+++ Opinion +++
long time was Thor the Avenger I was least comfortable with in the MCU. While Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk were still grounded somewhere despite their superpowers, the all-powerful Thunder God was quite out of line. Still, Marvel took a similar path to the previously established MCU heroes. Still going strong from Christopher Nolan’s success with the “Dark Knight” series, was also influenced by “Thor“ tries to steam down the brightly colored comic madness to a setting that is as realistic and down-to-earth as possible. In this case, however, the discrepancy between the template and the claim was too great.
Initially, the result was Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor’ from 2011, an okay film that took itself more seriously than its inherently overblown setting allowed me to take. It was followed by “Thor 2: The Dark Kingdom” by Alan Taylor. Now even a dark, world-spanning conflict was conjured up, but I was deeply bored and for me represents the absolute lowest point among the MCU films. On “Thor 3” so I didn’t feel like it. I was all the more surprised when Taika Waititi told me “Thor: Day of Decision” presented a completely crazy, colorful adventure and thus the “Thor’ series in a radically new direction.
“Thor 3: Day of Decision” is running on ProSieben this Friday, September 9, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. I can only advise all fans of entertaining superhero action to tune in. Because for me, Taika Waititi’s MCU debut is not only one of the funniest Marvel films ever, but despite its cheerful tone, it also brings with it an unusually deep tragedy for MCU standards.
If you miss the TV broadcast, you can “Thor 3” of course also stream on Disney+. In addition, the successor “Thor 4: Love And Thunder”.
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as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) learns that Ragnarok, the fall of Asgard, is imminent, he rushes back to his homeland, where his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is once again attempting to usurp the throne. But Loki is not the real danger. Because Odin (Anthony Hopkins), King of Asgard and father of the brawlers, reveals that the two have a sister and that he himself is close to death. Once he dies, Hela (Cate Blanchett) will attack Asgard. And indeed: the outcast daughter of Odin does not waste a second, destroying Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir and teleporting the thunder god and his insidious brother to the distant garbage planet Sakaar.
Arrived there amazed Thor not bad when he his Avengersbumps into buddy Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Join forces to seek Thor, Hulk, and Loki now look for a way to leave Sakaar, get to Asgard, defeat Hela, and defeat Ragnarok. But time is pressing…
Humor is an essential part of any MCU film. But in “Thor: Day of Decision” the density of gags is particularly high. Sure, not every spell ignites. But the success rate is high, which is mainly due to the film’s MVP: the Hulk.
For those who fret that the green Marvel legend never got the MCU solo films he deserved (largely for legal reasons), at least here’s a satisfying replacement. In no other MCU film since The Avengers’ the Hulk (and not Bruce Banner!) gets so much attention. Here the rage colossus can really let off steam and show his whole personality.
Marvel Studios
Hulk fans come at “Thor 3” fully at their expense
That Thor and Loki harmonize perfectly with each other, of course, but if you then throw the Hulk into the mix, the result is wonderful dynamics: be it when he complains about the puny “baby arms” of the actually extremely muscular Thor makes fun or Loki suddenly breaks out in a cold sweat when he sees the green monster that once beat him so formidably.
There are also other entertaining secondary characters, such as the tough Asgardian Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), the inexperienced Steinmann Korg (Taiki Waititi) and the Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum in a typically bizarre Jeff Goldblum manner. A thoroughly likeable ensemble that makes the stay on Sakaar one of the most fun MCU episodes ever. Yet “Thor 3” can do even more.
Despite the heavy focus on comedy, “Thor 3” was also much more emotionally affected than its two predecessors. The foundation for this is already laid by the death of Odin and the destruction of Mjölnir at the beginning of the film. Thor is not only deprived of his father, but also of his power. He had never suffered such a crushing defeat before. The oh so almighty god is here being broken together with his hammer and for the first time in the entire saga he feels a bit human as a result.
Without spoilers let me reveal that Thor loses a lot more in “Day of Decision”: Especially in its truly epic finale, the cheerful Asgard adventure offers a consistency and irreversibility that is so atypical for the MCU that, despite the superficial slapstick, it gives it a deep tragedy, which may even seem all the stronger because you don’t expect her to be in a film like this.
Unfortunately, the recently released successor “Thor 4: Love And Thunder” failed to cast the spell of “Thor 3” to revive. Perhaps the element of surprise was simply missing here. Still, I like Taika Waititi’s approach a lot better than what came before it. “Thor 4” is better than parts 1 and 2. But “Thor 3” remains for me by far the best adventure of the Marvel god of thunder.
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