Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

[VCRTracking]

Oh my god this deleted scene is hilarious. I love Bruce trying to compare Thor without his hammer to Dumbo!

[anna0852]

I think that is the most manic I've ever seen Bruce. And I love that little echo of 'are you the god of hammers?'. I hope there are more seems like this on the DVD, I'll laugh my butt off.

[Amethyst]

I thought the deleted scene was hilarious, but a lot of comments on YT suggested it was too out there.  I liked Bruce just hanging out with Thor and talking about their respective fathers.  The Grandmaster being creepy with the tentacles, assuming that's what they were.  Nice physical comedy with Ruffalo with the noodles/serpent.

There's also another deleted scene with the Grandmaster as Daryl's new roommate, but it wasn't as funny as the first. 

TBH, it annoys me that the Daryl roommate scenes don't line up with the actual movie at all.  According to that, Bruce was hanging out in Australia with Thor, yet the movie states that Bruce had been missing since the events in Ultron.  Thor has a whole map of the Infinity Stones in his flat, yet they don't get a single mention in the film.  Fury's involvement is mentioned, but he doesn't make a single appearance.  

[paramitch]

First off, I absolutely adored this. It was the most fun I've had watching a Marvel movie in ages. It's easily the best of the Thor movies to me.

The blend of comedy and pathos I thought was really well done. I was moved one minute and laughing the next. The mini-play on Asgard with the cameos by Damon, Neill, and Hemsworth were seriously hilarious and beautifully acted (and so was Hopkins playing Loki-Odin). I also got a kick out of the Dr. Strange cameo (Thor's reactions to the self-renewing beer and constant location shifts were so funny, especially the last one when he's simply rolling down the steps). 

I thought the performances were terrific by everyone -- Hemsworth was delightful and incredibly funny, Ruffalo was both charming and poignant, Cate Blanchett was ridiculously scary and gorgeous (total girlcrush, sheesh), and Hiddleston was as always excellent (as others have pointed out, his reactions in the two little moments when Odin called him "son," and noted that his magic would have made Frigga proud were heartbreaking). 

I was shocked at the deaths of the Warriors Three but that was also what made Hela so terrifying. She was just so casual about it. Just... three characters we'd cared about, gone in seconds. I did appreciate that they gave Heimdall more to do (and we finally got to see more of Idris's beautiful face than just glimpses under a helmet), and loved a more verbal Hulk (and you could definitely see a lot of Ruffalo's performance choices there). Jeff Goldblum was great, even if he kind of felt like he wandered in from another movie and his only direction was, "Play this like Jeff Goldblum would play it." Korg was adorable (and nicely played by Taika), and Karl Urban was, as always terrific as Skurge.

And last but not least... I admit that I have hated Tessa Thompson's performances in everything I've seen her do... I disliked her on Veronica Mars and actively loathed her on Westworld. But here?  I don't know what happened to her but she was terrific here -- funny, strong, gorgeous, charismatic. And she had great chemistry with everyone around her.

Meanwhile, the Ride of the Valkyries was gorgeous, and I definitely thought it was clearly implied that the woman who died for Valkyrie was her lover. It was beautifully telegraphed, even as such a brief moment. I also liked the real stakes involved in the end, and that Loki came through to help rescue his people.

[BetterButter]

[Lantern7]

“Flash Thordon.” Nice, Honest Trailers. I approve. ??

[Dandesun]

I love how they also point out that Thor is the outlier among his family. "Three of these things are just like the other, three of these things are kind of the same..." It goes along with the fans basically pointing out that somehow Thor turned out to be the fairly well-adjusted middle child who likes sports in a family of angsty goth types. And, yes, 'the current state of the DEU' shade was pretty hilarious.

Embrace the wierdo. Embrace him.
 

[ChelseaNH]

So my mind started wandering through "Well, Hela is why they had to kill off Frigga last time" and family dynamics, and it occurs to me that Odin's father (Bors?) might have something to do with Asgard's conquering past and Odin's later renunciation.

[Morrigan2575]

On 3/6/2018 at 11:09 AM, BetterButter said:

That was hilarious ?

On a side note, I was watching this on my flight Sunday and caught something I missed before. During the play, Thor sends Lady Sif to get help, she runs off set and is never seen again.

Kind of meta on the state of Lady Sif in the movie.

[thuganomics85]

Got the Blu-Ray Tuesday and just rewatched it.  IMO, it still more than holds up and is truly one of my favorite Marvel and comic book films in general.  It still feels like Taika Waititi somehow convinced Disney to give him $150 million plus dollars to basically take one of their heroes and have him star in an indie New Zealand comedy that is set in space, as top of the line visual effects, and features an A-list including multiple Oscar winners.  Best decision ever!

