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| Edited By: Rucha Sharma |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Nov 02, 2017, 04:29 PM IST
Film - Thor: Ragnarok
Cast - Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel House, Karl Urban, and Jeff Goldblum
Director - Taika Waititi
Thor: Ragnarok is the story of the end of Asgard as we know it. Hela of Niflheim (Cate Blanchett) becomes powerful when Odin (Anthony Hopkins) decides it is time to retire. Hela wants to rule the nine realms but Thor won't let that happen. She sends him to the universal dump planet of Sakaar which is run by another celestial figure The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). Grandmaster, the big entertainer that he is, also runs a competition in which warriors from all the realms are made to fight like gladiators. Here's where Thor meets his 'friend from work' Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and disgraced Asgardian warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Together with his 'adopted' brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor forms a new team - The Revengers - to take down Hela. What happens next sets the tone for Avengers: Infinity War.
This is the first time Marvel has gone all out banking on Chris Hemsworth's comic timing. This is also the first time the sturdier, grimmer, tougher facade of Thor has been exchanged for a lighter, funnier, and sunnier version. The movie is not afraid of taking shots at the superhero and the tough situation he is in. It starts with the magnificent display of Thor's hammer works with Mjolnir. But as the movie progresses, the tone lightens and even the scenes in which Thor is at his most vulnerable, under attack by Hela, come with a lining of humour.
Waititi's unique sense of humour shone brightly in What We Do In The Shadows (2014) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). The streak continues for the third movie and benefits Marvel this time. Hemsworth smoothly switches gears between being a Norse god (which he will not let you forget even for a second) and a wisecrack. Cate Blanchett finally gets to go overboard with the theatrics as Hela. A goth girl with antlers and dominatrix attire who can kick ass better than most Marvel Superheroes - that's your description of Hela! Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie starts uneven, but a poetic scene explaining her beef with Hela, provides the structure for her and then she is unstoppable.
Mark Ruffalo as Hulk works marvels because he gets more space to explore. Thor: Ragnarok has only strengthened the fan-cry for a stand-alone Bruce Banner movie. The seeds of Planet Hulk timeline have already been sown in this movie. Jeff Goldblum, Rachel House, Karl Urban, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Led Zeppelin's song 'Immigrant' play their characters to the hilt.
Thor still seeking Odin's approval is the only thread that has continued from the previous solo outings of the Asgardian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nobody would have missed it. Also, Blanchett's character needed more scenes to really hammer the baddie streaks.
Keep an eye out for cameos. Actors from Jurassic Park, The Martian, and Westworld will delight you. Director Taika Waititi plays Korg, a gladiator on Sakaar. He will be your new favourite sidekick no doubt! Also, it's a Marvel movie. Do not leave your seat until all the credits roll.
You just can't miss the lighter version of the Norse God.
