In Thor lore, and also Norse mythology, "Ragnarok" means the end of days. It's fire-and-brimstone, Book-of-Revelation type stuff. Conceptually, that means any movie based on it has the potential to be dark, heavy and downright depressing.
Which is why Thor: Ragnarok is such a wonderful surprise, and the most effortlessly enjoyable hangout movie to emerge from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—despite the presence of the goddess of death.
And really, pulling off a feat like this in the current Marvel movie universe might be Thor's most heroic feat yet. For years now, pretty much ever since 2012's The Avengers, movies in the MCU have been increasingly over-stuffed, weighed down by introducing new characters (Doctor Strange, Ant-Man) and/or churning through the many machinations of maintaining the ever-blossoming wider MCU plot (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Ageof Ultron). The latest Thor, however, seems utterly unconcerned with any of that, instead delivering a light-on-its-feet story that could just as easily be called Thor and Friends' Big Fun Off-world Adventure. It's a movie that (get ready) actually reminds you why you liked hanging out with these people in the first place.
It's an action-packed two hours about a bunch of weirdos who only show love through wisecracks and royally screw up as much as they succeed. It's what the Guardians of the Galaxy would look like if the Guardians took themselves half as seriously.
Will it be one of the most critical movies in the MCU? Probably not, but that doesn't matter—it'll easily be one of the most beloved.
▍生词好句
downright: adv. totally, absolutely, utterly. (常用搭配: downright rude, downright dangerous)
hangout movie: a hangout movie is one that you want to watch over and over again, just want to spend time with the characters. (常用搭配1: hang-out — a place where a person frequently visits, or a place where a person likes to spend time, especially for socializing or fun; 常用搭配2: hang out — to spend a lot of time in a place or with sb.)
weighed down by / with: to be overburdened by sth.; to be worried or troubled by sth. (常用搭配: weigh up — to make an assessment of sth.; to consider different benefits or problems related to sth.)
light-on-its-feet: adj. able to move quickly and easily. (常用搭配1: light-footed — agile / able to move gracefully; 常用搭配2: light-fingered — a polite way of saying sb. is a thief)
get ready: prepare yourself for some exciting or unexpected news. (等同于: wait for it)
in the first place: you say "in the first place" when you are talking about the beginning of a situation in a series of events. (we often use it when correcting sb. for not following advice.)
take themselves half as seriously: 来自于常用搭配 don't take yourself seriously. (注: not usually said directly to sb. but more frequently about sb. who’s not there.)