[WritinMan]

Just watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Easily the best of the Thor movies. And one of the best in the MCU overall, in my opinion. Goldblum and Blanchett were great. I definitely need to watch this again. Probably need to own it too....

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 11/5/2017 at 5:09 PM, MisterGlass said:

The humor is floating over some surprisingly dark and disturbing subplots.  Odin was an imperialist ruler and Asgard is constructed from the spoils of wars and destruction.  Its people have been encouraged to forget the oppression that allowed them to become a preeminent race in the universe, and the history has been sanitized.  They deny Hela because they have been taught she doesn't exist. 

When Hela first arrives at the palace, she says two things that are very telling - "Does no one remember me?" and "I'd have thought they'd be glad to see me." She expected to be hailed as the returning hero, particularly with Odin out of the way, but her existence had been not only forgotten but deliberately erased.  Of course, that she ends up slaughtering all of the soldiers who try to stand against her says why she was excised from Asgard's origins, but unlike Loki, whose main trauma in his other appearances is that he isn't leadership material and deep down he knows it, Hela was a proven force, who'd been her father's right hand in battle.  To be stripped of all that after a forced exile is almost a legitimate gripe. Almost.

[SimoneS]

I just re-watched Thor on blu-ray. It might have been better the second time around. I missed some moments in the original viewing like when Thor was saying the Asgardian prayer for the dead for Odin in the prison and Loki joined in. Thor looked so sad and defeated in that moment. 

[Frost]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 1:44 PM, paramitch said:

And last but not least... I admit that I have hated Tessa Thompson's performances in everything I've seen her do... I disliked her on Veronica Mars and actively loathed her on Westworld. But here?  I don't know what happened to her but she was terrific here -- funny, strong, gorgeous, charismatic. And she had great chemistry with everyone around her.

 I'm having a hard time with the Valkyrie's redemption arc.  It's one thing to survive a massacre and run away to try and drown yourself in alcohol.  It's another to get a job where you abduct people, sell them into slavery to the Grandmaster, and then sit above the arena sipping beer (or whatever) while watching them fight to the death.  She's an active player in the slavery ring.  Yes, she decides to join Thor but that seemed more to avenge her Valkyrie sisterhood and not in any sense an atonement for the people she sent to death on Sakaar.

I enjoy the MCU movies, but I'm not a comics reader so I don't go deep into origin stories or anything else but I thought Odin's death got short shrift.  

[paramitch]

22 minutes ago, Frost said:

 I'm having a hard time with the Valkyrie's redemption arc.  It's one thing to survive a massacre and run away to try and drown yourself in alcohol.  It's another to get a job where you abduct people, sell them into slavery to the Grandmaster, and then sit above the arena sipping beer (or whatever) while watching them fight to the death.  She's an active player in the slavery ring.  Yes, she decides to join Thor but that seemed more to avenge her Valkyrie sisterhood and not in any sense an atonement for the people she sent to death on Sakaar.

I enjoy the MCU movies, but I'm not a comics reader so I don't go deep into origin stories or anything else but I thought Odin's death got short shrift.  

I took it a few ways (and I am not a comic-book reader so forgive me if I get any of the lore facts wrong):

For me, it made sense from Valkyrie's POV:

• She has lost everything and everyone she loved, including her true love
• She was a mythical being, a warrior-angel of good, brought to nothing because Odin brought Hela into the world and into the universe and he LIED about it
• She justifiably felt betrayed by Odin and by her own culture and fled to die in a hole
• Yes, she does despicable missions for potential gladiators, but my headcanon is that she consoles herself that at least they will have a chance to defend themselves in honorable fights (and as evidenced by Korg, they're not all immediate death sentences). Honorable fights SHE did not get.
• Last but not least: She lives in a haze of alcohol and does what she needs to, to survive, only surfacing occasionally to look with disgust or confusion on the worlds around her.

I agree that her behavior is troubling, but ultimately I think it should be. She, like Loki, needs to redeem herself. Even early on however, I think it's notable, poignant and telling that Valkyrie stays around to see the end of the fight(s). She cares, even if she doesn't want to. She also has a visibly sweet and affectionate relationship with Hulk (his joy at tussling with her, and at calling her "angry girl" is easily one of my favorite things about the movie, as is her semi-mutual recognition of friendship with Bruce later on).

Ultimately, I think Valkyrie takes her consolation and friendship where she can, and where she thinks it won't injure her. And I forgive her for that. I mean, she's wounded enough that we still don't know her actual NAME here, even years beyond Hela. She simply adopted the name of her fighting force, started drinking, and here we are (presumably centuries or even millennia) later.

