Given how many small details and setups any given expanded universe film has to cram in these days, it’s a testament to Waititi’s resolve that Thor: Ragnarok is able to spend so much of its running time on small character beats and funny asides. And while a lot happens in the movie, characters like Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster - the entity that oversees the Sakaar gaming matches - are given the space to hang out and just be weird.
Sakaar’s design is aggressively retro-futuristic, calling to mind Heavy Metal magazine covers (with the Led Zeppelin music cues to match), and the score from Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh drenches everything in lush, prog-rock synthesizers. That sentiment fuels every facet of Ragnarok.
