Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok is the studios’ 17th feature film. Directed by Taika Watiti, the film sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in the fight of his life as the Asgardian god of thunder must find a way to return to his home after he was banished to another world across the cosmos by Hela (Cate Blanchett), the Asgardian god of death. Along on his journey, he must come to grips with the death of his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins); Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) constant betrayal; and the fact that if he is to survive this entire ordeal, he must fight his best friend, The Incredible Hulk.
Now you can bring that entire experience home with you as the Thor: Ragarnok Blu-ray hits store shelves.
As for the film, itself, it is the definitive Thor sequel. Waititi’s sense of comedic style embraces the absurdity of the world of Thor. The director, who is a fan of the world and the character, incorporated many shapes and colors from classic comics. Combine that with what we see from films like What We Do In Shadows and Hunt For Wilder people, and you get a pretty exciting film that is funny, poignant, and action-packed.
The film has plenty of emotional depth, allowing the characters to reach into something deeper and more meaningful. For instance, Thor and Loki, who have been constantly at war with each other, put aside their sibling rivalry to achieve a greater goal. Though, the latter’s intentions may be ambiguous considering his reputation for committing acts of treachery. Still, the two manage to connect on a deeper level, more so than the two have in any other film they have appeared in together.
Next is Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), the sole survivor of a battle against Hela. Unable to cope with the loss of her fellow soldiers, Valkyrie finds solace in bringing possible contenders for the eccentric and outlandish Grand Master (Jeff Goldblum), who has a bizarre taste for violence by pitting unwitting fighters against each other, and for a more expensive taste in gore, he matches them against Sakaar’s champion, The Incredible Hulk.
It’s on Sakaar, where Hulk has found peace. The strongest Avenger is also going through an inner struggle, having banished himself because he sees himself as a danger to anyone around him. But even isolation can cause him great pain, as the sight of those he left behind causes him to go in a fit of emotional rage, which in turn, makes him revert back to his human form.
Overall, the film is one of the best Thor films, however, we have to remember that it is Thor film. So a lot of the criticisms in the previous installments still resonate in it. That being said, this is a true Thor sequel.
And here is the list of bonus material that you could find on the Blu-ray. These may vary from retailer to retailer.
Blu-ray:
• Director’s Introduction
• Deleted/Extended Scenes – Deleted Scenes: The Sorcerer Supreme, Skurge Finds Heimdall & Hulk Chases Thor Through Sakaar and Extended Scenes: Thor Meets the Grandmaster, Stupid Avenger vs. Tiny Avenger & Grandmaster and Topaz
• Gag Reel – Watch a collection of goofs, gaffes and pratfalls starring the cast
• Exclusive Short/Team Darryl – Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It’s been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl’s “Roommate Needed” ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in.
• Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes – Marvel’s universe is vast and transcends both time and space. We’ll examine the Cinematic Universe as a whole and revisit each of our heroes’ current location and their place in the current MCU timeline, as it all leads up to the one culminating event: “Avengers: Infinity War.”
• Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor – “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi has brought his unique sensibility and sense of humor to the film in a great many ways but it is the evolution of Thor’s own sense of humor, which stands out the most in the new film. This piece explores the impact Chris Hemsworth has made on the development of his widely-loved character and celebrates the mighty cast and crew who reveal the fun and hard work that went into assembling Thor’s eccentric counterparts.
• Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie – This piece explores the strong female characters in “Thor: Ragnarok,” their importance in the MCU, their incredible casting, and their epic comic origins.
• Finding Korg – A tongue-in-cheek interview with Taika on casting Korg. He describes the difficult search for just the right evolution of the character design and the nuances of this instantly classic character in the MCU. This conversation will also delve into all the extraordinary visual effects that brought Korg, Sakaar and the worlds of “Thor: Ragnarok” to life.
• Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown – Sakaar is the collection point for all lost and unloved things. This documentary will answer all known and unknown questions while also exploring the hard work and creativity that went into creating the look and feel of Sakaar. From design inspired by Jack Kirby’s classic artwork to the dedication of the visual development team to the awe-inspiring physical and digital production, you will see this distant world come alive.
• Journey into Mystery – A deep dive story piece with the writers, director and producer Kevin Feige about the inspirations for “Thor: Ragnarok” within the comics. Most notably, the contest of champions limited series where the Grandmaster pitted our favorite heroes against one another as he does in the film. This piece also further explores Thor’s comic book origins and classic arcs through interviews with some of the most important comic creators, such as Walt Simonson and Jack Kirby.
• 8bit Scenes – Final Bridge Battle + Sakaar Spaceship Battle. Dive into these climactic sequences presented in retro video-game format.
• Directors Commentary
Digital Exclusives:
• Evolution of Thor and Hulk’s Bromance – We’ll examine this Super Hero friendship, which has spanned through several Marvel films. From their original Helicarrier fight match to the now iconic Hulk punch from Avengers 1, see how Marvel’s most powerful Super Heroes become the most extraordinary Super Hero buddies.
• Additional Deleted Scenes – Travel to Asgard & Race To The Wormhole
Thor: Ragnarok is available on Blu-ray, 4K, and Digital, today.
