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Parents' Guide to

Ragnarok

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mystical enviro-drama has violence, teen smoking, drinking.

Ragnarok Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 17+

Not for teens

The focus is on hormonal teens. The principal of the school is caught with two boys. This would be uncomfortable to watch with your kids/teens in my opinion. Also this show is in no relation to marvel movies on Thor just fyi.
age 18+

Ragnarok: Netflix Original Series Review

The end of the world is probably already here and we just don’t know it yet. This is the whole premise of the Netflix original, Norwegian series, Ragnarok. While it does not blow you out of the water with special effects or plot twists, it presents Norse mythology in a modern context. It talks about the slow demise of the world through climate change, as T S Elliot put it - ‘This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.’ The Plot No surprises here. As the saying goes, in a tale as old as time, the Norse Gods of Æsir (Aesir) throw down with the giants of Jotunheim and the fire giants. The resulting apocalypse - Ragnarok is said to drown the world in a deluge, to emerge again, renewed somehow. The timeless lore of this mythos has been adapted to the current day setting, with the giants ravaging the earth’s natural resources, bringing doom upon the planet. The Jutul’s (Jotuns of Jotunheim) have made themselves at home in the immensely beautiful town of Edda in Norway. Their success in industry comes at the cost of the well-being of the locals, using environmentally unsafe practices to run their factories. At the same time, a young Magne (David Stakston) feels an awakening inside himself that puberty and hormones alone can’t seem to account for. This coming-of-age story sometimes reminds you of that scene in the Twilight parody “Vampires suck” - the teen angst meter. Diedrich Bader analyses his daughter’s teen angst on a hilarious contraption that lists TV series as levels of angst. The brooding aside, David Stakston’s Thor moves the plot along well. His supporting cast delivers great performances and keeps you engaged for the most part. Hit like if you enjoyed this post! The Cast The cast really does justice to the concept of Norse Gods, with most of the actors being stunning to look at. Their blonde hair, blue eyes, tall stature are a perfect fit for portraying the wild untamed beauty that was characteristic of Norse mythology. Emma Bones seems to be as pretty as an angel playing Thor’s crush and Synnøve Macody Lund is a total knockout as the queen of the giants. Theresa Frostad Eggesbø breathes life into the role of the sidelined daughter in the Jutul family. Like this review? Subscribe to themoviejunkie.com for more! Gísli Örn Garðarsson portrays the Jutul patriarch well as a person of towering stature. David Stakston plays a Thor with teen angst, trying to get along with his brother (Loki) played by Jonas Strand Gravli. Netflix Ragnarok Season 1 Season 1 of this Norwegian series spends a lot of time on the origin story and exposition in general. You see the pre-Thor version of Magne, being the silent type and keeping to himself and just plodding through life -for instance: Spidey’s origin tale or Cap’s origin story to some extent. The rapid transformation of Magne into the Norse deity sees him explore his strength and other gifts such as enhanced sight and more. Socio-economic inequality is addressed in Ragnarok, with Magne and the Jutuls being on the opposite sides of the spectrum. It’s also fun to see Greta’s celebrity seeping into pop culture with a mention of her name in this season. The cinematography is amazing in this series, with the mountains and fjords of the idyllic town of Edda (Odda in Norway) being captured in all their glory. Should You Watch it? - Yes! There are lots of reasons to watch the Netflix Ragnarok series, ranging from the locales used for filming to teen Thor. It might be just to see how breathtakingly beautiful Scandinavian people can be, or you might just want to see Thor from another perspective. I'm still in the process of watching Season 2, but going by the cliffhanger in Season 1, I think it will be good. Like this review? Subscribe to themoviejunkie.com for more!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (7 ):

Despite being a bit over the top, this series is surprisingly entertaining, and manages to be so while consistently delivering strong pro-environmentalist messages. Thor meets Twilight in this unique fictional climate change series (often referred to as "cli-fi"), which uses a powerful Nordic myth as the metaphor for a contemporary battle to protect the environment. Magne is a slow, clunky, dyslexic teen whose heroics are rooted in his natural desire to do good, and the use of hammers and brute strength to fix what is wrong. Meanwhile, the Jutul family are the obvious enemies, thanks to the corporations' Earth-destroying activities, and some strange dynamics that suggest that they know more about the mythical mountain dwelling giants (the Jøtul) than they let on. There's also plenty of teen angst that evolves throughout the supernatural drama to keep things interesting.

TV Details

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