Edited March 18, 2018 by paramitch
stupid typos

[Cobalt Stargazer]

15 minutes ago, Frost said:

 I'm having a hard time with the Valkyrie's redemption arc.  It's one thing to survive a massacre and run away to try and drown yourself in alcohol.  It's another to get a job where you abduct people, sell them into slavery to the Grandmaster, and then sit above the arena sipping beer (or whatever) while watching them fight to the death.  She's an active player in the slavery ring.  Yes, she decides to join Thor but that seemed more to avenge her Valkyrie sisterhood and not in any sense an atonement for the people she sent to death on Sakaar.

I actually think that works. Valkyrie was one of Odin's elite warriors, long before Thor's birth apparently since he didn't know her or even know she was from Asgard until he saw her tattoo.  And she and her fellow soldiers were sent to die in a battle against Hela, a battle they clearly didn't stand much chance of winning judging by her flashback (and btw Loki sucks for inflicting that on her). What could Odin have been doing that was more important than stopping his other rebellious offspring before she killed every.single.one.of.them. except for "Scrapper", and then Valkyrie fled and...what, no one looked for her? Odin sent her to the slaughter, and like all bad fathers promptly forgot about her once she was no longer around/of use. Like Hela, Valkyrie is kinda-sorta justified in being bitter and angry, and being drunk half the time so she can cope doesn't help.

[anna0852]

So here's a question. Or possibly just pointing out a large plot hole. In the first Thor, Thor and Sif actually had a conversation about how she wanted to be a warrior and had to fight for it and that Thor had supported her the whole way. But now we're hearing about the super elite all-women Valkyries that all of Asgard knows of? Clearly they had a history women warrior so why was it a thing that Sif wanted to be one?

[supposebly]

Odin didn't want a reminder of all the female warriors he had sent to death to lock up his unruly offspring?

Clearly, they didn't plan that far ahead when they had this conversation, but for me, I can live with that idea. 

I was wondering about the whole change in Odin that prompted him to lock up his daughter. That kind of seemed to come out of nowhere. Hela clearly had no idea what happened.

[SimoneS]

When I first watched Ragnarok, I thought that they were wrong to destroy Mjölnir, but now I think that it was a brilliant move. Losing Mjölnir symbolizes Thor transformation from been the cocky young prince who flipped Mjölnir during his coronation ceremony to a mature King who draws on his inner power to defend his people and people in need.

Below are the many more things that I liked on the re-watch. There no doubt will be more.

Loki rolling his eyes as the girls asked to take a picture with Thor and then patting him on the shoulder when he claims that he was the one who dump Jane.

The Dr. Strange cameo grew on me. It was funny how he gave Thor the ale and then keeping teleporting him around. Of course, there was Thor asking why he couldn't have sent him an email to tell him about Odin's whereabouts even though he admitted that he didn't have a computer. I still can't believe that I didn't realize that Thor's umbrella was Mjölnir until he reached for it. The sound effects around the umbrella/hammer were pretty obvious.

Thor to the Hulk when they were fighting: "What is the matter with you? You are embarrassing me. I told them we were friends."

Hela to the Asgardian soldiers: "Odin is dead, so are the princes. You're welcome." Bwah.

Thor and Hulk throwing things at each other and arguing and then Thor apologizing for being mean. Only for them to disagree about who is the hottest fire. Too funny. 

Hulk throwing the jaw to stop Valkyrie from leaving then saying, "stay... please."

Thor throwing the ball at the window and it bouncing back and hitting him.

Hulk running after Thor yelling "friend, stay" to stop him from leaving. 

How they merged Hulk and Bruce's face in the ship.

Edited March 18, 2018 by SimoneS

[Dee]

4 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

Thor and Hulk throwing things at each other and arguing and then Thor apologizing for being mean. Only for them to disagree about who is the hottest fire. Too funny.

DON'T KICK STUFF!

[paramitch]

19 hours ago, anna0852 said:

So here's a question. Or possibly just pointing out a large plot hole. In the first Thor, Thor and Sif actually had a conversation about how she wanted to be a warrior and had to fight for it and that Thor had supported her the whole way. But now we're hearing about the super elite all-women Valkyries that all of Asgard knows of? Clearly they had a history women warrior so why was it a thing that Sif wanted to be one?

For all we know, Odin suppressed knowledge of the Valkyries to many (if not all, since his family was at least generally aware of their story at least) because he had a direct hand in their demise. It works for me and doesn't even require much headcanon. And that SCENE! Easily one of the most beautiful I've seen on film recently. I loved the entire flashback of poor Valkyrie and her sisters in their doomed attack on Hela, and I would watch an entire movie based on that moment alone.

