Review: New Thor installment another stupidly-fun superhero flick

Once again, Marvel has churned out another enjoyable, if not a little formulaic, superhero action flick.

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston reprised their beloved roles as the Norse gods Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok. The movie also starred Mark Ruffalo, who returned as the Hulk, and featured new characters such as the formidable Valkyrie and the Goddess of Death Hela, played by Tessa Thompson and Cate Blanchett, respectively.

As a rabid consumer of all things Marvel Cinematic Universe, I had been excited to see this movie since I first saw the San Diego Comic Con trailers in July. Previously this year, I had seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spiderman: Homecoming, both of which I enjoyed immensely. These movies led me to have high expectations for Ragnarok, but although I had a lot of fun watching it, this adventure does not deserve a place near the top of the Marvel Universe pantheon.

There was a lot to like in this movie. The comedy was entertaining, relying more on innuendos and more mature themes. The settings were gorgeous, and instead of clashing, the contrast between the grungy trash planet of Sakaar and the fantasy kingdom of Asgard, set against the neon-on-black of outer space, made for an eye-catching and attractive design choice.

To name my favorite part of this movie is difficult. I especially loved the character Korg, a soft-spoken gladiator made of rocks whom Thor befriends when he crashes onto Sakaar. Thor’s meeting with Doctor Strange also deserves an honorable mention due to the numerous seamless setting shifts and cuts during the scene, highlighting the editing team’s skill.

The main issue I had with this movie was how underwhelming the antagonists were. In the trailers, Hela is portrayed as a terrifying and powerful figure. (She breaks Thor’s hammer! She can stop it in midair!) That was, unfortunately, the only thing scary about her. The rest of the movie, she mainly transformed her hair into antlers with the wave of her hand and threw spears at people. The Grandmaster, a secondary antagonist portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, was supposed to be a comical and childish villain. Instead, he was annoyingly “quirky,” and his eccentrics succeeded to annoy rather than endear.

Overall, I give the movie four stars out of five. It was a fun and enjoyable movie, jam-packed with fight scenes and vibrantly colorful visuals. I would recommend this to my friends and to anybody else who enjoys watching pretty people punch each other in the face.