Ever since they first banded together, theres been an unspoken hierarchy to Marvels marquee Avengers.
Dwelling on the lower rungs are peripheral characters like Paul Bettanys Vision and Anthony Mackies Falcon.
If they didnt show up, would anyone really miss them?
But probably not very much.
A step above is bench players like Jeremy Renners Hawkeye and Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow.
Theyre solid enough to keep fans placated and engaged until the heavy hitters return.
Hes what you might call blockbuster adjacent.
This isnt Hemsworths fault.
He cant help that he looks the way he does.
Plus, its hard to get a word in edgewise when Tony Stark is firing off quippy one-liners.
And on those terms and those terms only its a triumph.
Hes proof that these films can and should get a little weirder.
What neither Hemsworth nor his director can overcome, though, isRagnaroks meandering and narcoleptic story.
I get the why-mess-with-success impulse.
Especially when theres so much money to be made in movies like this.
How will our hero get out of this one?
absolutely no one thinks.
Long ago, Hela went to the Dark Side.
Blanchett snarls and cackles and purrs brimstone threats.
And watching her, you cant help but get a sense of deja-vu.
After all, shes already done this shtick as the Wicked Stepmother in Disneys live-action remake ofCinderella.
Shes also essentially doing exactly what Angelina Jolie did inMaleficentand what Charlize Theron did inSnow White and the Huntsman.
Surely, there have to be other ways to play female evil than just threat-threat-punchline, threat-threat-punchline.
Especially when the threats are dusty groaners like: Want to see what powerreallylooks like?
The Marvel universe needs to see more of her.
Theres a lot more to the bloated story, but honestly, none of it is very interesting.
In fact, its endless.
You dont care whats happening or whats going to happen next.
So to recap: Taika Waititi was mostly the right director for the job.
Chris Hemsworth is hilarious.
Tessa Thompson is going to be a star.
And whileRagnaroks story is an aimless mess, you wont stop laughing.
In other words, its a…B