I did like that Thor had heard of them and had admired them so much he'd wanted to be one... and then emulate them. I'll take every scrap of female empowerment I can get from stories and that was a nice one.

[jah1986]

20 hours ago, Dee said:

DON'T KICK STUFF!

Loved this scene and Hulk's "no" when Thor came to apologize, he just looked so hurt and Thor knew he had gone too far.

[Dee]

1 hour ago, jah1986 said:

Loved this scene and Hulk's "no" when Thor came to apologize, he just looked so hurt and Thor knew he had gone too far.

Yes! Mark Ruffalo's performance has been so great in these movies, he's made me want another Hulk solo film.

[Frost]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 11:16 AM, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Like Hela, Valkyrie is kinda-sorta justified in being bitter and angry, and being drunk half the time so she can cope doesn't help.

I have no problem with the bitter, angry, and drunk part.  I think her feelings are completely understandable.  It's the choosing to make a living selling other people into 'death by gladiator' I have a problem with.  In all the planets in the galaxy, I find it hard to believe she couldn't have been an angry, bitter, drunk while earning her living any other way.

[Bruinsfan]

On 3/18/2018 at 12:32 PM, supposebly said:

Odin didn't want a reminder of all the female warriors he had sent to death to lock up his unruly offspring?

Clearly, they didn't plan that far ahead when they had this conversation, but for me, I can live with that idea. 

I was wondering about the whole change in Odin that prompted him to lock up his daughter. That kind of seemed to come out of nowhere. Hela clearly had no idea what happened.

I seem to recall a line about Hela making an attempt on Odin's life before he exiled her to another dimension. So he did in fact have ample cause to view her as treacherous and too dangerous to allow to run around free anymore. Perhaps Hela in her egotism/nihilism didn't view attempted patricide as a good reason for imprisonment?

Edited March 19, 2018 by Bruinsfan

[Cobalt Stargazer]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

I have no problem with the bitter, angry, and drunk part.  I think her feelings are completely understandable.  It's the choosing to make a living selling other people into 'death by gladiator' I have a problem with.  In all the planets in the galaxy, I find it hard to believe she couldn't have been an angry, bitter, drunk while earning her living any other way.

I'll put in a different way, then.

When Thor realizes that Loki is not only present in Sakaar, he's enjoying the Grandmaster's hospitality, Loki makes it clear that he's unable to help his brother or even acknowledge that they're related. Having weaseled his way into the good graces of the guy who runs the place, he's unable (read, unwilling) to jeopardize his status as favored guest by doing something to assist Thor.  Of course, it's hardly news that the little jackass would be disinclined to put himself at risk to save his brother, no matter how many times Thor's rescued him, but he was refusing specifically because he didn't want the Grandmaster to get pissed off at him. This is a guy who melts the people who annoy him, and at best Valkyrie was an employee, not a 'guest'. He was probably not inviting her drunken ass to his dinner parties, where she'd be the opposite of a charming visitor.

[SnoGirl]

11 hours ago, paramitch said:

I did like that Thor had heard of them and had admired them so much he'd wanted to be one... and then emulate them. I'll take every scrap of female empowerment I can get from stories and that was a nice one.

I LOVED that part, bc if Thor said it was okay for a young boy admire and be impressed by a strong woman role-model, it makes others think its okay too. I like that line a lot and want to know if it was scripted or not.

It made me think of the story Hemsworth told on Ellen (During press for the Huntsman movie) of how his daughter wanted a penis like him and her brothers. It was adorable bc he told her she could be whatever she wanted to be. It makes me think he adlibbed the line about wanting to be a Valkyrie.

[anna0852]

I love watching Chris talk about his kids in the interviews. He's such a good daddy!

[Spartan Girl]

I got it on Blu-Ray and it's even better than the first time I watched it.

I loved Hulk's plaintive wail, "FRIEND STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" 

[VCRTracking]

The sudden tone shift from the previous Thor movies might be jarring but  to me it's like Bonanza, the 60s western, reruns I ended up watching a lot when I was a teenager in the 90s. You'd have a really dramatic and serious episode where like the Cartwrights would be another town and be falsely accused of murder and about to be killed by a lynch mob, and the next it would be a light comedy where Hoss meets runaway performing dwarves pretending to be leprechauns. They'd even change the music style and have it be more whimsical instead of heavy and dramatic.

