Thor: Ragnarok a film that has it all

Thor: Ragnarok is the fifth chapter of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is also the first Thor film which takes place in the other realms besides just Earth and Asgard. When we last saw Thor in The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), he left to find the remaining Infinity Stones as four have now turned up and he senses a greater plot afoot. The official synopsis reads: “Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.” There are many things I liked at the film, a few things I didn’t and I will respond to a few of the critics’ issues with the film.

First, what I liked about the film. First, the cast. Every actor filled their role very well. Chris Hemsworth as Thor as always brings the God of Thunder to life. In this film, Hemsworth was allowed to show more of his comedic side as well as the dramatic and action packed sequences. Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie was great. I knew very little about the character when I saw the film and I was pleased to see how she fit in the story. Thompson brought great heart and depth to the character. Cate Blanchett as Hela was amazing! She seemed to be tailored made for this role. Her portrayal of Hela is definitely an improvement in Thor villains over Malekith in The Dark World. Second, the story with all the humor (there were a few laugh out loud moments), the drama (which I will not discuss in case you haven’t seen it yet) and the action from beginning to end kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat. The movie didn’t feel like it was over two hours which is good. If I watch a movie and I am aware of how long it is, then it didn’t hold my attention. I should be so engrossed in the story that I am unaware of the passage of time and Thor: Raganrok did that. Lastly, the music. I loved the use of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song which fits perfectly with the Viking/Norse mythology which inspired Thor and his adventures.

Second, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about this film. However, what I didn’t like about the film were a few of the comedic scenes which were uncomfortable to watch. I cringed like “ewww really?!?” There is one joke in particular which features how Thor returns to Asgard and every time they said it, I cringed. I was glad when he finally returns to Asgard and this particular joke could stop. These types of jokes are so juvenile and unnecessary. They belong in a different comedies like Dumb and Dumber. Thankfully they weren’t the majority of the jokes in the film. While Jeff Goldblum is a great choice for the Grandmaster, some of his scenes were a bit tedious and cringe worthy. However, these awkward scenes were really few and far between so it’s something I could overlook when enjoying the film.

Third, many critics both professional and viewers had quite a few things to say about this film. One criticism I read is that the plotline of Ragnarok was an afterthought and wasn’t central to the film. I didn’t see that at all. While Ragnarok isn’t discussed at length in the film, it is Thor’s motivation to free himself from the Grandmaster and return to Asgard and defeat Hela. So I feel Ragnarok was not a side plot especially in the final act, when you see the final you may understand what I mean. Sometimes I think people wanted the Ragnarok storyline to be used to bash the audience’s head and remind them over and over that the end was coming. Not necessary. I think it worked in the film as they portrayed it. Second, many critics had a problem with the humor. There was too much. While I enjoyed the majority of the humor and didn’t enjoy some of the jokes, I don’t see why a superhero film can’t have humor. Iron Man did. Both Avengers films did. Captain America: Winter Soldier did. Maybe not to the extent of Ragnarok but it was there. Looking back on the first two Thor films, there were quite bit of humor in those films too.

In conclusion, I loved Thor: Ragnarok. It had great acting. The story was good and for the most part the humor fit. Despite finding some of the humor awkward and hard to watch, I look forward to watching it over and over again as part of the MCU. In my opinion, every movie will have flaws. No matter how much they try to cover all the bases, mistakes will be made and ideas will falter. However, this film is a great film which its flaws can be ignored. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. 

The Huntsman: Winter's War: a review

The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016) is a fantasy adventure prequel/sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). The movie begins as Queen Ravenna (played by Charlize Theron) plays chess with her sister, Freya (played by Emily Blunt), whose powers have not yet emerged. When tragedy strikes, Freya’s powers sudden appear as ice powers. She flees and builds her own kingdom as the Ice Queen. She trains children to be her fearsome huntsmen. She has forbidden love in her kingdom. Despite her decree, two of her best huntsmen, Eric (played by Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (played by Jessica Chastain) fall in love, secretly marry and plan to escape. Their plans is thwarted and Eric is cast out of the kingdom. Seven years later, it is after the events of Snow White and the Huntsman, Queen Snow White has taken ill due to the influence of Ravenna’s evil mirror. The mirror is ordered to be hidden so its dark magic can be contained. On the trip, the mirror disappears and it is feared that Freya is after it. Eric is sent to investigate and recover the mirror. Can Eric find the mirror before Freya? What evil will be released if she gets it?

