This article was originally published on GeekMom.
Thor: Ragnarok plays like a reboot and a rebirth, and it’s a movie that could stand alone, although The Avengers and previous movie in-jokes will make you glad you watched the prequels. This movie starts off fun and stays that way. Jokes, puns, ’80s-inspired costumes, and cheese. It’s like Guardians of the Galaxy and Flash Gordon had a high-budget love child.
We start off with a delightful hammer fight sequence set to Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” perfect on so many levels, and from there, our dumb-but-loveable hero proceeds to lose just about all of his trademarks. Not only does Thor get a makeover with shorter (weirdly darker) hair and an updated wardrobe, he loses the hammer. And then Thor loses himself and his freedom on a remote world lead by… Jeff Goldblum (who is just perfect in this role). Not only has Thor been trapped on this planet, so has our other dumb-but-loveable Avenger, Hulk. We also get to meet Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson.
- Photo Credit: Marvel
It’s obvious the cast had fun and were given the freedom to improvise lines, which, for the most part, work well. There are also a few high profile cameos. Loki certainly knows how to cast a play. And, as usual with a Marvel Universe film, stay for the post-reel bonus scenes.
While Thor: Ragnarok is clearly a fun movie meant for the fans, it’s also not afraid of making some tough calls and big sacrifices. Our hero, goofy as he is, feels like he has grown.
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For those considering taking your kids, there are a few scenes that may be disturbing to younger kids. There’s a graphic injury that I won’t spoil but probably justifies the PG-13 rating by itself. There are a lot of very raunchy jokes–flying into the devil’s anus, Thor’s hammer as a metaphor for a penis, a ship designed for orgies. You might have a lot of conversations if you took younger kids. If your kids are 13+ and already know what an orgy is (you don’t actually see one), it’s good fun.
Thor is also the perfect movie if you want to hire a sitter and go on a date night. Buy some nachos and enjoy the cheese.