Meaty action, sublime siliness

Taika Waititi, the New Zealand director at the helm of Marvel Studios’ third instalment in the “Thor” franchise —“Thor: Ragnarok” has a confession to make.
“I said ‘yes’ to the film because I so wanted to immerse myself in another world and in another culture. I’ve wanted to be a space Viking or an Asgardian since I was a kid. I’m a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also the Marvel Comic Universe,” he says with a grin.
Not only was Waititi inspired from a fan perspective, his creative side was also up for the challenge to do something new and different. “I come from humble background, and I am more known for independent storytelling or storytelling on a budget,” the director says. “I’ve made my mark in that world, and I thought it was time for me to expand.”
Waititi has brought his signature comedic sensibility but says he wanted to “have a balance or a mix that’s hopefully very funny but also resonates and connects with an audience on some sort of deeper level.

“I thought that the way that I would approach this film would be very different from the first two films. And Marvel was okay with that. One of the things that also attracted me to the project was when Marvel told me that they wanted to really charge up the franchise. They wanted to take Thor in a new direction and put him into outer space with as little time on Earth as possible. They wanted to make him fun and have an adventure.”
Asked about the meaning of the word “Ragnarok”, Waititi says: “Ragnarok is from Norse mythology and it’s sort of like the end of the world – the Apocalypse or Armageddon. But I think what Ragnarok really signifies is a rebirth. It’s the start of a new cycle in the life of the world or the realms of the universe. It’s the destruction of the old and the rebirth of the new.”
In the film, even Bruce Banner/the Hulk gets Waititi’s brand of Ragnarok. “To me, the old Banner died and was rebirthed into this new, energetic, wide-eyed and very adventurous and curious Banner,” remarks the director. “Mark Ruffalo is going to bring something very different to the Bruce that what we've come to know from the other films. When he finally comes back from being the Hulk, it’s been two years since he’s actually been Bruce Banner. So in a sense Bruce has been locked away in the Hulk’s subconscious for two years.”
A new character in the film is Hela, played by Cate Blanchett. Hela holds a special place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the director explains, “Hela is the first female villain that we’ve had in a Marvel film. 

“She’s destroyed the idea of your typical villain. She’s not only strong and all of that and beautiful but she’s also funny. And she’s also flawed. She has layers; she’s tormented. She’s got a lot more going on than some of the more typical villains that you see in these kinds of films. She’s not just about taking over the world or owning the universe; she wants something that I think a lot of people can relate to – recognition.”
Also new is Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson. “Valkyrie is one of the most popular characters from the Thor comics,” says Waititi. “She’s a strong woman from the warrior class. It’s actually fantastic because the fans have been wanting this character for a long time, and it’s amazing to be able to give it to them.” 
Describing another new character, the Grandmaster, played by Jeff Goldblum, Waititi says: “The Grandmaster is a fantastic character. He’s quite an eccentric character and a bit of a game player. One of the big things that he would do in the comics was a thing called the contest of champions where you would pit favourite heroes against each other and make them play games or make them fight. We’re doing our own spin on that where he is the master of Sakaar, the world that Thor finds himself on. And Thor must fight through this contest of champions really to get out of Sakaar and win his freedom. So, Thor must win his freedom by fighting his old friend, the Incredible Hulk.” 
In “Thor: Ragnarok” Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth are reprising their roles of Loki and Thor. “The relationship between the two brothers is similar to before with a lot of bickering, but I think underneath it all there’s also a lot of love,” Waititi says. 
“If you think about family relations, there always is that dynamic. It’s a dynamic of someone who you know almost better than yourself, someone who’s your best friend and your worst enemy. And that continues. We’re going to see some further development where they trust each other a little more.” 

Thor also goes through some changes in the new movie. “In this film, you’re also going to see Thor in a way that no one’s ever seen him before. He’s brash. He’s adventurous. He’s all the things we’ve come to love. But then we’ve also added more. We’ve expanded him.” 
Working with Chris Hemsworth was a positive experience for the director, who says of the actor: “It was exciting to work with Chris on this film and have him doing what he does best, which is a multitude of things. 
“Not only is he a great action star but he's also a great actor. He has great ideas and he really cares about the character. Chris bares it all. He puts his whole personality out there on the screen. He puts his heart out there. He’s professional and a perfectionist.
“I love what Chris does with Thor. I love the excitement and the exhilaration that we all get from seeing him fight and throw the hammer and fly and do all these incredible super human feats. But he also makes the character very human and relatable in this film as well,” concludes Waititi.
Waititi had a style on set that created camaraderie from the getgo. Explaining how he brought everyone together, he offers, “Every single person on a set is vital and is a very integral part of the process. So I try to instil some love and some pride in what we’re doing and make the whole process enjoyable. 
“I’ve heard about these sets where everyone’s stressed out, and it’s often completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. I don’t want to hear a pin drop. Who’s interested in that? I’ve heard a pin drop, and there’s nothing interesting about that. I want to hear noise, and I want to hear music. 
“I want to hear a cacophony of stuff going on.” 
Summing up what he wants audiences to experience, Waititi says, “I want this film to be a fantastic cosmic adventure that is a fun ride but also has high stakes and emotional truth. When films have an emotional authenticity that is when an audience invests emotionally. An audience wants to be part of the journey, and they want to see it through. 
“That’s what I want to bring to this film. I want to really engage the audience and give them a thrill ride, which is both dramatic and emotional but also funny and exciting. And by the end of the film you feel like you’ve have been to different worlds and had many crazy experiences. 
“And you will have really gone through the fire with Thor.”