Netflix’s Ragnarok is a battle cry against climate change perpetrators
Review by Angelo Lorenzo
Netflix’s Ragnarok isn’t a comic-book-turned-motion-picture that relies on visual effects, stylized humor, or a firm established fan-base. Rather, the series traces inspiration from the Norse mythology centered on the fabled end of the world, and takes place in a fictional modern village nestled between the magnificent fjords of Norway and its towering mountains.
Here, we see Magne (played by David Stakston) who, after moving into the village of Edda with his mother (Henriette Steenstrup) and brother (Jonas Strand Gravli), develops powers that embody the Norse god Thor. But through the six episodes averaging 40 to 50 minutes in length, Magne faces the looming threat that does not come in the direct form of a mystical being but that of a family behind a heinous environmental threat. The family’s factory spills toxins into the fresh waters of the fjord.
As timely as it may be, this Norwegian series created by Adam Price combines the elements of fantasy and the issues of reality. What is one rampant issue that threatens the world in recent decades? Ever since humans have found a way to exploit the environment and its resources, forest wildfires have spread, lakes have dried up, sea levels have risen, several species have ceased to exist or have dwindled in numbers, and glaciers have melted. Climate change is real and it’s this issue that makes the series relevant. It’s what many experts — from scientists and environmental activists — consider to be the purveyor of the world’s end.
This concept of the world ending is not strange in Norse mythology. Ragnarok, as their ancients termed it, involves a cataclysmic event where gods like Thor duel with their fiercest foes — the frost giants being among them. In the Netflix series, they disguise themselves as four humans and take the family name Jutul. But their power does not come in direct brute force the way creatures in mythology prove their strength. Rather, the series portrays them as the fifth wealthiest family in Norway, with their wealth at the expense of the environment as Magne discovers later.
As the series centers on Magne, it grapples with the trope of an origin story that is typical for a superhero flick. As his family recently moves into Edda, we catch a glimpse of his power’s infancy through his eyes when he meets an elderly woman who waves her hand before his face. This comes after he helps an aged man in his wheelchair on the road. It wasn’t until he has witnessed the tragic fate of his newfound friend and classmate, Isolde (Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin), that he wields an axe and throws it to the sky riddled with lightning and bursting with thunder. That tragic fate plays a significant part in his motive as he further develops his powers in-between high school and relationships.
When the Jutul family (giants disguised as humans) discover his capabilities, they begin considering him a threat and formulate plans to endanger his life. This involves father-figure and local tycoon Vidar Jutul (Gísli Örn Garðarsson) orchestrating a failed accident over Magne, and siblings Fjor (Herman Tømmeraas) and Saxa (Theresa Frostad Eggesbø) spying him in school. The mother-figure, Ran (Synnøve Macody Lund) takes on a subtle approach by labelling him as a problematic teenager.
Magne discovers the family’s true identity as he duels with Vidar, but this comes after he finds out that the factory they own keeps thousands of barrels that leak toxic chemical wastes from a tunnel in the mountains. By integrating this realistic issue of destroying the world that would lead to its end (thus, Ragnarok), the series reveals the rampant issue that affects everyone and traces the causes of the problem — industries that endanger the environment. Turning this issue as the fundamental element of the series’ conflict is what makes the series stand out. It also gives Magne a compelling motive for a superhero — save the world by stopping those who ruin it.
Perhaps integrating real world issues into a fictional narrative based on a mythology is the series’ crème of the crop. But comparisons to movies and series centered on young adults such as Twilight (for its cringey romance) and Percy Jackson (for its source material and themes of acquiring divinity in a contemporary setting) may not be hard to miss. Although some critics claim that the series contains flaws for a few cheesy scenes and often incoherent character development, what makes it different is its depiction of the looming threat that exists beyond its scope.
Netflix’s Ragnarok may well be inspired from mythology, but the themes do not veer away from reality. By portraying the causes of the threats surrounding climate change, the series — far beyond its tropes — is a battle cry for the environment.
