Thor: Ragnarok Is The Funniest Marvel Movie Yet [SPOILERS]

Thor is funny! I bet you never thought Thor and comedy would go hand-in-hand, but that’s exactly what director Taika Waititi had in mind for the latest installment of the Marvel Universe. I was telling my husband that with this film, I feel like you don’t event need to have seen many or any of the previous movies. Just sit back and enjoy the hilarious hotness that is Chris Hemsworth.

 

I feel like some of the lines in Thor: Ragnarok might have been improvised. They feel so off the cuff and natural that at times, it’s almost like you’re watching a Thor sketch or parody. But then the action and drama quickly bring you back to reality. I first got a glimpse of just how funny Chris Hemsworth is in a great sketch he did on SNL. Boom! And I feel like we’re getting more of a glimpse of his true self in this version of Thor. He’s made funny comments in the other movies, but Ragnarok had me LOLing from the first 5 minutes and beyond.

A lot of the credit for that also has to go to Jeff Goldblum who chews the scenery the minute he’s on camera. He brillantly plays The Grandmaster, one of the universe’s oldest and highly intelligent beings. He’s greedy, arrogant, and immoral but dammit we love him. Only Jeff Goldblum could add these qualities to a character and still make us want to see more. In fact, I think Marvel should think about a spinoff about the The Grandmaster. I’d watch!

One of my favorite parts of this film, and Chris and I couldn’t stop talking about, was the FEELING this movie has. It feels like a cross between Flash Gordon and a Styx concert. Very space rock from the music, to the trippy colors and costumes. The perfect use of Led Zeppelin and synth made me tap my toe and want to fist pump. Don’t worry, I was way more chill than that. But I did pop on some Zeppelin in the car for the ride home. Waititi said he wanted to use a lot of what artist Jack Kirby had created and translate it into film.

“Jack Kirby is a big part of this film in the design of a lot of the Sakaarian work that we’re creating. He’s a huge hero to all of us. Kirby created so many incredible characters and designs and ships and costumes. We’re heavily influenced by a lot of what he did. He really blazed the trail and the tribute to him in our film was a huge honor. ”

In this Thor we see comedy from the good guys, and even the bad guys. Cate Blanchett brings the pain with her badass version of Hela, (spoiler) Thor and Loki’s sister who’s been locked away forever because she’s also, um,  the Goddess of Death. Understandable. There’s a lot of family issues brought up in this film that gives some insights into who Thor is, and the relationship with his brother Loki who can’t seem to figure out if he’s good or bad. I’ll let you watch and decide.

A big portion of the film is spent on the relationship between Thor and the Hulk. We all saw the trailer where Thor exclaims, “He’s a friend from work!”. I wont’ spoil it for you, but it takes a decidedly different turn from there. And it is epic! Their back-and-forth chemistry is undeniable.

One thing I knew right away when I left the theater was just how much fun this film is. I haven’t laughed that hard in a Marvel movie in, ever. It still has the action you’d expect, and the lighthearted spirit that made us fall in love with Tony Stark and the Marvel Universe back in Ironman. It makes me wonder if we’re going to see more funny Marvel movies or if this was just a blend of the right director, script and actors who felt they could make a funny Thor. And every time I see a movie like this I wonder, why don’t these films get nominated for Academy Awards? When a movie gets you that invested, and excited, I feel like the Academy should take notice.

Thor: Ragnarok opens nationwide on Nov. 2nd. and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. It was directed by Taika Waititi and written by: Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost.