Thor Ragnarok Review: A Kids Perspective + Movie Fun Facts

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Movie Review: Thor Ragnarok
By Bella, age 13

In the story, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer. He finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first, he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk! – Marvel Studios

I previewed the new Marvel Studios movie Thor Ragnarok in IMAX with my dad. I love superhero movies, even though I have not seen all of them because I just recently turned thirteen. I have seen all of the Thor movies, though, and have thoroughly enjoyed each one!

Related: Bring Home the Cosmic Adventure Thor: Love and Thunder

The movie has a great plot, and I love how the villain, Hela, turns out to be Thor’s sister. My favorite part was the epic scene when Thor and Hulk were pitted against each other. I also enjoyed seeing a bit of Doctor Strange toward the beginning of the movie. The constant humor throughout the movie was also a great element. I loved the movie’s hilarious actions and dialogues (especially by Thor).

While the dialogue and action are thrilling and well-played, I would not recommend this movie to younger children. There is a bit of adult humor and intense action that might not appeal to younger viewers.

The first Thor movie had a lot of humor and action, much like Thor: Ragnarok. They were both some of the greatest movies I have ever seen. I like that Thor: Ragnarok really connects with other Marvel movies (including Thor ones) through the characters and history described in it. I thought that the background of the royal family shown was very interesting.

The actors did a great job performing their roles. They all nailed the humor, action, playfulness, and intensity shown throughout the film.

Seeing this movie in IMAX made it feel even more realistic. It made the movie, so to speak, “pop out” even more. The IMAX made me feel like I was actually witnessing the events.

Marvel has produced another wonderful film. I have and will be recommending this movie to friends and family members. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. I can’t wait to see what Marvel comes out with next!

Thor Ragnarok Movie Fun Facts

• Ragnarok translates to “the end of the universe” in Norse mythology, so it’s fair to surmise that some edge-of-the-seat action definitely heads audiences’ way.
• Director Taika Waititi directs and plays a new CGI character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe named Korg (introduced by Marvel in a 1962 comic book). Waititi is well known not only for his directorial work but also for his acting in his own films.
• On those days when he did double duty as director while also portraying the character of Korg before the cameras, Waititi was required by the VFX team to don the neutral gray motion capture leotard dotted all over with halved ping-pong balls. This leotard is used for tracking purposes in post-production when the VFX animators create the CG character on the computer. Seeing him directing in that getup was strange for everyone on set!
• Characters from the Marvel comics coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Thor: Ragnarok” include the villainous Hela (Cate Blanchett), introduced in the Marvel comics in 1964; the fierce warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), debuting on the comic book pages in 1971; Skurge, the executioner (Karl Urban), a 1964 comic book debut; and the Sakaarian dictator Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), first appearing in the Marvel comics in 1969.
• Cate Blanchett’s Hela, one of Thor’s most formidable enemies from the comics, is the first leading female villain in any of the Marvel Studios’ feature films.
• The film is the first feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be shot in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere.
• Village Roadshow Studios has nine sound stages, and “Thor Ragnarok” utilized all nine for filming and construction. Stage 9, the largest sound stage in the Southern Hemisphere, was completed just weeks before Marvel Studios moved into Village Roadshow for pre-production on “Thor Ragnarok.”
• The world of Sakaar in the story is like nothing ever before seen in any of the previous Marvel Studios films. Its design was inspired by the comic book illustrations of Jack Kirby, who co-created “Thor” (with Stan Lee) in 1962. Sakaar is the world ruled by Jeff Goldblum’s dictatorial character, Grandmaster.
• The two backlot sets at Village Roadshow Studios (Asgard Piazza and Sakaar) are equal in size to two American football fields. It took production over four months to build them, with a crew numbering over 450 at its largest.
• Oscar®-winning production designer Dan Hennah (“Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” trilogies) and production designer Ra Vincent (“What We Do in the Shadows”) designed over two dozen sets (both stage and exterior builds) for the 17-week shoot.
• Veteran costume designer Mayes Rubeo (“Avatar,” “Warcraft,” “The Great Wall”) made over 2,500 original costumes for the film (depicting both the worlds of Asgard and Sakaar), with all materials sourced in Australia.
• Throughout the four-day shoot in Brisbane, Australia, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston took every break in filming to greet the fans by shaking hands, throwing “swag” (posters, sunglasses, T-shirts, and such from “Thor: The Dark World”) out to the crowd, signing autographs and grabbing personal cell phones for that once-in-a-lifetime selfie. Many people (of all ages!) came back, day after day, rain or shine, for hours on end, to catch a close-up glimpse of the actual movie stars.
• Chris Hemsworth also had fun handing out pizzas to the Brisbane crowds, which the production’s location manager, Duncan Jones, purchased.
• A local teenager spent all week on location hoping to meet Tom Hiddleston because she had sketched a portrait of Loki that she wanted to present to him. Production arranged for the two to meet at the local TV cameras.
• While shooting an exterior scene in the Australian wilderness, filming was briefly interrupted when a large python fell from the dense trees above. No cast or crew were harmed, and the snake was safely relocated by a professional snake handler, but not before a few brave crew members snapped some pictures.
• On days when Cate Blanchett was shooting, before cameras rolled on the first shot, Cate made a habit of leading the crew through a few minutes of calisthenics to start the day off right.
• Wild kangaroos were often spotted hanging around the back lot near the exterior sets of Asgard and Sakaar in the early morning hours before the crew arrived for work.
• On the first day of principal photography, a local Maori tribe performed a ceremonial dance to bless the crew and ensure a smooth shoot. Eighty-four days after the successful shooting, the tribe returned and delivered a beautiful closing ceremony, culminating in an incredible filming experience on native land in Australia.

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