Column submitted by Ferris journalism and technical communications student Jacob Kreihbel
The Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have been consistently good with their worst being only OK and their best being truly amazing.
Among those on the “only OK” side, despite Chris Hemsworth’s charisma and the fun set pieces have been the first two “Thor” movies. This has been mostly because of all the focus on Natalie Portman’s character and her friends and time spent on Earth when there’s a whole galaxy for the audience to explore with Thor. Thanks to the god of lightning’s third outing, the series finally has a film on the “truly amazing” side.
The movie will be showing on Friday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m. in room 202 at the University Center as a part of the Ferris Movie Series.
With only about 15 of the film’s 130 minutes taking place on Earth, “Thor: Ragnarok” is free to cut loose and take the audience to more exotic and thrilling places like a trash planet run by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) and surrounded by wormholes. We also get to see the abode of the Norse gods, the city of Asgard, which is being taken over by Thor’s older sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett who’s clearly having a ball playing this character).
We even spend some time with characters loved from previous Marvel movies. There’s Thor’s younger brother, god of mischief, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and even the gatekeeper to the bridge connecting Asgard to the rest of the universe, Heimdall (Idris Elba) who join our hero take down Hela. Joining the adventure are Valkerie (Tessa Thompson), an alcoholic warrior with a tragic backstory and Korg, a giant rock creature who gets some of the biggest laughs in the film.
There’s even a nice guest appearance from another Marvel hero that I will not spoil.
The fight scenes are truly spectacular with one involving Thor and the Hulk duking it out in a giant arena. The climax at Asgard is a battle you will never forget when the movie is over.
The movie never takes itself too seriously either. It acknowledges how silly the idea is of a hammer-wielding, blond hair pretty boy fighting monsters across the universe, and knows when to throw in a good joke.
But beneath all the action and mayhem is a story about connection, self-worth and finding power from within. The film is very much about the idea of being a god among mortals and what the true source of their power is. The writers put a lot of thought into the premise.
“Thor: Ragnarok” provides all the thrills and even laughs we’ve come to expect from Marvel Studios and Disney, having more of a 1980s action movie feel than other entries in the franchise.
College may be stressful but what better way to relax than seeing this awesome, fun and even heartwarming ride?
Students will have a chance to see the film and enjoy free snacks courtesy of Ferris’ CLACS office at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in room 202 in the University Center.