Thor, who hasn’t been seen since he flew off with the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of Avengers: Endgame”, returns to the big screen for his 4th solo movie.
When I think of movies that have changed the genre in their movies, I often turn to Lethal Weapon as one of the biggest movers and shakers. Starting out as a dark cop thriller, we ended up with a comedic mess with a cop by part 4. The Thor movies are now a big contender for “the biggest genre shift in the series”. From Kenneth Branagh’s first movie, which was almost a modern Shakespearean tale, to the new movie, which somewhere resembled a Space Comedy Rock festival.
Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor (I think this is his 8th movie where he appears?) and we see the return of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, who has been away since the second movie in the series. Thor teams up with Foster in her new guise as Lady Thor as they fight the “Ripper God” Horr (Christian Bale), who is trying to kill all the gods to avenge the death of his daughter.
“Thor: Ragnarok” has really breathed new life into the character of Thor, and this is a great credit to Waititi’s creativity and humor. In this new movie, they essentially double down on that approach, and the writer/director goes all out. From screaming goats pulling a boat down a rainbow road, to a city full of gods with Zeus planning an orgy, to some of the most visually stunning sequences ever in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And against the goal that the movie sets for itself with quirky humor, giant visual spectacles, but still with heart and laughter, it really hit the mark. It has an 80s aesthetic, great rock moments, laughs, and a really light and dark story. It’s not going to be for everyone, but in the genre of superhero comedy spectacular, they made an incredible movie.
