Thor Ragnarok: A Different Thor

By Sarah Ang

Join Thor on his latest quest as he loses his beloved magic hammer, the Mjolnir, gets a makeover, and a powerful ally from Earth – The Hulk.

The movie sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth), battling to stop the goddess of the Norse underworld, Hela (Cate Blanchett), from destroying all of Asgard, the mythical land of the Norse gods. On his journey, Thor lands in a gladiatorial contest against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who used to fight alongside him in the Avengers.

The movie is directed by Taika Waititi, who is helming his first big budget action film. Typically an indie comedy director, Waititi was hired to add his unique touch to the franchise. While not commercially unsuccessful by any stretch, the Thor franchise has consistently underperformed in comparison to the other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.

Hemsworth welcomed Waititi as the director, especially since Waititi’s 2010 film Boy had left an impression on him. In an interview with Mike Reyers for Cinema Blend, Hemsworth said: “I think (Thor 3) needs to be injected with that sort of smart wit and humor, kind of what James Gunn did with Guardians (of the Galaxy). It was like off-center and unpredictable, and I think we can definitely use a dose of that.”

Although the Thor films have consistently carried a darker tone than the rest of the movies in the MCU, Waititi has injected the latest film with spades of his trademark humor, if the early looks into the film are any indication.

The trailer for Thor: Ragnarok is currently the most viewed Marvel trailer with more than 136 million views in 24 hours. In the trailer, the scenes give off a sci-fi vibe along with brighter graphics and upbeat tones and action-packed soundtrack unlike the dark grey hues of the trailers of the other Thor movies. Waititi has said that the film’s tone and feel are inspired by 1970s and 1980s sci-fi and fantasy art.

More than just a change in tone, viewers can also look forward to the change in Thor’s outward appearance, with the superhero now sporting a shorter hairdo after his famous long locks were cut off by his captors.

A true testament to the level of excitement for the film, fellow MCU, director James Gunn of the critically and commercially lauded Guardians of the Galaxy films, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming movie saying that its trailer “might just be the best Marvel Studios trailer ever”.

With Waititi expressing that this might be the “most adventurous and most ‘out there’ of all Marvel movies”, Thor: Ragnarok may just be what helps to kick off a new era for the MCU.