Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
★★½ — Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) arrived at a curious crossroads for Marvel, coming off the back of two Thor films that had largely underwhelmed critics and casual viewers alike. The studio handed the keys to New Zealand director Taika Waititi, whose prior work, the low-budget mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and the warmly received Hunt for the Wilderlings (2016), hardly suggested blockbuster experience on a $180 million scale. Waititi reportedly had unusual creative latitude for a Marvel production, bringing his improvisational, comedy-first sensibility to bear on the material. Shot primarily in Brisbane and Sydney, the film was positioned as a deliberate tonal reset, drawing visual inspiration from the cosmic, psychedelic artwork of Jack Kirby's 1960s and 70s Marvel comics.
I know the consensus is that Taika Waititi “saved” the Thor franchise with this one (swapped the dour Norse gloom for neon, rock music, and quips) but after the hype, what’s left feels less like a revival and more like a theme park ride with a soundtrack. The film’s so busy being fun, so drenched in CGI colour and forced irreverence, that it forgets to have weight, tension, or anything resembling a soul. It’s loud, fast, and relentlessly vibrant to the point of exhaustion, like watching a fireworks display in a blender. There are moments that work. Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster is gloriously camp, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie has cool and charisma, and the Hulk/Banner split lets Mark Ruffalo finally flex some comic timing. The retro synth score is catchy, the one-on-one fight between Thor and Hulk is satisfying, and Waititi’s fingerprints are all over the oddball humour. But too much of it feels like a parody of a superhero film rather than the real thing. It’s not badly made, in fact, technically it’s polished to a shine, but it’s emotionally hollow. All that brightness and noise can’t hide the fact that it’s just another MCU machine turning, swapping one tone for another without saying anything new. Sometimes the vibrancy feels less like confidence and more like distraction. A flashy, forgettable entry in a franchise running on fumes.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2017 | Watched: 2025-08-17
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Taika Waititi: What We Do in the Shadows (2014) · Next Goal Wins (2023)
More with Chris Hemsworth: Thor (2011) · Men in Black: International (2019) · Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) · Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
