Thread by @fangirlJeanne

It’s time for my (mostly) Spoiler Free review of Thor: Ragnarok. Grab a drink and a snack, get comfortable while I spew my thoughts at you.

Right off the bat, let’s just address of the reviews (mostly by white dudes) claiming this movie is shallow fun. It is fun and so much more.

In fact, Ragnarok is a better tonal fit to the 1st Thor movie than Dark World, while also addressing the messy implications of that film.

Kenneth Branagh himself said Thor was Shakespearean. It is. Remember, The Bard wrote comedies too, complete with dick and yo mama jokes.

Ragnarok also captures the wacky esthetic of the Thor comics. I mean, Throg (frog Thor) is canon. That shit happened.

As for Thor “suddenly” being the butt of jokes...

Did these people watch the Thor movies?

Remember in the first movie when Thor wakes up in the hospital freaks out. Gets a shot in the butt and face plants on the glass of the door?

This has been a part of Thor’s character since the beginning. Let me be clear Thor does not lack intelligence or understanding. He’s spoiled

Again a theme from the beginning. Thor is a powerful prince who has gotten everything he’s ever wanted handed to him on a gold platter.

Thor’s arc has always been a coming of age story. He began as a spoiled child, became a more aware kid who knew he wasn’t ready to be king.

Ragnarok is where Thor finally becomes adult. All his childish things (spoilery cough) are put away and see his world, in all its ugliness

and beauty. He knows what it means to be responsible, knows why it’s important that he take action and he finally becomes a leader.

Anyway, let’s get to the movie that supposedly like cotton candy. The main issue with a lot of these reviews is the perspective of the

Movie isn’t pandering to their sensibility. In fact, in many ways the film specifically subverting already well worn Marvel movie tropes.

Where Marvel links emotional payoff with big action specifically. Ragnarok has the emotional moments in quiet scenes and dialogue between

characters. Where they don’t TELL you why something is meaningful, they show what it means to them. All the implications are there, subtly

set up through dialogue and narrative. If you’re waiting for a length Captain America speech or an Iron Man one liner to spell it out you’re

missing the story. Here the humor doesn’t cheapen big moments, it’s helping you recover from the actual emotional moment from 2 scenes ago.

The moments you missed because your not used to having to really think about what people are saying and doing, because “if it’s important

We’d know.” That’s kinda the MCU formula. Action is an echo of emotions. The shit ain’t subtle.

In Ragnarok the meat of the story is grounded in character choices, relationships, and quiet moments on a windswept field of grass.

The story is also told in mind blowing imagery laid out like Renaissance paintings. Using a eye-pop palette of colors that is overwhelming

It all combines to make the characters, even the Might God of Thunder, look small and insignificant. He, like we, see just how huge the

galaxy is and how small one lone man is in it. Which brings me to another key part of Thor’s journey in growing up. Relationships.

Thor has friends, a whole clique, in the first film. While I love them, they all represented a childish time of Thor’s life.

Thor has grown and learned by teaming up with different people. Ones who challenge him. From Jane to the Avengers.

In Ragnarok Thor has to work with people who are very different than him, and each other. They’re reluctant to help and not trustworthy.

He forges relationships and navigating conflict, and does what he has to in order to achieve his goal. That’s what a leader does.

We see this lead up to a similar situation I. A larger scale where he has to unite groups of disparate people. It’s a natural progression.

And achieved by working with others as a team, through the power of friendship.

Okay let’s hit the big themes, again in a vague overview because Spoiler Free. Please note these are based on my own perspective.

Bullet points of Doom!
• Parents aren’t perfect. They lie and fail and leave us with a huge mess to clean up.
•Colonialism/Imperialism

~ Every throne sits on a foundation of blood and death.
• Powerful technology has devastating consequences for the less powerful.

• The industrial prison complex = slavery (even if you don’t like the ‘s word’)
• People are more important than patriotism.

• The only way to fix a broken system is to BURN IT ALL DOWN!
• One of them most cleverly executed refugee story.
Oh yeah, Taika did that!

Quickly I’m going to touch on Valkyrie, can’t say much because Spoilers. But I can say this:

She was once a warrior.

Without having an understanding of the impact colonization has had on indigenous people it’s hard to see the deeper themes in her arc, but

trust they are their. They don’t have her drinking those 40s for no reason. I saw a white American comment that she doesn’t have a name...

When we meet her she goes by a designation. A serial number. It is significant that Thor Odinson calls her Valkyrie. It’s an honorific title

A mantle she doesn’t feel worthy of, but that she values beyond measure. Culturally speaking she is a warrior who believes she is disgraced

being honored by her king. Her reaction to Thor and this action says so much about her character and arc. The Valkyrie title is important.

While modern white America places a lot of value on individuals, many other cultures value their links to their people, especially diaspora.

I’ll discuss the intersectional feminist aspects of Valkyrie’s story in my Spoiler filled review.

One quick note: Fuck Taika Waititi and Karl Urban for making me feel things for SKURGE?!?!?

Finally, let’s talk about the Queer lens in Thor: Ragnarok!!!

Because it is positively dripping with queerness.

A bisexual warrior woman of color walking on a RAINBOW with fireworks and a spaceship painted the colors of the Australian Aboriginal Flag!

Not a lick of Hela is for the male gaze. Sorry guys, this isn’t a porno. This is a DRAG SHOW!

There is a type of femme that isn’t hetero, or even really sexual. It’s powerful, even frightening.

Also Jeff Goldblum. I mean, do I really have to explain why this?

Oh and I shouldn’t have to explain how Loki is queer as fuck.

Thor Ragnarok isn’t just funny, though it is the funniest Marvel movie. That’s a fact. Fight me.

It also has layers and depth.

That’s it for my Spoiler Free review. I’m working on the full review and will tweet a link to it once it’s posted. Hope you enjoyed this.

Go see the movie, even if you’ve already seen it. Go again and look for the stuff I cover. I bet you’ll find even more. Thanks for listening