THOR: RAGNAROK: What Are The Critics Saying About Marvel's Humorous Take On PLANET HULK?
The embargo has lifted on reviews for Thor: Ragnarok so what's the verdict on Marvel Studios' latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Does the comedy ruin the story? Find out after the jump...
Thor: Ragnarok is just weeks away from being released and the reviews for the threequel are now here! You've no doubt already read CBM editor Mark Cassidy's verdict on the movie but what is everyone else saying? Well, it currently has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so that says it all really but many critics are finding fault with the sheer amount of humour in Taika Waititi's Marvel movie.
While the jokes all land, it appears as if that ultimately overshadows the main plot, something which could disappoint fans excited for an epic adventure which pits the God of Thunder against Hela.
Still, it sounds like Thor: Ragnarok definitely delivers for the most part and only the usual suspects appear to have really torn into it which was to be expected. Things are looking good for the Marvel Comics adaptation regardless and the signs are all pointing to it being a box office smash next month.
Ragnarok is basically a Joke Delivery System — and on that score, it works. The movie is fun. So to recap: Taika Waititi was mostly the right director for the job. Chris Hemsworth is hilarious. Tessa Thompson is going to be a star. And while Ragnarok’s story is an aimless mess, you won’t stop laughing. In other words, it’s a… [B]
SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly
Daft as a badger sandwich and twice as funny, this is vintage Waititi, and the boldest, most outrageously fun film Marvel has yet produced. [4/5]
SOURCE: Empire
It basically throws up its hands at its own ridiculousness and plays it all for laughs – and it gets them. The price of this irreverence is the possibility of taking anything that happens all that seriously – even the potential destruction of the Norse gods’ home (that’s not a spoiler either: it’s the title of the movie). There’s a potentially intriguing subtext about Asgard’s gilded spires – and by extension European civilisation – having been built on the suffering and riches of others, but, being a bit of a downer, it’s dealt with fleetingly. The romp must go on. [3/5]
SOURCE: Guardian
There are moments that might bring a viewer back to the day's news: a citizens' uprising, an exodus of refugees. But amid the strife and the battles — on land and sea, in arenas and in the air — it's the loose-limbed laughs that amp the story's comic-book formula. In the evanescent Ragnarok, even the shock of grievous bodily injury evaporates before our eyes. What will linger when the weapons are withdrawn is the knowledge that you've been prepped for the inevitable next chapter.'
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
Thor: Ragnarok is a goofy, kitschy- but- fun romp and the most purely entertaining of the three Thor movies, marked by its distinctive designs, ‘80s synth score, and assemblage of spirited characters. It’s carried by the excellent chemistry between Thor, Hulk, and Valkyrie, who give humanity to a visual effects-heavy spectacle that finally makes good on Thor’s title of God of Thunder. But it’s also a film fragmented by its clear preference for its B storyline (Sakaar) over its A storyline (Asgard). Thor: Ragnarok’s desire to go for the gag also hurts the movie in a few key serious moments that deserved to pack more punch than they did. [7.7/10]
SOURCE: IGN
Instead it’s right there on the edge, a very, very good movie that’s almost great. However, its saving grace is that a truly funny movie can still have a life beyond the screen and, unlike many of its predecessors, Thor: Ragnarok has that timeless potential. Long after the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over, odds are we’ll still be enjoying, rewatching, and quoting this crazy, hilarious movie.
SOURCE: io9
The final fight scene, played out to the strains of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song and against a burning Asgard, doesn't hold back. It's so exciting you'd be forgiven for getting physically aroused. This is a Marvel movie that knows when to embrace the ridiculous and when to puncture any pomposity, and it's a delight from start to big finish. And yes, you do need to stay to the very very end of the credits. [4.5/5]
SOURCE: Total Film
Thor: Ragnarok is by far the most unusual of the Marvel movies – a crazy, colorful, ambitious, hilarious ride through the cosmos – even surpassing the Guardians of the Galaxy movies as the former holder of that title. And it’s by far the funniest. It’s not even a question that Thor: Ragnarok is the best of the Thor movies and it’s certainly up there as far as the best in the MCU. Who knew a Thor movie could be this wonderful? I guess Taika Waititi did. And please let Taika Waititi make whatever other movies he wants from now on.
SOURCE: Uproxx
The best surprise of Ragnarok? Both sides of Hulk, the rage monster and the insecure genius, get more to do than in their prior two Avengers appearances. Even tonal issues can’t upend the magic this movie taps into putting Thor and Hulk together as new best buddies, whether they’re throwing down in an arena or having a bromantic heart-to-heart.
SOURCE: USA Today
You don’t have to have seen thelead-ups to “Thor: Ragnarok” to enjoy yourself, nor will your delight depend upon another five future movies to be announced later. There’s little pomp and even less circumstance, but its goofy pleasures are more than enough.
SOURCE: The Wrap
These days, Marvel movies arrive as parodies of themselves. If only that were an indication of the genre’s own impending Ragnarok — a sign that the entire phenomenon is about to implode, only to be reborn as something more worthy of the audience’s time and intelligence.
SOURCE: Variety