There`s one scene early in Thor: Ragnarok that I felt sure was going to be a call-back to the first Thor movie. Doctor Strange offers Thor a cup of tea, and Thor replies that he doesn`t touch the stuff. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring up the God of Thunder`s love of coffee, established in the first movie`s diner scene: Shortly after finding himself on Earth for the first time, Thor showed his appreciation for the new beverage by violently smashing his mug on the ground and demanding another. It was the first time Thor was really funny.Instead, Benedict Cumberbatch (who`s unfortunately only in this movie for about three minutes total) summons a hefty mug of ale from thin air, and Chris Hemsworth quaffs it appreciatively. Thor: Ragnarok may be the funniest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie yet, thanks to comedic-minded director Taika Waititi. But it`s also in large part a departure. As much as it still feels like a main stage MCU item, in other ways Thor: Ragnarok is eager to leave the past behind.Waititi`s sensibilities are everywhere in Thor: Ragnarok, moreso than most past directors have been allowed to imprint themselves on a larger MCU film (the main exception being James Gunn with Guardians of the Galaxy). The New Zealander director comes from the Flight of the Conchords-style school of comedy, and his own movies, like the both-excellent What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, have a distinctly dry, earnest Kiwi humor at their hearts. Whether in Thor`s frequent one-liners, Jeff Goldblum`s loopy Grandmaster, or absurd side characters like the soft-spoken warrior Korg (who`s voiced by the director himself), that same humor is central to Thor: Ragnarok`s identity.That`s for better or worse, depending largely on how you feel about this type of humor. These awkward silences and absurd jokes aren`t for everyone. The actors and filmmakers have stated during press conferences and interviews that there was a lot of improvisation on set, ...
|
