Production is officially underway onThor:Ragnarok, and with it comes an exciting new voice in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The third installment in the hammer-wielding hero’s franchise will catch us up on what Hulk and Thor were up to while the other Avengers were butting heads, and will no doubt play a major role in connecting the dots between the earthbound affairs ofCaptain America: Civil Warand the upcoming all-out intergalactic war set forAvengers: Infinity War. At the helm is first-time Marvel directorTaikaWaititi, the Academy Award-nominated director behind New Zealand’s two highest-grossing films,BoyandHunt for theWilderpeople, and last year’s cult horror comedy hit,What We Do in the Shadows.
Known primarily as a quirky “indie” director, at first glance Waititi may appear a peculiar choice to take on a Marvel sequel with the scope and scale required for an epic interdimensional event likeRagnarok– which will combine the titular events of the famed Asgardian Armageddon with the fan-favoritePlanet Hulkarc – but a closer look reveals that he’s not just a great pick for the material at hand, but also exactly the breath of fresh air theThorfranchise needs after the disappointingly dourThe Dark World. Here’s why.
He’s Got the Right Kind of Humor
A common, somewhat confounding complaint lobbied against Waititi’s role at the helm ofRagnarokis that he’s too much of a comedic director – a statement that both undersells the complexity of his humor and oversells the seriousness of the MCU. Sure, Waititi is a seriously funny guy, and that translates to all his films, but more often than not, that humor is rooted in moments of emotional honesty. You might laugh your way throughBoy, but there’s no denying the serious undercurrent that gives the film such heart. What’s more, he’s made an art of using humor to undercut overly self-serious characters, and if there’s one character in the Marvel Universe primed for that brand of comedy, it’s the Mighty Thor with his high-minded, ever-regal intonation and unwavering (if admittedly earned) sense of self-importance. Thinking back on Thor’s run in the MCU, his most delightful moments have been when that earnest bombast clashes with the quotidian. It’s the angle that allows such a fantastical, flamboyant type of character to thrive in a modern context (especially in days before the MCU took a turn for the trippy withAnt-ManandGuardians of the Galaxy).
It’s also an element that was largely lacking inThe Dark World, leading to one of Marvel’s most notable misfires with an action spectacle that fizzled for a lack of joy. WithRagnarok, Thor is likely to leave the earth realm behind entirely for the time being, leaving even less opportunity for those natural comedic bits of contrast to arise. At the same time, the apocalyptic Ragnarok story is one of Marvel’s most dire and doesn’t traditionally scream comedy, chronicling the fall of the Asgardian gods in a brutal battle with the inhabitants of the underworld Hel. But if there’s one thing we know for certain by now, it’s that the Marvel films are never exact adaptations of their titular comics. No doubt the stakes inRagnorakwill be disastrous, but much likeCivil War, they probably won’t be as dark as the narrative from which they hail. That said,Ragnarokis going to be a delicate balancing act between tones and Waititi has the skills to respect the severity of the story at hand while delivering an entertaining romp worthy of the Marvel brand, and put two actors on the caliber of Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo to their best use.
He’s Good at Genre
The main reason people might think Waititi is too goofy to take on a story likeRagnarok, is probably because his best-known movie is the super silly, if wildly clever, horror comedyWhat We Do in the Shadows(in which he also starred as the dandy vampire, Viago). Co-created with his regular collaborator andFlight of the ConcordsstarJemaineClement,What We Do in the Shadowsis Waititi’s purest comedic work to date. And while it beautifully displays Waititi’s idiosyncratic brand of humor, it’s also a showcase for his grasp on genre.
What We Do in the Shadowsthrives on Clement and Waititi’s command of the genre they’re working in; deftly leaning into tropes or bucking against them at exactly the right moments. That’s not to say that the vampire and superhero genres are equivocal or interchangeable, but it demonstrates a fine-tuned sensibility for honing in on what makes a genre tick. You see it inHunt for theWilderpeopleas well, most clearly inRachel House’s child welfare agent Paula, who is essentially the most pedantic version of every single-minded law-enforcement agent in the long history of chase movies.
That ability to embrace the mold while reinventing it is an absolute necessity at this point in the Marvel universe.KennethBranaghalready gave us a bread-and-butter Shakespearean Thor, we’ve seen the God of Thunder rough and tumble with the Avengers, twice, and more than anything,The Dark Worldshowed us that the generic epic formula just doesn’t suit this world. Waititi is the kind of director that can give audiences what they want in a way they didn’t know they wanted it.
He’s All About Character
To put it in the film’s own verbiage,Hunt for theWilderpeopleshowed that Waititi’s got “the knack” – not for finding his way to safety in the wilderness, but for finding his way to wonderful characters. It also showed he’s great at road movies. Both of which make him a prime candidate forRagnarok. (After all, the best buddy road movies are all about character anyway.)Wilderpeoplecertainly wasn’t the first of his films to hinge on character, they all do, even his most high-concept film,What We Do in the Shadows, but it’s the most impressive display of how he can thrust a pair of mismatched characters into action and adventure.
According to Ruffalo,Ragnarokhas a bit of aMidnight Run(in space) vibe. Earlier this year, Ruffalo dropped the classic odd-couple chase film as a reference point for Thor and Banner’s relationship, callingRagnaroka “universal road movie”. First of all: awesome. The Marvel films have long hinged on adapting a classic movie genre to the Marvel format (most famously,The Winter Soldierwas made in the vein of a political thriller), and the buddy movie is a match made in heaven for a universe bursting with unique, well-defined characters. There are perhaps no two characters better suited for an intergalactic road trip than Banner and the Odinson (sorry Science Bros), not just because they throw down so nicely in battle, but because they couldn’t have more disparate personalities. Thor is all sweeping charisma while Banner is reluctant, understated charm. Thor relishes his powers; Banner runs from them. Thor thrives on battle; Banner just wants to be left alone. These are two characters who will not only spark off each other on screen, but narratively force each other to grow and evolve.
Along similar lines, bothBoyandWilderpeopledemonstrate Waititi’s skill for delving into family dysfunction without drowning in the sadness of it. And what isThorwithout a little family dysfunction? Sibling Rivalry! Daddy Issues! Black Sheep Syndrome! There are some major dangling threads to be resolved between Thor and Loki (and poor old Odin), and Waititi’s got the deft hand to interweave that element without derailing the action.
He’s a Distinguished, Distinct Filmmaker
What’s more, he’s getting better with every film. After earning an Oscar nom for his short filmTwo Cars, One Night, Waititi directed his first feature film, the offbeat romantic comedyEagle vs Shark, which was an impressive, if flawed debut, that introduced Waititi’s unique sensibilities as a director but showed room for improvement. With each subsequent film, that improvement has been made, and his skill has become more refined as his scope has grown ever grander, culminating in this year’s outstandingHunt for theWilderpeople. Waititi is a director with strong legs under him; a creator with a clear vision and voice.
Marvel’s most exciting films have always come from such directors (provided they can adapt to the Marvel palate, as theAnt-Mansnafu made clear). Divisive though it may be, there’s no mistakingIron Man 3for anything but aShane Blackfilm, and whether you love it or hate it (I love it), it is one of the most compelling movies they’ve produced. Likewise,Guardians of the Galaxylives and breathes byJames Gunn’s offbeat humor and visual panache, andAvengersis a clear product ofJossWhedon’s loyalty to the comics (and whip-smart dialogue). A smart, experienced director like Waititi is poised to take on the massive scale of a Marvel film and infuse it with his own quality. And what a fine quality it is.
