I’m intrigued by the responses to this question - A straight-up comedy being chastised for being ‘too comedic.’
Normally, I would have said it’s a matter of perspective and subjectivity and so on, but in this case, the answer seems cut and dry – Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy, first and foremost. And everything in the movie has to be viewed through that prism.
So if it was indeed ‘too comedic,’ then that’s a credit to the film.
Although the MCU has floundered at certain points, it has consistently done an exceptional job of keeping things fresh by producing films with contrasting tones and backdrops, all within the ‘comic-book genre’ umbrella.
The Winter Soldier was a spy-thriller. Guardians of the Galaxy was a sci-fi adventure. Infinity War was a war movie. Ant-Man was a heist movie. The upcoming Doctor Strange 2 is touted to be a horror film.
This is Marvel’s tried and tested formula. In a similar vein, Thor: Ragnarok is a comedy. And a fantastic one, at that.
Also, was it much of a surprise? Marvel didn’t hire Taika Waititi to continue the Shakespearean-lite tonality of the first two Thor films.
While the first Thor was fairly enjoyable, The Dark World remains a black mark in the MCU ledger.
Chris Hemsworth, Thor himself, was unhappy with his characterisation and was unsatisfied with The Dark World. Combined with the lukewarm reviews, it was apparent a change in approach was necessary.
They chose comedy. And it worked wonders.
And who better to lead the charge than Taika Waititi, who in 2014 put out quite possibly the finest comedy of the past decade – What We Do in The Shadows.
Thor: Ragnarok not only resuscitated the franchise but completely altered Thor’s perception among fans.
Maybe some have forgotten, but Thor was nowhere near as popular as he is now. And Ragnarok triggered that change.
Besides, Chris Hemsworth is such an accomplished comedic actor; it would have been a shame to lock those gifts away.
I had never rated him particularly highly as an actor, but his performance in Ragnarok is exemplary. I can’t sing its praises enough, I think it’s an extraordinary bit of comedic acting.
I understand that certain fans are peeved at the comic treatment of a ‘serious’ storyline.
Well, Marvel had tried the ‘serious’ approach (by their standards) for the previous Thor films. It didn’t work out exactly as they would have liked.
So Marvel changed course to reinvigorate the franchise. And it worked. Besides, the end of the world (the titular ‘Ragnarok’) can make for great comic fodder, as it did in This is The End and The World’s End.
While I am not a proponent of the increasingly quip-happy nature of most MCU films, I will not complain when it happens in a movie that was unquestionably meant to be a comedy.
All things considered, I think Thor: Ragnarok belongs in the top-tier of MCU movies. It’s a terrific film, one of the best the franchise has put out.
By Grabthar’s Hammer, what a movie!
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