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After the DVD release we already discussed in another article, Thor: Ragnarok has just now hit the shelves in Blu-Ray format. This edition is even more visually stunning than the standard version and brings the cinema feel to the comfort of your home. The third outing from the hammer-wielding Avenger was a huge success in cinemas, raking in $853 million worldwide. This makes it the highest earning instalment of the Thor series, which has nevertheless generally ranked quite low in the Marvel Cinematic Universe standings. The latest offering starring Chris Hemsworth has recently been overshadowed by the immense success of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, which is now the fifth-highest grossing film of all time. Even so, Thor: Ragnarok met with an extremely positive critical response and is well worth a watch. How does it stack up against the other offerings in the Thor series, though?
Thor
Kenneth Branagh’s Thor in 2011 was the fourth instalment of the MCU, after Iron Man and Iron Man 2 in 2008 and 2010 respectively, and The Incredible Hulk in 2008. It was part of Phase One of the hugely successful comic book franchise in which the main Avengers were introduced. Soon after, Chris Evans’ Captain America appeared in the 2011 offering from Joe Johnston, Captain America: The First Avenger.
The debut outing of the crown prince of Asgard made a respectable $449.3 million at the box office worldwide but was only the 15th-highest grossing film of 2011. The picture was fairly well-received, with a 77 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Hemsworth was applauded for his turn as the old Norse god, having only appeared in Star Trek, A Perfect Getaway, and Ca$h prior to that. The film boosted his career massively and served to introduce audiences to a hugely popular Avenger. The film also introduced Loki played by Tom Hiddleston, who went on to become a much-loved antagonist in the MCU. Thor was generally quite good but stacked up against Jon Favreau’s Iron Man it couldn’t really compare.
Thor: The Dark World
Thor: The Dark World was yet another commercial success, raking in more than its predecessor with a total take of $644 million worldwide. While the history of film has frequently highlighted that sequels tend to do a lot worse than the movies they follow on from, Marvel has seemingly struck on a winning formula. The second instalment in 2013, directed by Alan Taylor, was following on from the major 2012 blockbuster The Avengers by Joss Whedon. Audiences at this time couldn’t get enough of the Marvel superheroes, with extensive merchandise and spin-offs. There were even a series of officially licensed video games based on them such as Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Playtech, Ubisoft’s Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, and Avengers: Initiative for Android. It was clear that any new film released from Marvel at this time was going to do well.
Despite Thor’s second outing being a commercial success, the film didn’t receive very positive reviews from the critics. It only earned an approval rating of 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was let down by its lack of originality and excitement. Critics did, however, say that the film was saved by excellent performances from the star cast. Viewers who watched this second outing may have been quite happy if Marvel had left the standalone Thor films there, but the powerhouse studio was set to redeem itself.
Thor: Ragnarok
The most recent title in the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok quite simply blows the other two out of the water. As mentioned above, it made much more money than its predecessors, and also achieved a greater score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a highly impressive rating for the film review website and puts the third Thor adventure in the same league as classic superhero flicks Batman Begins and The Dark Knight from Christopher Nolan.
Phase Three of the MCU started off with quite a serious tone in Captain America: Civil War, where the team of superheroes disbanded and began to fight among themselves. Thor didn’t actually take part in this dispute, and Marvel may have assumed that fans needed a fix of the prince of Asgard in a separate movie. The creators may have also realised that viewers needed something with a slightly lighter tone. Thor: Ragnarok was released at the back end of 2017, and gave viewers a chance to catch up with Thor, Loki, and the Hulk in a hugely entertaining sequel which was set apart slightly from the current events of the MCU. This was a refreshing offering and is by far the funniest Marvel film to date.
The Blu-Ray version should be favoured over the standard DVD because of its visual superiority, but also down to the wealth of bonus content. There are numerous interesting featurettes along with a hilarious gag reel. These include Getting in Touch With Your Inner Thor, Unstoppable Women: Hela and Valkyrie, and Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown. Along with these Thor-specific additions, there is also a feature on the MCU called Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years — The Evolution of Heroes. Blu-Ray buyers certainly get a lot more bang for their buck by choosing it over the standard DVD.
The third Thor film may well have elevated the Norse god to the popularity levels of Iron Man and Captain America. It is a great improvement on the two previous offerings in the series, and now it is out on Blu-Ray, should be watched by everyone in this enhanced format. You don’t even need to be an Avengers fan to enjoy this one.