Entertainment
Thor: Ragnarok Gets Rave Reviews from Critics
Phew!
It’s safe to say that Thor is the red-headed step-child of the Avengers—The Hulk notwithstanding. After a stellar intro that was arguably one of the better first films in the MCU, the Thor franchise took a bad left turn with its second film, Thor: The Dark World—a film often considered the worst in Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.
So, Marvel brought in indie darling Taika Waititi to direct the film penned by long-time Marvel scribe Eric Pearson—responsible for aseveral Marvel One-Shots—in an attempt to bring more humor in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy to the melodramatic franchise.
It appears that gamble worked. Critics have been eating up Ragnarok and have been naming it the best Thor film to date.
According to RottenTomatoes.com, 96 per cent of critics gave the film a positive review as of the writing of this article. While that number is sure to come down as more critics see the film, that’s a staggering number even for a Marvel film.
That’s a better score than any other Marvel film. On top of that, it’s a continuation of the unprecedented roll that Marvel Studios have been on since 2008.
While it’s stumbled as of late in the TV realm, its last five films have had the following scores: Thor Ragnarok (96 per cent), Spider-Man: Homecoming (89 per cent), Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (88 per cent), Doctor Strange (89 per cent) and Captain America: Civil War (90 per cent).
One could argue that we’ve actually just entered the prime of the MCU and that’s really exciting and encouraging especially considering 2018 is going to bring us Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War—the most important film in Marvel Studios’ history. But, back to Ragnarok. The consensus on RottenTomatoes.com reads as follows:
“Exciting, funny, and above all fun, Thor: Ragnarok is a colorful cosmic adventure that sets a new standard for its franchise — and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
A new standard? That’s saying something considering the fact that the MCU was already considered to be the gold standard in Hollywood. Also, considering that Ragnarok means the end of the world in Norse mythology and the fact that some of their more recent films have been darker, they could’ve very well gone that route for the third Thor film.
What’s even more exciting is that this is the most cosmic film in the God of Thunder’s saga. While the MCU has been knocked in the past for bringing too much humor into its films, it sounds like they found the right balance in a franchise that is pretty ridiculous by definition.