I really enjoyed Ragnarok for the first two seasons, and even season 3 wasn't that bad until that last episode. Wow. What an awful, awful ending. Overall, I thought Ragnarok was so much better than I thought it would be. It's a really good adaptation of Norse myth and the battle between Gods and Giants. While it may start off a little slow for some, stick with it because it picks up in a hurry. You get used to the dubbed edit pretty quick or if it bothers you you can watch with subtitles. I prefer dubbed. Each season is only 6 episodes long so you can binge through it pretty fast. If you're a fan or supernatural or sci-if then you should give this show a chance, you will not be disappointed...until the ending that is.
704 Reviews
Glad isn't Hollywood
gonc_albuquerque31 January 2020
Most series have so much of the same stuff, always very Hollywood looking and face washed.
This is different, not only is not a american movie, but it shows a new take on today society without making a mockery out of it.
Won't be for everyone taste, specially those used to more action and fantasy faling on the absurd.
I recomend it and gave it a 8.
A promising start
DutchDave31 January 2020
I've watched two episodes so far, and will continue to watch. So far, I like it. It is different. Yeah, I'm a sucker for the superhero thing, but I'm quitting more and more series because I am starting to have enough of the U.S. patriotic clichés, the over the top drama and overacting. I enjoy these young Scandinavian actors, the slow way the story is unfolding, the lack of hysteria. It keeps me curious.
The reviewers complaining about the environmental topic make me laugh. If you don't believe in it, just treat it as any other fantasy-topic. Aliens. Space zombies. Unicorns... It is a story. I am an atheist and I'm not whining about the presence of gods or supernatural stuff in this serie. That would be silly.
All in all, give Ragnarok a try. Acquire a new taste...
Edit: Finished season 1 now. It only got better!
Edit: Finished season 1 now. It only got better!
Taking the story back from Marvel
ellegaardmartin2 February 2020
I really enjoyed this series, showing in a better way the old mythology and religion of Scandinavia. People thinking that Marvels depiction of Norse Mythology is correct should be happily surprised to learn something else. Beautiful scenery and okay actors, combined with a good story. Looking forward to season2.
Did not expect this
ramielshaarawy1 February 2020
Ragnarok: Enjoyable slow burn
Platypuschow30 November 2023
Plot
A small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for Ragnarok -- unless someone intervenes in time.
Cast
Nobody I knew prior to Ragnarok but a host of people who consistently knocked it out of the park, Stakston's transformation alone was very impressive.
Verdict
My other half's choice, this perhaps would have been a lot further down the watchlist for me, I was hesitant. A modern telling of sorts of Thor? It didn't sit right with me and felt it was going to be over convoluted and fall flat, to my surprise from the very first episode it's actually really quite engaging and I found myself engrossed.
Not only this but it unconditionally kept my attention throughout the three seasons, it never wavered, it didn't have peaks and troughs, it was consistent in its quality.
So why? Decent enough writing, very solid cast and it went in directions I simply didn't expect, it's a lot of things but predictable isn't one of them.
It's not flawless, there's plenty of elements I didn't like and sadly the shows very core namely the Norse mythology was never something I was entirely on board with however I appreciated the subtlety and it's lack of attempt at being Marvel. Sure it's hokey and you have to suspend disbelief to an extent, but you do with all fantasy shows.
This show isn't a big cgi-fest, it's subtle, it's well crafted and it plays it vastly more serious.
What I don't understand however is the fans perception of season 3. The episodes are considerably lower rated and the finale seems to be universally despised. I get it, and yet I don't. Allow me to explain.
I don't like ambiguous endings, I don't need everything spelling out for me but generally I like to be in the ball park. Ragnarok's finale is very ambiguous and when it was drawing to a close I was very frustrated by this as I could see where it was going. However by the time the credits had rolled and the two distinct interpretations had reared their heads I found myself perfectly content with them. Maybe people aren't getting that, maybe people are simply assuming one over the other, maybe people like me just don't like ambiguous but were more stringent on that.
Me, I liked it. It doesn't matter which was the correct interpretation, both were deep, meaningful and neither took anything away from the show. At first I feared they'd pulled a Dallas on us, in reality it's far more multi-tiered and engaging than that. I simply don't understand the hate.
Rants
Oh dear, I thought that the criticism of the show was at least constructive even if I didn't agree with it. Filtering through the 1/10 reviews I as I should have expected found myself drowning in accusations of the show being propaganda and having an agenda due to the environmental parts of the story and the gay characters. Seriously, grow up. The existence of gay people in movies/tv is not an agenda, stop dressing your bigotry up as something its not. And the environment? You live on the same planet as me, you might want to start taking it a bit more seriously.
Breakdown Great cast Solid performances Consistency Concept still isn't my thing Too short.
A small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for Ragnarok -- unless someone intervenes in time.
Cast
Nobody I knew prior to Ragnarok but a host of people who consistently knocked it out of the park, Stakston's transformation alone was very impressive.
Verdict
My other half's choice, this perhaps would have been a lot further down the watchlist for me, I was hesitant. A modern telling of sorts of Thor? It didn't sit right with me and felt it was going to be over convoluted and fall flat, to my surprise from the very first episode it's actually really quite engaging and I found myself engrossed.
Not only this but it unconditionally kept my attention throughout the three seasons, it never wavered, it didn't have peaks and troughs, it was consistent in its quality.
