What has turned into a fan favorite line is what made me go WTF? Seriously? When Hemsworth laughingly over emotes during his line "He's a friend from work." Audiences laugh and cheer. I think to myself, that's not even funny. Cause in reality it's not. It's not funny cause it is logically fallible. Thor is supposedly a God who doesn't talk like humans and over the course of his journey in the Marvel films didn't take on a modern affect to his dialogue. He doesn't refer to his follow Avengers with that colleague like demeanor. He wouldn't consider his Avenging "work." It's a reference an intergalactic gladiatorial audience would not even understand. The idea that he would suddenly adopt such a 21st century American specific expression on another world no where near other humans is a huge lapse in logic. It's a silly line played for laughs that has no grounding in the reality of the character.
And I've lost 99% of anyone who would be reading this. "Oh you're taking it all too seriously." would be the response.
And that is my point.
I believe the Marvel cinematic universe eschewed taking itself seriously from day one when they ignored the philosophical issues raised by the first Iron Man for the appealing Downey Jr. Schick. But it wasn't until Guardians of the Galaxy (still the best Marvel movie) went all Prattapaolosa self mockery that Marvel said "hey, we're on to something here!" Instead of investing any sense of grounding in pathoes to our universe we are going full on tongue in cheek goofiness cause that sells! I get it. People like to laugh and forget it. It's tough when a movie makes us think for 2 and a half hours so we disengage. Especially when the actors are wearing superhero costumes! Come on! just be goofy and let me go home.
Thor Ragnarok is the completion of that vision. It is the "I don't give a crap about these characters and and just going to get drunk and barf all over the lawn" of blockbusters. Instead of trying to seriously tell a story about the thunder god we are instead watching a spoof. You know this because while fight scenes happen, Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song plays in the background instead of an epic score (not for any thematic reason but because of the awesome "Aaaaaaah" moments). Characters who supposedly have divine lineage do silly dances and make snide jokes to the side ALL THE FRICKIN TIME. There are slime jokes. Anthony Hopkins apparently thinks he's in a Monty Python skit. And Jeff Goldblum is basically there to play Jeff Goldblum. The whole thing feels more like Space Balls than space opera. Imagine Batman and Robin had been as cheesy at it was but had actually been funny. That's what we're dealing with here.
I love writer/director Taika Waititi's work but I never understood how he was a fit for this movie until I saw the film. Now I get it. Marvel is no longer interested in trying to make an epic Norse mythology film. They want a light and breezy comedy, the sillier the better. I find Waititi's comedy usually more cerebral but he can be funny at the lowball stuff too and here he is. He embraces the absurdity of the take and makes a funny, light, Austin Powers style comedy. Thor and Loki end up doing a buddy cop routine.
And let me get something straight. That's not a bad thing. I get this will be incredibly popular. I am not condemning Thor Ragnarok. Audiences will eat it up. For what this is, it is great. And honestly there hasn't been a great Thor movie yet... not even a good one. So that in itself is an achievement. For folks who don't want to take their comic book movies seriously and need irreverence to make it all palatable, Thor Ragnarok is a real achievement.
It's just not to my tastes. Genre movies can be a real source of incredible story telling, a chance to explore themes and ideas which are harder to process in more traditional fiction. Marvel has tried getting deeper and darker a few times (notably The Winter Soldier, Jessica Jones) but they truly seem to be kicking their irreverent streak as the true taste of their brand. That's why they downplayed the "issues" in Civil War and just focused on the superhero on superhero action. They know where their bread and butter are.
Here in the shallow end.
I can enjoy an Ant-Man or Guardians (not 2... definitely not 2) and I love good comedy. Waititi's comedies especially are among my favorites. It's not that it's funny. It's the sort of humour that is employed here which wore thin for me. It's summed up well in the "friend from work" line. It's not organic humour growing out of the situation (a la What We Do In The Shadows). It's the shallow, pratfall, silliness humour that grows from not taking its subject matter seriously. It's fine. I laughed. I enjoyed the spectacle. The story (for the first time in a Thor movie) wasn't boring and was actually a lot of fun. But personally I prefer my superhero movies to have more gravitas. I know its controversial for movies about men in tights to take themselves seriously but I fall clearly on the other side of the debate.
This isn't Deadpool. Thor, Dr. Strange, the Hulk, while all admittedly absurd to a certain degree,aren't themselves an attempt to deconstruct the superhero genre through humour and irreverence. It just feels less authentic to me, less meaningful. In fact it feels more like they just don't know what to do with the characters so they fumble them. And we laugh cause the fumbling is funny. But it's still a fumble not a touchdown.
I do have my grumbles as the movie is not perfect. Supposedly a Suicide Squad style electric collar is enough to immobilize the god of FRICKIN thunder... (really?). Also the Hulk is just there to fight Thor for no reasonably explained reason. Just like in Civil War, the reasons don't matter as long as we get some good fight action. Sigh. And there is a disconnect between the two movies happening here which feel a bit shoehorned together. There is the Thor on battleworld plot and the Hela's plot to take over Asgard plot which never feel like they come together. But really, who cares when the movie doesn't care. It's just about having a good laugh, right?
And don't worry there is the obligatory Hemsworth shirtless scene, cause we all know why we come to these movies...There is also a (somewhat homophobic) Hulk dick joke just to make sure we're keeping it all classey.
But as I said, I am not recommending skipping Thor Ragnarok. In fact most of you will likely love it. And if its success means Waititi can go on and make whatever movie he wants to next, then I'm all for it. So enjoy. I'll wait for something a little more self-confident, confident enough to take itself and its subject seriously. But I do worry that the success of Guardians and now this will keep reinforcing Marvel's direction towards the frivolous, a direction I just have less and less interest in.
Thor Ragnarok
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleson, Idris Elba, Jeff Godlblum, Karl Urban, Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Taika Waititi
Writer: Eric Pearson
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