We Wish God Of War Ragnarok Was Like Thor: Ragnarok
Winter is coming... in winter... as Sony Santa Monica finally prepares to release God of War Ragnarok to the masses. Since 2005, the God of War games have made a name for themselves as gritty PlayStation exclusives that deliver the carnage and crying in equal measure. Things are a little miserable out there, so don't you wish things were a little cheerier for the Ghost of Sparta?
If you haven't heard about the Norse end of days, the word "Ragnarok" has come up a lot recently thanks to Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Dawn of Ragnarok DLC and Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok from 2017. Sadly, Kratos' latest adventure is nothing like this colourful caper. But, just imagine if it was.
Thor: Ragnarok Was A Breath Of Fresh Air For The MCU
Click to enlargeDespite its constant death, destruction, and worry that a Mad Titan is going to come by and snap half of you out of existence at any moment, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't been without its levity. From the snarky remarks of billionaire playboy Tony Stark to Drax the Destroyer's comedic timing, there are laughs to be had at almost every corner. It wasn't always this way, and the Thor movies were once known for their dark undertones.
It's ironic that alongside the three Captain America movies, the first two Thor outings were known as the "dark" ones. 2013's Thor: The Dark World literally had it in its name. Sadly, exploring the darker side of the Nine Realms didn't do the God of Thunder any good, and it's no secret that The Dark World is held by many as the MCU's worst. Thankfully, all that changed when What We Do In The Shadows' Taika Waititi came on board and brought the funny.
We might've had the addition of Cate Blanchett as Hela the Goddess of Death, lost of all of Asgard to a fire demon called Surtur, and ended things with Thanos arriving on the scene, but still, there was fun to be had in Ragnarok. As well as jokes about Thor's inappropriate love for his hammer, we had Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster as some sort of sex-depraved comic relief, and any time Waitii's rocky Korg spoke, it was comedy gold. Despite there being more demises and damage than your average Marvel movie, Ragnarok kept a comedic core.
Sure, we might not associate God of War with being a laugh-a-minute game, but there are some moments of levity. Just like the comedic Korg was a nice break from Hela killing off most of Asgard, 2018's God of War made great use of the decapitated Mimir. Knowing that Mimir will return for Ragnarok, get ready for more witty one-liners from the jabbering head.
God Of War Ragnarok Needs To Avoid Love And Thunder's Mistakes
Click to enlargeLet's just hope that when Ragnarok releases, it's not like Thor: Love and Thunder. The 2022 comic book movie may have made a typically massive amount of money (like any MCU outing), but it's hardly blown critics away. Thor: Love and Thunder is officially the worst-rated Thor movie, meaning it even beats The Dark World to claim that unfortunate crown.
It seems that Waititi got comfortable in delivering the jokes, and as Love and Thunder leaned into this, it jarred against some of the darker themes - particularly Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher. Blanchett's Hela was equally villainous, but jumping from the tragedy of Gorr and his daughter one minute, to borderline slapstick humour from Chris Hemsworth was one of the movie's big critiques.
While taking cues from the Norse mythology of Thor is all well and good, we need to keep Kratos as the same surly saviour he's always been. Even though 2018's God of War saw him mellow to become a grumpy father figure, it's still the Kratos we played as all those years ago. Looking at Thor in the MCU, he's still the same arrogant character we met in 2012's first movie, but now he's got a cringeworthy edge. Give us back the brooding Thor of Avengers: Endgame.
Ultimately, God of War Ragnarok should feel like a true God of War sequel. Although we've got a new Game Director as Eric Williams takes over from Cory Barlog, the latter has stayed close to production. Christopher Judge is once again flexing his muscles as Kratos, and the stakes are raised to a level where events should be just as catastrophic as Thor: Ragnarok. Not that we're worried, but with God of War Ragnarok's delay from 2021 only adding to its hype, strap in for what could be the biggest game of the year. If there are a few jokes peppered in along the way, who is to complain? Someone had better summon the bifrost.