MovieChat Forums > Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Discussion > It wasn't the comedy of Thor that was th...

It wasn't the comedy of Thor that was the problem for me

posted 6 years ago by NorrinRad (5128)
5 replies | jump to latest

It was that it was too irreverent. One of my favorite action movies is Die Hard. There are tons of laughs and humor abounds. The FBI are made to look incredibly buffoonish but there was a high degree of respect shown for police through the walkie-talkie of a street cop.

Taika and even Joss Whedon through the Avengers couldn't wait to Take The Piss out out of Asgard and Thor for reasons that I will never understand. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's initial rendition of Thor and Asgard was drenched in nobility and grandeur. The faux Shakespearian affections of speech gave Thor and Odin a sense of regalness.

I would bet dollar to donuts that Taika would never had treated a Maori story like the Dead Lands in the same terms in order to make it allegedly relatable. I liked Thor Ragnarok the movie but this ignoble treatment of Asgard, Odin, Thor and every other character just diminished the overall arc for Thor.

Admittedly I am a huge fan of the character but Marvel allowed Thor Ragnarok to be all about Taika and not about Thor. After buying the Blu-Ray and going through the extras you can see it is all about Taika. The entire contents appear to be a vanity vehicle about the director.

I don't want Taika touching another MCU film ever again. Let's just allow this film to be a One-Off.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

"I don't want Taika touching another MCU film ever again. Let's just allow this film to be a One-Off."

Amen.

[–] NorrinRad (5128) 6 years ago

If Taika is willing to adopt a less quirky view i would probably even enjoy his next project but I am not sure he can do Drama-Comedy.

[–] sslssg (30416) 6 years ago

What did you think of Hunt for the Wilderpeople?

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to find that anyone on Earth takes the Thor movies seriously!

Or the comics, for that matter.

[–] DracTarashV2 (4480) 6 years ago

Marvel obviously gave Taika a lot of creative control, and I imagine they hired him for this exact reason. With that in mind, Taika can’t take full “blame” for how undesirable Ragnarok ended up to some viewers. Personally, my appreciation for this movie is strong. Sure, while a more focused and straightforward movie would have been more ideal, Taika’s direction in this particular MCU movie was fresh, delightfully idiosyncratic and badass. His vision breathed new life into a series that seriously needed to reinvent itself, and I for one, couldn’t be happier with the end results.

Don’t get me wrong, you make some great points and I fully understand why other fans share your opinions. Nonetheless, in my view Thor: Ragnarok is a non-stop thrill ride that feels very much like a Thor movie. Taika did a fantastic job of not only making Thor shine more than he previously ever has, but I would argue that his whole journey in this movie stayed true to the character. So as radically different as the approach was, it was still impactful and I dare to say respectful (even if it does take the piss). We may disagree, but I know the movie worked for me.

And sorry, but as a fan of Taika’s work, I hope he finds a place in the MCU after Ragnarok. Depending on the characters, his quirky and humorous style could undoubtedly benefit future MCU movies. Either way, I believe he’s more than able to make a serious and more grounded Marvel movie. For example, take the scenes with Odin, Hiemdall, and especially the mesmerizing Valkyrie flashback. Those were poignant and well-executed moments (I know, if only the majority of the movie had carried those scenes’ tone).

Anyway, Hemsworth, who on more than one occasion has admitted to having grown tired of playing Thor, actually had some say in the direction of Thor 3. According to him, he talked to Marvel and told them it would be best if they did something drastically different with the third movie. So in comes Taika Waititi and voila! :)