As Thor: Ragnarok opens, we see our protagonist in unfamiliar surroundings caught up in a net. It turns out he is in the land of lost things (Sakkar) as a prisoner of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum; Jurassic Park) and forced to fight a great warrior… to the death. Said Warrior is none other than Hulk (Mark Ruffalo; Spotlight). Anyway, Thor ended up in this no man's land after discovering he has an older sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett; The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) who was imprisoned and forgotten but released upon their father, Odin's (Anthony Hopkins; The Silence of the Lambs), death.
Hela's only goal is to destroy Asgard and eight other realms and wreak havoc on this world so she can control it and rule over it all. She is the Goddess of death and we learn that previously Odin wasn't so kind and gentle and Hela was his "right-hand man". As Thor realizes the only way to save Asgard is to have it destroyed, he devises a plan with the help of Loki (Tom Hiddleston; Kong: Skull Island) and a great Valkyrie warrior (Tessa Thompson; Creed). Of course, Thor and his team save the day (well sort of) opening the door to a new adventure down the road.
Chris Hemsworth took on the main role of Thor seven years ago and he has truly made it his own. We have watched Thor evolve throughout the films and Ragnarok takes us in a whole new direction. As the script is less serious this time around, we get to see Hemsworth expand this character with more humor and laughs than before. Hiddleston has always been a terrific actor and sidekick to Hemsworth and this film is no exception. We also get to see Thor build a relationship with Hulk and in these scenes, as Hemsworth and Ruffalo play off each other beautifully. The ladies of this movie, Blanchett and Thompson, are masterful as strong female characters and both are a little bit badass. Honorable mention certainly has to go to Hopkins and Goldblum. These veteran actors bring quite a bit of weight to their roles (Hopkins as an aged and dying God; Goldblum as the fun-loving ruler of an awkward planet).
The 4K Blu-ray is 2160p High definition video with HDR10 codec and is amazing to watch. The colors are magnificent, especially in the lost world. They pop off the screen and draw the viewer in. The Dolby Atmos audio is an excellent complement to the video. The special effects boom large and loud and surround the viewer. The Combo pack has the 4K Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, and a Digital HD download. The extras are plentiful and include an intro from Director Taiki Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), extras and featured extras. The latter two are broken down into segments including Audio Commentary, Director Intro, Finding Korg, Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown, Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor, Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie, Journey into Mystery, Team Darryl, Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - The Evolution of Heroes, 8-Bit Sequences, Deleted Scenes and a Gag Reel. Like the movie itself, the extras are funny in a goofy sort of way.
The latest Thor movie does its best to reinvent itself from the serious superhero, "save the world" usual fare into more of a humorous, Guardians of the Galaxy kind of way but, sadly, it just doesn't mesh well with what we know of the series. This juxtaposition is somewhat jarring and, for me at least, it doesn't work all that well. There are a few laugh out loud moments but I hope they return to a more serious Thor for the next go around.
Grade: B-
