Superhero Media: Thor Ragnarok

Thor Ragnarok is my favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe film. That doesn't mean I think it's the best MCU film, or the one people should start with or anything like that; just that when I want to watch a film I really love, this is the first MCU one I reach for. Having left Earth to search the cosmos for the Infinity Stones at the end of Age of Ultron, Thor finds himself in Muspelheim, confronting Surtur and despite that set-up, we immediately learn that this film will be different as Thor slips into Vaudeville comedy and Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" cranks up. After returning to Asgard, getting a glimpse into an alternate world were Matt Damon was in the MCU, and revealing that Loki has supplanted Odin, we're off to Midguard for one of the best cameos in film history. The scenes in the Sanctum Sanctorum show off what two great actors, one classically trained and the other naturally comedic, can do to make an exposition scene truly engaging. Then, Antony Hopkins bows out of the MCU and all Hella breaks loose. 

Before we know it, the Shakespearean drama of the previous Thor films is left behind and a gorgeous, technicolor, Jack Kirby inspired world is laid before us and suddenly the franchise is an action space comedy. I understand that some fans are becoming dismissive of the quotable and mimetic nature of MCU films, but I always find that complaining about something being fun is kind of weird thing to do. Like, if Korg shouting "Piss off, ghost!" doesn't at least get a chuckle out of you, why are you watching films about characters originally written for five cent children's funny books? Yes, I also quite enjoy Planet Hulk, but I don't think it would really translate well to a live-action film, and the version of some of those concepts seen here are entertaining enough, especially Korg and Miek. Throw in a soundtrack by Mark "Devo" Mothersbaugh and you have a fun, colourful, engaging film that makes the best of a great cast and a director who is doing some of the best high-concept comedy work happening at the moment. 

I mean, Thor was the also-ran series of the MCU for years, never really making money or being broadly loved in the way other character vehicles were, so it was broadly assumed that after Endgame, the brand would fade away. However, not only was Ragnarok a major unexpected hit, but it was so much fun for the cast and crew that not only are Thor and Loki sticking around, but there is a new run of Thor films starting up with Love and Thunder, and I cannot wait. This is the strength of the "Cinematic Universe" model that we're still learning about, that characters can stick around and do more stuff even once their series are over, or actors can even change here and there. Thor Ragnarok is a hell of a fun film, no doubt, but being so fun for all involved that the major players decided that they want to do more is pretty much unheard of. For me, Ragnarok is also the start of what I consider the MCU "Golden Age", with a run of several films all being great in their own right, as we'll discover soon.