Thor: Ragnarock

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Jacob Pattison, Feature

Marvel Studios has improved their movie production dramatically in the past few years.  At first, the studio had a reputation of being unfriendly when working with the directors.  Director Edgar Wright left “Ant-Man” after eight years of working on the project, due to “creative differences.”  Joss Whedon walked away from the Avengers franchise after finding the creative compromises on “Age of Ultron” too difficult.  But recently, Marvel Studios has been evolving. With the recent success of the humor heavy “Guardians of the Galaxy” and visual spectacle “Doctor Strange” the company has begun to change the way people view the Marvel Universe. With the studio’s newest release, “Thor: Ragnarok” Marvel has pulled out new tactics by hiring a new “underground” director, Taika Waititi. Being his first Hollywood feature film, Waititi’s knowledge of what he could offer audiences was limited.  However, what he’s done with Ragnarok doesn’t just boil down to adding new characters or throwing in extra comedy.  Instead, it’s an enthusiastic, hilarious reboot of the idea of what a Marvel movie can actually be, resulting in an effervescent, delightful film that was the most fun I’d had in a superhero movie in years. The plot line for the movie is simple and concise. Thor’s quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization. Throughout the movie Thor is on a mission to stop Hela but is thrown off track and is placed in bizarre situations. These situations and how he handles them is what gives the movie life. It all comes together to create a film that’s simply a joy to watch, with a personality of its own. That’s no small feat, particularly given how saturated we are with superhero movies. It is also worth noting that the quirks of “Thor: Ragnarok” may not be for everyone. Fans who prefer their superheroes straight-faced might cry hearing the sound of corny one liners throughout the movie, but the willingness to push the boundaries of the genre is one of the most exciting things about “Thor: Ragnarok.” Marvel felt comfortable letting Waititi bring his sensibilities to bear on the material, even if it might go a step too far for some viewers. That’s the kind of creative flexibility that has always seemed difficult for the studio to embrace.