Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Thor: Ragnarok 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 25, 2018

Thor: Ragnarok just released to theaters several month ago, but it's no longer the latest installment in the ever-expanding, increasingly complex, and endlessly fun Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latest film is Black Panther, and Thor: Ragnarok reminds viewers at credits end that the hero will be returning in Avengers: Infinity War, which will be hitting theaters around the time Black Panther should be making its home video debut. That's a lot of movies, a maelstrom of Marvel, but "while the iron is hot" and all of that. Thor: Ragnarok is the third film to feature the blonde-haired Nordic warrior from Asgard as the lead, following on 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Ragnarok, which is not a reference to a place or character but rather an idea -- the prophecy foretelling the destruction of Thor's home world of Asgard -- is a humor-heavy, abundantly colorful, and ridiculously fun movie. It's maybe a little skimpy in terms of dramatic resonance, getting caught up in its laughs, locations, and lightning-paced action, but as a core MCU experience that brings together a few familiar faces in large parts and small supporting roles alike while also introducing a few new and dynamic characters, it's a winner.

The film opens with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) battling the hellish Surtur, a demon he believes that, if killed, will nullify the prophesy of Ragnarok, which predicts the destruction of his home, Asgard. Thor slays the beast and returns home to find his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) missing and his mischievous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) disguised and in Odin's place. The two travel to Earth to find Odin dying. He warns Thor that his long-imprisoned sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) will rise to power in his death. Hela does indeed appear, removes one of Thor's great sources of power from the equation, and leaves the hero for dead in space. Thor survives and finds himself on a strange planet called Sakaar where he is detained by an alcoholic rogue known as "Scrapper 142" (Tessa Thompson). She takes him to the planet's Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) who selects Thor as his new arena battle champion where he will face off against a familiar foe. Meanwhile, Hela's grip over Asgard tightens, and Thor must find a way off Sakaar and back home if he's to save his world from certain destruction from his own blood.

Not that it wasn’t true in previous films, but it’s abundantly clear in Ragnarok that the MCU is truly an expansive universe, and the films and characters and narratives are so interwoven that it practically requires a Ph.D. in all things Marvel movies to keep up, or at least numerous views within close proximity, as well as an intimate knowledge of the comics, to fully appreciate the nuance and sprawl. Ragnarok introduces several characters new to the movie universe but well established in the pen-and-paper world. But that speaks to the richness of the characters and stories and, just as impressive, the various filmmakers’ abilities to maintain a certain tone and style of execution that maintains not only narrative continuity but a consistency of essential presentation. That said, this film is more comedically inclined than the others. It’s lighter on its feet, even while dealing with dark prophesy that foretells the destruction of Thor’s home world and as he encounters his sister, a darkly clad, cunning villainess whose headpiece will almost assuredly remind audiences of the deadly Medusa. Yet Hera is almost a forgotten villainess through much of the film. The bulk takes place on the playful scrap world of Sakaar where abundant color and playful beats define various action and character building scenes, where Thor encounters the Hulk, meets the Asgardian Valkyrie, and even gets a hair cut from a familiar face. Hera more or less lurks, and Director Taika Waititi allows her presence to simmer, her darkness playing in stark contrast to the abundant light through a middle stretch that almost passes for something out of The Fifth Element rather than the MCU.

The film does take some liberties with the material, not remaining strictly faithful every scrap of detail in the comics, but Ragnarok, perhaps more than any other to bear the Marvel logo, certainly has its own identity. It's a film in which Led Zeppelin and Techno music meet in storytelling harmony as the characters uniformly move to those otherwise disparate beats. The movie is more Guardians of the Galaxy than it is Winter Soldier, more frisky and less dramatically intense and narratively deep, a film that's confident in its playfulness, sure of its characters, and unafraid to end on dueling notes of cheer and despair. The cast is all-in as well, playing off one another and embracing the comic cycles that do more to advance the narrative than the action. The wry jokes and perky character building moments come dangerously close to overwhelming the movie, but Taika Waititi never allows the laughs to become the sole focal points, always easing back just enough to keep the story and action front-and-center, a balance some of its humorously bent non-MCU contemporary peers have absolutely failed to achieve. From Hemsworth on down, including actors voicing digital characters like the rocky Korg (who is, interestingly, voiced by Taika Waititi), the performances are infectious, and the actors, including veterans like Jeff Goldblum, thrive on the film's easy-come laughs. Only Idris Elba, playing the stoic Heimdall, seems necessarily immune.

