Even though it’s about the end of the world and sacrifice, the Marvel blockbuster emphasizes humor to the point that the work is almost like a comedy about superheroes.

In the new part, Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) opponent is the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett) – someone with a deep connection to his family. Hela easily broke Thor’s magic hammer Mjolnir and conquered Asgard. The god of thunder wandered to the planet Sakaar and was forced to become a gladiator. In the arena, he had to encounter the green giant Hulk (the ferocious incarnation of scientist Bruce Banner played by Mark Ruffalo) – a former teammate in the Avengers group. Thor finds a way to escape to liberate his homeland, while the end of the world, Ragnarok, is near.

* Thor becomes a gladiator in the new movie

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Director Taika Waititi has a knack for satirical films, so Thor: Ragnarok is almost a comedy with a superhero theme. The humorous style of the work can be recognized right from the first scene. While in the previous two parts, the film opened with long, serious, heroic narratives about mythology and history, the third part opens with a satirical scene. The comedy is then heightened when Thor goes to the planet Skaar and meets the Hulk. In a scene introduced in the trailer, when the audience was boiling and Hulk rushed out, Thor suddenly shouted with joy because he recognized someone he knew.

* Thor shoots lightning from his eyes in the movie

Amusing elements are built rhythmically through the conversations of Thor and Hulk, Thor and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) or the god of thunder and the female warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Many juggling sentences between characters are humorous. The comedy is generally charming, not arbitrarily introduced but built on the character development of characters such as Thor, Hulk, Loki… in the past.

The battle between Thor and Hulk attracts attention in the new movie.

Even in serious situations, filmmakers can laugh at seriousness through images and dialogue. In the scene where Hela approaches Thor near the end of the movie, the goddess of death’s posture resembles that of a catwalk model. In another excerpt, when Hela explains the role of the executioner, the character’s description is funny even though Cate Blanchett still maintains a serious tone.

Thor: Ragnarok has no shortage of intense battle scenes with special effects. Although Hela is the main opponent of Thor in the movie, many audiences are more interested in the battle between Thor and Hulk. In the comics, Thor and Hulk appeared in 1962 and fans quickly placed the two strongest Avenger members on the scale. The series of battles between them in the story have been discussed by Marvel fans for decades.

* Thor fights Hulk in “The Avengers”

On screen, the two characters once fought in The Avengers (2012), but the fight only took place briefly and the winner was not yet decided. In the new movie, the duel between Thor and Hulk has more developments. After an amusing opening act, they charge at each other, pitting their muscles, weapons and special abilities against each other in a multi-minute battle. The situation kept changing and the crowd cheered wildly. The effects in this part are done carefully, helping the audience feel the collisions and interactions of Thor (played by human) and Hulk (body built by technology).

The mixed context of mythology and science fiction is also a plus point of Thor: Ragnarok . The world of Asgard is built with large, fairy-tale buildings, while the planet Sakaar has ancient Roman architecture, combined with science fiction elements. Meanwhile, a scene in a landfill is reminiscent of the blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens .

Hulk, Thor, Valkyrie and Loki in the movie.

Like previous films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the work has many details introducing the following parts, including two secret videos integrated in the middle and after the introduction of the film crew. Stars Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Luke Hemsworth (Mr. Chris Hemsworth) make cameos, and Benedict Cumberbatch appears in an excerpt as the wizard Dr. Strange – the main character in Marvel’s work of the same name last year.

In the main role, Chris Hemsworth proves his ability to perform both comedy and action. With a muscular body, masculine features and long hair, he shows the majesty of the god Thor. The face of the actor born in 1983 also has a sense of humor that allows him to easily transform appropriately in funny scenes.

In addition to Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo also play roles. Hiddleston plays the “half good, half evil” character Loki, who both helps Thor and secretly seeks personal gain. Ruffalo’s character is a scientist whose mind is unstable after a long time transforming into the Hulk. Cate Blanchett is somewhat lackluster in the villain role. Impressive in appearance with a black and blue body-hugging dress and dark eyeliner, but her character does not have much acting space when the content about the planet Sakaar takes up a large amount of time.

Hela breaks Thor’s hammer in the new movie.

With Thor: Ragnarok , big themes such as loss, sacrifice, and the end of the world are just the backdrop for comedy. In some parts, especially the climax scene, the director went too far, causing the work to lack deep emotions. The psychological transformation of the character Valkyrie happens quickly and too easily. The absence of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) – Thor’s girlfriend – is briefly explained because they broke up, making the audience disappointed because in the previous two parts, their relationship played a key role.

Thor: Ragnarok is the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the third film with the god of thunder Thor playing a central role. This is a special character of Marvel comics because it is inspired by Norse mythology. Previously, the second part Thor: The Dark World (2013) was the movie that received the worst feedback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with only 66% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes . To change the situation, the producers invited New Zealand filmmaker – Taika Waititi – as director.