First, my review will be based on viewing the extended version of this film. There are a few things I liked. First, Chris Hemsworth is great as he returns to the role of the Huntsman. The only reason I wanted to see this film was Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman. I enjoyed this character in the first film and I looked forward to seeing him again. Hemsworth has proven he is capable with an action film. And I have yet to see a movie he’s in that I didn’t like. Granted I haven’t seen all of his films yet, so there may be a film or two I won’t like. I also loved his Scottish accent. Although I’ve read comments that the accent was horrible but it works for me and sounds like many Scottish accents I’ve heard. Second, the action was good and entertaining. Jessica Chastain was great in the action sequences and she and Chris Hemsworth worked well together. I thought their characters’ love story was very moving and believable. Third, there were moments of humor that made me smile or chuckle especially with the dwarves. Nion (played by Nick Frost) and Gryff (played by Rob Brydon) join Eric on his search for the mirror. Along the way, they are joined by Doreena (played by Alexandra Roach) and Bromwyn (played by Sheridan Smith). The interaction between the four dwarves add humor to the story. They aren’t just there for comic relief. The dwarves are in the thick of the action too.

The main issue I had about this film was how it was advertised. The movie was billed as “the story before Snow White” and the first part of the movie takes place before her story. However, the majority of the story and action takes place AFTER the events of Snow White’s story. So how can this be “the story before Snow White?” It reminds me of the movie 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) which takes place before, during and after the events of 300 (2007). If I remember correctly 300: Rise of an Empire was billed as a before, during and after movie unlike Winter’s War which was billed as a prequel. And it’s only a prequel for the first 25 minutes or so. I think the movie fully intended to be a sequel but when the affair scandal between Kristin Stewart and the director Rupert Sanders broke out and Kristin Stewart refusing to do the sequel, I think the producers scrambled about what to do next. Although, in my opinion, I think they could have recast Snow White and the fans would have applauded. There was also a mentioned that Disney may not have allowed the producers to use the name “Snow White” as they have the rights to the name and character. I’m not sure how true that it because she is mentioned in the movie several times and seen in a few scenes.

This movie was heavily criticized by critics and audiences alike. First, many critics and moviegoers pointed out that Freya was similar to Disney’s Elsa in Frozen (2013). They are similar because they were both inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Snow Queen. Was it smart to create a character who was inspired by the same story as a widely popular Disney film? Probably not, because even through Freya is closer to the cruelty of the Snow Queen, Elsa is still the image of the queen with ice powers. Second, many critics hated that the narrator in the film gives away the story before the movie has a chance to start. There was narration in Snow White and the Huntsman, so it would make sense that there would be narration with this film too. When I watched the film again, I paid more attention to the narration and I don’t think it gave anything away that the audience could already anticipate from just the description of the film. In the movie poster, you see Freya dressed as the ice queen but when you first see her in the film, she hasn’t gotten her ice powers yet. So you would anticipate something happening in order for her to transform into the ice queen. Third, many comments I read had a problem with the prequel/sequel premise and I can see why because I had an issue with it too as I stated above. I think a straight forward sequel would have been better. The Freya character could have introduced to the story without having to explain her backstory as they did. Or her backstory could have been shown as part of an exposition from another character.

Overall, I have watched the film three times now and each time I enjoy it more and more. It is a fun adventure story. It is a great Saturday afternoon popcorn movie. I think so many people now want movies which require you to think and contemplate the great questions of our lives and our world. However, sometimes you need a simple straight forward adventure story which leaves you pumped up and victorious. A movie which you cheer for the heroes and you cheer at the demise of the villains. The Huntsman: Winter’s War is such a movie. In my opinion, you don’t even need to see Snow White and the Huntsman first. You can get enough of the story which happens before in Winter’s War without being lost or confused. So if you have the chance and want to watch an adventure story with humor and great action sequences, I recommend The Huntsman: Winter’s War. It is available now on Blue-ray, DVD and On Demand.