Thor: Ragnarok 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Thor: Ragnarok's 4K UHD presentation, presented at the 2160p resolution with standard HDR-10 color enhancement, offers a pleasantly obvious upgrade from the companion 1080p Blu-ray release, even as the film was reportedly upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate but photographed at a significantly higher resolution. The boost over the Blu-ray is clear upon re-watching the film closely after viewing the Blu-ray. Details are firm and colors are more dense. Textural efficiency and clarity receive a boost even beyond the incredibly revealing Blu-ray. Various armor, fabrics, and environmental details, particularly on Sakaar where there is no shortage of both complex and clean locales, are all impacted by the increased resolution and clarity the UHD formats afford to the image. Even digital construct environments and characters, like Sakaar's vistas and the rocky Korg and the vascular Hulk, look precisely presented down to the finest digital nuance the artists have created for them. The HDR-10 coloring gives the movie a modestly darker edge about it, with colors remaining significantly vibrant with many impactful highlights, including more robustly diverse, intricately nuanced, and obviously punchy colors on the richly colorful world of Sakaar. Additionally, various blue-white lightning effects are intensely bright, as are the color variations on green as the people of Sakaar celebrate their champion, Hulk. Black levels are wonderfully firm and detailed and flesh tones appear spot-on. No significant source or encode issues are apparent.

Thor: Ragnarok 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Thor: Ragnarok's Dolby Atmos soundtrack adds height channel effects to the presentation that are absent on the 7.1 DTS-encoded Blu-ray. The differences aren't substantial, but neither are they insignificant. The arena battle midway through the film enjoys heightened top-end awareness and engagement both as the Grandmaster addresses the crowd and as the crowd cheers and jeers prior to, and during, the fight between Hulk and Thor. Minor added effects and a greater sense of space and place are present within the track. Action effects range from more than a bit puny to somewhat substantial. A number of crashes during the arena battle lack significant depth. Even as Hulk crashes around the arena's walls, there's not a significant sense of power, of heft. Clarity is strong and sound distinction clear, but intensely powerful the scene is not. Laser blasts in chapter 13 -- whether from rifles or a flying craft -- lack punch but not detail. A large-scale battle on the Bifrost Bridge at the film's climax, particularly as Thor wields his devastating powers, delivers a little more in terms of low end depth and dynamics, but still not to great, meaty substance. Musical clarity and spacing, like everything else, are stellar, whether orchestral score, techno beats, or a bit of Led Zeppelin at the film's bookends, but, frankly, the menu screen music is more intense and dynamic, at least at a very crude level. This is a frustrating track; it's not lacking in detail but it is lacking in intense dynamism, which is certainly not new for some Disney tracks; much the same was observed with the companion Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack.

Thor: Ragnarok 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Thor: Ragnarok contains a number of extras, headlined by an audio commentary track, all included on the bundled Blu-ray; no extras are to be found on the UHD disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Director Intro (1080p, 1:44): Director Taika Waititi humorously discusses why he got into moviemaking and the film's cinematic "influences." It's easy to see where the film got its sense of humor. Available under the "Play" menu option.
• Getting In Touch With Your Inner Thor (1080p, 6:39): A discussion of the character's history in recent film, this film's tone, the character's evolution, and Hemsworth's performance.
• Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie (1080p, 5:58): A closer look at two of the film's lead female characters, portrayed by Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson.
• Finding Korg (1080p, 7:34): Another humorous piece that looks at Waititi's work as director and digital-physical-voice actor for the film.
• Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown (1080p, 8:24): Cast and crew discuss the film's newly introduced, colorful, and very unique fringe world.
• Journey Into Mystery (1080p, 5:47): A discussion of the film's place in the MCU timeframe, the film's Marvel comic book story influences, making the film a tribute to Jack Kirby's artwork, and more.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:18).
• Team Darryl (1080p, 6:08): The Grandmaster steps in as Darryl's new housemate.
• Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - The Evolution of Heroes (1080p, 5:23): A quick discussion of several key MCU characters -- Iron Man, Thor, Captain America -- as well as their work together in the Avengers films, other recent MCU entries, and the upcoming Infinity War.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 5:43 total runtime): Extended Scene: Thor Meets The Grandmaster, Extended Scene: Stupid Avenger vs. Tiny Avenger, Extended Scene: Grandmaster and Topaz, Skurge Finds Heimdall, and Hulk Chases Thor Through Sakaar.
• 8-Bit Sequences (1080p): Crude computer animated storyboards for a pair of scenes but certainly more crisp, clean, and detailed than classic 8-bit graphics. Included are Sakaar Spaceship Battle (0:58) and Final Bridge Battle (2:17).
• Audio Commentary: Director Taika Waititi, true to the form seen throughout the extras, delivers one of the most humorously inclined commentary tracks ever recorded that blends general commentary insight with witty play-by-play.

Thor: Ragnarok 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thor: Ragnarok is just flat-out fun. It's light on story, even with a tough new villainess and a deadly serious prophecy as its namesake. For so many dark cues, Director Taika Waititi keeps the movie continuously light on its feet by painting a balance between quips and quality of story and action. The film accomplishes enough universe expansion to leave an indelible mark on the MCU, as well as redefine tonal expectations for the Superhero film, bringing the heretofore almost exclusively Guardians of the Galaxy brand of humor into the rest of the universe's very lifeblood. Disney's UHD is great, visually, while featuring plenty of extras. Atmos audio is good but lacking that dominant heft the action would seem to want (need) to deliver. Highly recommended, despite the reservations about the audio.