Blonde hair swaying, a sizzling hammer in hand, thunder and lightning crackling—that’s the Thor we’ve been waiting for.
Marvel moviegoers last saw the lovable god of thunder—played by Chris Hemsworth—in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the 2015 movie, Thor departed Earth in a hurry to protect his father’s kingdom. He left the rest of the Avengers team alone to struggle with political and internal conflicts during the 2016 film, Captain America: Civil War.
The flood gates holding back thousands of anxious Marvel fans finally reopened on Friday Nov. 3 when Thor: Ragnarok was released, answering our questions about Thor’s prolonged disappearance.
Fans have been tightly strung along since trailers premiered with a radical makeover of the classic comic book character. Thor appears clad for battle with a new helmet and stripped of his familiar luscious locks, and no magical hammer in sight. In the most frightening scene of previews, Hela—Goddess of death, played by Cate Blanchett—is seen smashing Thor’s beloved Mjolnir—the hammer—to pieces with one bare hand.
Up until this point, Mjolnir appeared to be Thor’s main source of power. The first Thor film, released in 2011, showed us a Thor who was mortally weak without it. This implication puts fans on edge, especially considering that the title of the film, Ragnarok, refers to the portion of Norse mythology describing the end of the world. Fortunately for fans, Marvel defied all expectations.
The film opens on a fast-paced fighting scene with our audacious hero kicking butt and taking names. Loki—Tom Hiddleston—is introduced next, disguised by Odin’s—Anthony Hopkins—magic to resolve the problem prefaced in Thor: The Dark World, when Loki is seen seated on Odin’s throne. Thor’s life begins to crumble when he drags Loki along to search for their father, running into Doctor Strange—Benedict Cumberbatch—who we know from his 2016 solo film Doctor Strange.
The audience is told about past truths—Odin has sought to keep secret the prophecy of doom for Asgard. Without his hammer, Thor is thrust into a new planet, powerless under the greedy Grandmaster—Jeff Goldblum.
Our hero reunites with the Hulk, A.K.A. the brilliant Bruce Banner—Mark Ruffalo—and attempts to align himself with the alcoholic, pessimistic warrior-woman named Valkyrie—Tessa Thompson. Loki volunteers his assistance too, but Thor is torn between trusting his brother and expecting betrayal. The team races to defeat the tyrant Hela, who is bent on killing the citizens of Asgard.
For a film with such an ominous title, every minute is packed with humor and wit. The lovable, cocky god of thunder cracks a joke as often as he can, even or especially in moments of danger and fear.
Additionally, physical mishaps and ironic scenes with these mighty men, woman and other characters have audience members quaking with laughter. Thor keeps the audience giggling while he explores his situation, turning the film into less of a tragedy and more of a hero’s journey built on humor and companionship.u
Thor: Ragnarok, the long-awaited sequel to the 2011 Thor film, was released on Friday Nov. 3. The film brought closure to many questions the previous movie proposed and it involves humorous antics from characters like titular Thor played by Chris Hemsworth (above). (Courtesy of Creative Commons