Thor Ragnarok*

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Thievius, Apr 10, 2017.

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  1. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    Agree about Ghostbusters. Disagree here.

    Thor’s interplay with all the myriad characters is the key to the success of Ragnarok, I’d say. Much of the humor was scripted, but quite a lot was improv. The scripted Asgard scene with the play cracks me up every time, and I’ve watched it at least ten times.

    The history of this character is filled with bizarre moments, like when Thor was a frog, for god sakes. Best to deploy self-deprecating humor, whilst remaining true to that history.
     
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  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I've probably already said this in this thread, but my biggest problem with "Ragnarok" is that it's not the same character as the first 2 movies.

    If they'd made the character a comedic dope in "Thor", I probably still wouldn't have been happen - I mean, he whines and almost cries because they want to cut his hair! - but at least you could say it's a reworking of the character.

    This Thor is supposed to be the same guy as in the 1st 2 movies, so it's a radical shift to suddenly make him a whiny jokester.

    The filmmakers try to explain this by saying "oh, Tony Stark rubbed off on him", but that's cheap rationalization. Captain America hung out around Stark, too, and he didn't suddenly turn into a totally different character...
     
  3. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Haha! Yeah that's why I said for the most part. It's Kevin Feige's house so I'm sure there are directors who are gonna chafe against that. Sounds like even Joss Whedon got sick of the regimen and constraints after awhile. So we likely won't get David Lynch directing a Doctor Strange movie anytime soon. :nyah:
     
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  4. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    You're right, it's like watching a different character. I found it annoying and didn't care for the treatment of the supporting cast. I think Thor, perhaps more than any other character, has been badly served by the films.
     
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  5. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    He was incredibly arrogant in Thor 1, and it was played for comedy with him as the butt of the joke! So, there is a precedent for funny, self-deprecating humor.

    Thor 2 is widely seen as far too serious, although it too has funny moments. My bet is that Marvel decided another super serious episode like 2 would make money, but would be the end of the series. They gambled that a new approach would either fail, or re-up a new series. And, that gamble paid off in huge dividends. The world is with you when you make it laugh.

    I really think that a super serious Thor 3 would have made money, but everyone would be saying they missed an opportunity, especially in light of Hemsworth’s star comedic turns in Ghostbusters and on Saturday Night Live, where I believe he was the quickest returning host due to how frikking funny and engaging he turned out to be - something not readily apparent in any of his Marvel appearances.
     
  6. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    There was some of that in the first movie, but Thor wasn't portrayed as a simpering buffoon like he is in "Ragnarok". He's supposed to be one of the toughest, bravest warriors in the galaxy, not some guy who shrieks during a "spooky" light show and who nearly cries as he begs not to get a haircut!
     
  7. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    Okay, that moment was a bit silly.

    But, throughout the picture he’s aggressive, eager for battle, and undeterred by incredible obstacles, so he’s not really portrayed as ‘simpering’ anywhere else. Let’s call it comic relief in a film that didn’t need it.
     
  8. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    That's the thing: there's tons of other comedy in the movie. There's zero reason "Ragnarok" needs to alter the Thor character as radically as it does - it gets plenty of humor elsewhere.

    It was clearly a conscious decision on the filmmakers' part to mock the character - and genre, really - and I don't think it works.

    But obviously YMMV! :)
     
  9. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Loved it myself. Box office wise seemed to do alright.
     
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  10. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    Although the Thor movies may or may not be flawed, they nailed it in casting Hemsworth. Spidey's and Hulk's may come and go, but certain characters like Wolverine, Cap, Iron Man, and now, the Panther would be hard to watch without the actors we've accepted in these roles! I do think they've found the right guy to play the Hulk but really didn't care for the character in Ragnarok, and especially how the fine World War Hulk premise was butchered.
     
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  11. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Yes, and he's off balance and out of his element after Odin dies, his hammer is shattered and he's enslaved on a remote world. Yet the film had the humor and levity to not let that bog down the entertainment. Without the humor the film could have really become boring and bogged down with heavy, emotional baggage.
     
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  12. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    I think was Marvel was smart to defy expectations, but also incredibly brave. After all, they hired a comedy director - quite the leap from Kenneth Branagh!!
     
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  13. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    No chance of DC catching up now.
     
  14. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I don't mind the shift in Thor's character because "serious" superheroes just look dumb now. It's been done to death and the genre needs to lighten up (just like Ant Man and Deadpool did). Black Panther lacked that self derision and was an utter bore.
     
    alexpop likes this.
  15. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    There was humor in Black Panther - “What are those?!!!!”
     
  16. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I found the humour quite lame in Black Panther.
     
  17. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    Thinking back on the Film, I liked it. It just threw me for a loop. It almost feels like a throwback to the old silly action adventure films of the past. I would also venture to say, in addition to the potential heaviness of the story, the essential nothingness of the story would also have been blatantly obvious except for the mantle of humor. Talk about an absolutely nothing story. Cate Blanchett should’ve rode into Asgard on a black horse.
     
  18. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    The end of Asgard is a “nothing story?”

    Oooookay.
     
  19. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    I’ve seen it in 3 theatres. Big laughs every time!
     
  20. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I said that I found the humour lame, not all audiences found it lame.
     
  21. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    Saw the movie last night. They borrowed a bunch of words from the Schiit catalogue! (J/K)
     
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    To be fair about various Spideys, it's tougher to keep the same actor in that role long-term because he's supposed to be young.

    Granted, the others don't really age in the comics, but it's easier for a 40-year-old actor to pull of 30 than it is for a 30-year-old actor to pull off 20, and none of the characters you mentioned is defined by age in the same way Spidey is...
     
  23. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    You read the old Thor comics and there's a good pseudo-Shakesperian fantasy/sci-fi epic in there, although,of course, the last 20 minutes or so would have to be reduced to little CGI figues beating the hell out of each other. Ain't no way to treat a god...
     
  24. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Thor Ragnarok beat Justice League at the box office, fair enough. Though I bought both DVDs after seeing them in the cinema.
    If the film's good I'll double dip, if it's amazing I'll get the BD Steelbook.
     
  25. Luke The Drifter

    Luke The Drifter Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    There were hints of the humor in Thor I. When they take the picture in the restaurant and he gives a big goofy smile, for instance.

    I also think we are about to see a return of serious Thor for Infinity War.
     
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