MovieChat Forums > Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Discussion > Fun in it's own right, but it's not a Th...

Fun in it's own right, but it's not a Thor movie. And tonally a mess

posted 7 years ago by MadamShogun (240)
20 replies | jump to latest

It's not bad but i definitely don't want to see it again. Instead of getting a gritty Norse fantasy Marvel decides to take the safe route and double down on the humor so it can be more digestible. And the humor was so ....i dunno out of place i want to say? I'm getting put off by the MCU more and more (i love the Netflix shows though!! despite Iron Fist, and The Defenders being duds). I'm just waiting for the Valiant universe to get off the ground.

[–] EmperorOfDragons (297) 7 years ago

Yeah they could have made a bad ass Norse fantasy action movie. They instead made safe action comedy.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 7 years ago

MCU Thor was tongue-in-cheek from the get-go.

I figure they recognized the absurdity of the character (compared to which Iron Man is practically hard sci-fi) and kept it light.

[–] AtomicBlonde (75) 7 years ago

They could have made a serious Thor movie work, if they wanted to. I just think Joss Wheadon set a tone Disney was comfortable with and it got broadly applied to everything.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 7 years ago

But how much control did Whedon have over Branaugh's "Thor"?

There must have been SOME input, by Feige at least if not Whedon, in order for the films to lead properly into "Avengers."

But "Thor" still felt Branaugh-esque, for all its humor.

[–] EmperorOfDragons (297) 7 years ago

Branaugh should have been given more freedom, and brought back for the next 2 films imo.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 7 years ago

I just reviewed the first Thor film and you're right - however cartoonish the comic versions of Norse gods may be, Branaugh actually brought a huge amount of dignity to the story and characters.

I'd actually forgotten how tragic and misguided Loki was when he started out - Avengers occurred after he'd been falling through space for who knows how long, and Thor's own credit stinger made it clear he'd been messed up by the experience.

I still loved this flick though - guess it's because I grew up on the Kirby versions that this film clearly paid homage to

[–] Bubbathegut (18049) 7 years ago

It was basically just a straight up comedy with a little bit of action thrown in.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I can only speak for myself but I wouldn't want to see a serious Thor movie. No movie will please everyone so they're playing to the lowest common denominator and in my opinion this movie just works really well. Let's face it, a movie about a Norse god played too straight would have a very niche audience, even among comic fans. What I really like about Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor is not that he's a super badass but rather that he's just not as cool as he likes to think he is. Whether he's knocking something over, mistiming a pith comment, or immediately flowing from promising the wrath of Thor into an outright pleading an old man not to cut his hair, there's just something very likable about this character.

[–] AtomicBlonde (75) 7 years ago

Fair enough, but I don't think the tone is becoming of the mythology. I think a gritty Norse fantasy action movie could have worked like others said. It's just Vikings with fantasy.

[–] TwistedAcrobat (1725) 7 years ago

I don't enjoy Thor - never cared for him in the comics - as a demi-god who has the "worthiness" crutch. That kind of Thor [the one of the comics] could possibly work for a kind of Heracles and his 12 Works kind of deal. But that means a standalone movie
The problem is that they have to make Thor integrate with the rest of the Marvel characters; so a Mythology heavy movie wouldn't work in the larger scheme.

Diluting the mythology and making him more relatable seems to be the proper way.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 7 years ago

That's a great point

Until now, I thought Hemsworth's Thor's mishaps and vulnerabilities were just comic relief, but they actually do serve to humanize him and make him more likable.

[–] Renovatio (2990) 7 years ago

Were the cartoons, sorry, comic books these movies are based on "gritty" or were they just fun colourful picture books for young boys?

[–] MadamShogun (240) 7 years ago

ah yes, i knew someone was going to bring this up. Comics are not just for kids, over the years they have become a great medium for great character driven narratives. They're also very tonally diverse. You're more or less putting comics into a genre ghetto.

[–] Renovatio (2990) 7 years ago

i understand that a lot of adults are into comics and that there are some comics that are adult oriented... but is Thor one of them, or was it just a kids oriented comic book?

I'm asking because I never read them...

[–] TwistedAcrobat (1725) 7 years ago

nothing like checking them out.

[–] CraigJamesReview (1715) 7 years ago

I wouldn't say the humor felt out of place. Thor has always been sort of a buffoon in a way so giving him more to react to doesn't seem like so much of a bad thing. I do agree that tonally it was a mess though and I don't see the problem with trying to make a grittier film.

I'm trying to go for an engaging, funny youtube channel so, if you have the time, take a look. Hope you enjoy what you see. Thanks in advance. A review of the movie here- https://youtu.be/9qSxC3AVAvA

[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

That's the thing, movie-Thor has always been this big meathead that can't be taken seriously, so his solo movies have been silly and campy. And funny, when Loki was doing the talking. So making this movie a lot more comedic than, say, CA:tWS was fine.

What didn't quite work was making Thor actively funny instead of Loki's straight man, because, well, Hiddleston is much better at comedy than Hemsworth. I mean it was fun seeing him plotzing all over Strange's mansion, but it didn't get a lot if laughing out loud from the theater audience. So I give the first half of the movie a lower rating than the second, because the action was entirely successful while the comedy was only partly so.

[–] AtomicBlonde (75) 7 years ago

it's hard to even believe a film like this is in the same universe as Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal (302) 7 years ago

The humor was fine, but there was too much of it at the expense of what should have been the core theme of the film: Hela.

Speck

[–] MadamShogun (240) 7 years ago

Yeah Hela was short changed...