculousness of everything that’s going on. It’s a self-aware sort of humour, with the hero as a self-deprecating figure until he has to get serious for a bit, before going back to cracking jokes.
*. In sum, it’s a fun bit of cotton candy. Hemsworth looks impossibly buff. Thompson and Goldblum stand out in a solid cast. The use of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is inspired. So both more of the same and as good as it gets. I can’t be more, or less, enthusiastic than that.
Alex on Film 
I think this movie’s biggest success was lightening Thor up a bit. He’s more entertaining here, and Hemsworth has more to do, than in any of his previous outings.
Waititi definitely wanted that, and I think he stayed just on the right side of going too far. It can be hard finding the right balance.
I liked it too, though I still like Thors more serious (?) persona in the Avengers team where he was more accidentally funny.
Yes, it’s a fine line. I thought this was OK as light entertainment. And Hemsworth looks like a young Alex Good here . . .
He doesn’t do gold lame budgies though!
Is there another Alex Good we don’t know about?
I contain multitudes.
This is as good as it gets for Marvel. Fact!
I can see that. But what does that say about this whole franchise? I can’t think of a single Marvel movie I’d want to watch twice.
I intensely disliked the first 2 Thor movies but loved this one. The reason for Dr Strange, Hulk, etc is because all of the movies are tied together, working towards the final Infinity War duology. Whether you think they did a good job at that is a matter of interpretation 😀
Ahhh, I’ve been waiting for a good Ghost Rider movie. I’d really like to see that and I’d be tempted back into the fold if they made a new one. With another actor for Ghost Rider of course.
Yeah, they sort of whiffed on Ghost Rider.
I get all the movies are tied together, but they aren’t tied together in terms of plot here. The characters are just dropped in.
That’s very comic book’y. That’s how its done.
To be honest, almost ALL the marvel superhero movies before Iron Man were pretty iffy (Spiderman being the exception). they scratched an itch for fans but weren’t high production movies.
I may not have watched any of the MCU movies all the way through past Iron Man 2 or thereabouts, but I definitely watched larger chunks of Ragnarok than any of the others. It definitely walked the line.
Yeah, I think it’s enjoyable as light entertainment. But “light” now means 130 minutes, a $200 million budget, and a cast stacked with A-listers.