JACOB BARTELS
Opinion Columnist

In 2010, Marvel showed the world what a superhero movie could be with the release of “The Avengers.” It had the action and adventure of each film before it but added something more with a layer of humor that made the heroes ironically relatable.

Since then, Marvel has sprinkled bits of humor in each and every one of their films, sometimes in moments where it needn’t be.

That is what I was expecting out of “Thor: Ragnarok.” A somewhat funny, but otherwise dull movie, made for the purpose of providing filler for the upcoming Infinity War movies.

Boy, was I wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, not only was humor sprinkled, it coated almost the entirety of the movie; yet, it wasn’t forced. The humor only added to moments and didn’t subtract from others.

One of the most prominent features of “Ragnarok” is its use of color. The majority of the film takes place on a different world, which allowed Marvel the freedom to use the entire color palette. Buildings were comprised of widely contrasting paint colors. Skies were lit by different colored wormholes. The saturation of the entire world was incredible.

The sound design was one of the best I’ve heard in quite a while. The soundtrack was quite impressive and had me tapping my foot and bobbing my head in parts. But what was truly amazing was the Foley sound effects, particularly anything that had to do with impact (a punch, a character hitting the ground from a great height, etc.). There are only a few films that have had me wince going “ouch, that’s really gotta hurt” based solely on sound.

My one qualm is that I wish the film was marketed differently. One of the major scenes has Thor forced to fight in a coliseum. Starting from about 10 minutes prior to the fight, Marvel tries to get you to start guessing who his opponent is going to be, dropping lines that he is the “best fighter in all the galaxy” and such. However, this loses its meaning because the opponent is featured in every single trailer for the movie. In fact, unless you’ve somehow managed to completely avoid any advertisements for “Ragnarok,” you know exactly who I’m referring to.

All of this being said, it is a Marvel movie, and despite me thoroughly enjoying myself, if you’re looking for a tear-jerker or something meaningful, this is not the film for you.

However, if you’re looking for a fun movie to watch with your mates, have a few laughs, and marvel (pun intended) at how good the visuals are… You will not be disappointed.