To put it another way, there'd be episodes where Michael Landon would make this face:

And episodes where he'd make faces like these:

Edited March 26, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Spartan Girl]

I also loved how Thor was just so beyond over Loki's shit. It took him maybe five seconds between seeing the giant Loki statue and "Odin" chilling in his robe to know what was going on, then he inwardly sighed and went, "Of course."

And the way he anticipated and outsmarted his millionth betrayal was just awesome.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Dee]

Yes! And even when Loki tries to passive aggressively guilt him into angsting over their relationship, Thor just can't be bothered. "We might as well be strangers now, two sons of the crown set adrift” “...Thought you didn't want to talk about it!"

[VCRTracking]

[tv echo]

Taika Waititi Almost Missed Out On Directing Thor: Ragnarok, But Moana Saved The Day
BY DANIELLE RYAN      OCT. 20, 2021
https://www.slashfilm.com/638792/taika-waititi-almost-missed-out-on-directing-thor-ragnarok-but-moana-saved-the-day/ 

Quote

In the new book, "The Story of Marvel Studios," authors Tara Bennett and Paul Terry shared the story of how Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok" almost didn't happen, and how a Disney animated movie saved the day.
*  *  *
Waititi was one of a small group of contenders vying for the directing job on the third "Thor" outing for the MCU. Producer Brad Winderbaum was set on Waititi, but there was a very limited window for Marvel President Kevin Feige to field pitches. It was nearing the end of that window, and Waititi was in Hawaii celebrating his birthday. He arranged a flight to Los Angeles for the day to present his pitch, but there was one teensy problem: he had sent some of his luggage back to his native New Zealand and his passport was inside one of the bags. 

Without his passport, he didn't have a way to board the plane from Hawaii. Feige's only available meeting time was that day, so it was now or never. It looked like Waititi and Winderbaum's plans weren't going to come to fruition, but a little bit of luck intervened. 

While rooting through the luggage he was taking to Los Angeles, trying to find any kind of identification, Waititi found a visa letter from The Walt Disney Company for the writing work he did on "Moana." (He wrote the first draft of the script.) He showed the TSA agents at the gate the letter and explained that his passport was currently somewhere over the Pacific. The agents had heard of "Moana," and excitedly corroborated Waititi's identity. He was able to make his flight after all, to the eventual joy of "Thor" fans everywhere. 
*  *  *
We all know how "Thor: Ragnarok" turned out, but how exactly did he sell Feige and co. on his wacky, out-of-this-world ideas? He cut together scenes from all of the films that inspired his vision for the movie, set to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," which was later used in the movie's trailer. The films ranged in tone and scope, including "Big Trouble in Little China," "Superman: The Movie," "Sixteen Candles," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." 

"If you watch it now, it feels like the movie," Winderbaum said.

The reel was meant to explain the tone of "Thor: Ragnarok," which is a sometimes-silly, sometimes incredibly heartfelt take on the apocalypse mythos of Norse mythology, united with Marvel history. Waititi explained: 

"My sizzle reel wasn't anything other than things I thought it might be cool to see, image-wise, action-wise, but also tone. There's a certain type of humor to this, and we can really be a bit fresher, with a lot of color. It should just be bold and bombastic and really in your face, as a contrast to the first two films."

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Karl Urban Reveals What Convinced Him To Join Thor: Ragnarok
BY JOSH PLAINSE     AUGUST 12, 2022
https://screenrant.com/thor-ragnarok-karl-urban-skurge-mcu-role-why/ 

Quote

Urban recently sat down with GQ to discuss some of his most iconic characters. While talking about Ragnarok, Urban revealed the opportunity to work with Blanchett was enough to get him to sign onto the film immediately. In fact, the actor need even read the script before accepting. Read his full quote below:

“I really just got a call from Taika out of the blue saying, 'hey, do you wanna come and play? I’ve got this cool role of Skurge. You’d be working with Cate Blanchett.' I’m like, sign me up. I don’t need to read anything. It was fantastic. I remember turning up to work one day on set and there’s Sam Neil, Anthony Hopkins, and just sitting around. And that, to me, was one of my favorite days. When you’re sitting around with Tony Hopkins and Sam Neil shooting the sh-t. Sam Neil was probably one of the actors that had really inspired me to be an actor. Coming from New Zealand, getting into an international career. And same with Anthony Hopkins."

Karl Urban Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ
GQ    Aug 11, 2022

Quote

00:00 Intro
00:14 The Boys
05:05 Star Trek
07:23 Xena: Warrior Princess
09:10 The Lord of the Rings
11:48 Dredd
14:15 Thor: Ragnarok
17:03 Out of the Blue
19:12 The Bourne Supremacy

Edited August 12, 2022 by tv echo