So why? Decent enough writing, very solid cast and it went in directions I simply didn't expect, it's a lot of things but predictable isn't one of them.
It's not flawless, there's plenty of elements I didn't like and sadly the shows very core namely the Norse mythology was never something I was entirely on board with however I appreciated the subtlety and it's lack of attempt at being Marvel. Sure it's hokey and you have to suspend disbelief to an extent, but you do with all fantasy shows.
This show isn't a big cgi-fest, it's subtle, it's well crafted and it plays it vastly more serious.
What I don't understand however is the fans perception of season 3. The episodes are considerably lower rated and the finale seems to be universally despised. I get it, and yet I don't. Allow me to explain.
I don't like ambiguous endings, I don't need everything spelling out for me but generally I like to be in the ball park. Ragnarok's finale is very ambiguous and when it was drawing to a close I was very frustrated by this as I could see where it was going. However by the time the credits had rolled and the two distinct interpretations had reared their heads I found myself perfectly content with them. Maybe people aren't getting that, maybe people are simply assuming one over the other, maybe people like me just don't like ambiguous but were more stringent on that.
Me, I liked it. It doesn't matter which was the correct interpretation, both were deep, meaningful and neither took anything away from the show. At first I feared they'd pulled a Dallas on us, in reality it's far more multi-tiered and engaging than that. I simply don't understand the hate.
Rants
Oh dear, I thought that the criticism of the show was at least constructive even if I didn't agree with it. Filtering through the 1/10 reviews I as I should have expected found myself drowning in accusations of the show being propaganda and having an agenda due to the environmental parts of the story and the gay characters. Seriously, grow up. The existence of gay people in movies/tv is not an agenda, stop dressing your bigotry up as something its not. And the environment? You live on the same planet as me, you might want to start taking it a bit more seriously.
Breakdown Great cast Solid performances Consistency Concept still isn't my thing Too short.
A Netflix gem.
CaptainAmerikas4 February 2020
This one took me by surprise. Totally addictive, binge worthy Scandinavian film noire genre. Good plot. And awesome videography. Watch it in Norse with subtitles to get full affect. One of Netflix's best in a long while. Absolutely loved it.
First season was good, second season not so much
jacoal28 May 2021
Its an okay show overall, but it misses the mark many times throughout, and this I feel has a lot to do with its high-school setting, since its set in high-school, characters act like high-school kids, which are oftentimes incredibly awkward, dumb, indecisive and assholish.
Anytime, I complain about these characters, I hand wave it away and remind myself that there in high-school, so of course they're gonna act that way, but unfortunately that doesn't mix well with the magnificent tales of Norse mythology, and if anything it serves as a detriment, at least with how the writers have written it.
Another problem is its length and character development, with only 6 episodes, it feels really bad to watch characters being constantly indecisive or doing complete 180s with their personality, and it feels really unnatural when its too sudden, but if they just added more time, they could make character changes/development happen more gradually rather than out of nowhere, or they could keep it 6 episodes and just make the characters less indecisive.
Season 2 had a lot more promise than season 1, from where it left off in season 1, to the cool new characters introduced in this season, it really felt like it was going somewhere, but it hardly did, and it even had one of the most important/coolest characters brought in early on, but it ended being really disappointing, because that character was never developed to a proper extent this season, and was utterly pathetic in face of conflict/felt like a poorly thought out interpretation.
On the plus side, this show is pretty funny, looks beautiful, has a ton of potential, a lot of suspense, entertaining romantic relationships/potential relationships, decent drama, and good fight scenes.
Anytime, I complain about these characters, I hand wave it away and remind myself that there in high-school, so of course they're gonna act that way, but unfortunately that doesn't mix well with the magnificent tales of Norse mythology, and if anything it serves as a detriment, at least with how the writers have written it.
Another problem is its length and character development, with only 6 episodes, it feels really bad to watch characters being constantly indecisive or doing complete 180s with their personality, and it feels really unnatural when its too sudden, but if they just added more time, they could make character changes/development happen more gradually rather than out of nowhere, or they could keep it 6 episodes and just make the characters less indecisive.
Season 2 had a lot more promise than season 1, from where it left off in season 1, to the cool new characters introduced in this season, it really felt like it was going somewhere, but it hardly did, and it even had one of the most important/coolest characters brought in early on, but it ended being really disappointing, because that character was never developed to a proper extent this season, and was utterly pathetic in face of conflict/felt like a poorly thought out interpretation.
On the plus side, this show is pretty funny, looks beautiful, has a ton of potential, a lot of suspense, entertaining romantic relationships/potential relationships, decent drama, and good fight scenes.
Surprisingly captivating series that came outta nowhere
jmanderson-525181 February 2020
Between the beautiful scenery in almost every shot and the clean and efficient pace of the story, it's hard not to like in my opinion. The story flows so well, if in Hollywood hands we'd be bogged down with lame sideplot after sideplot that leads nowhere. I'm halfway through the season but had to write a review of how surprisingly great its been so far.
Wohooo!!!!
maxpower781 February 2020
I don't get the low average ratings
TheDude42721 February 2020
If you plan to binge watch, don't waste your time
elizabethdurin3 September 2023
This was a good show with an absolutely HORRIBLE ending. I binge watched all three seasons- sadly, it felt like a waste of time. If you've already started, you'd might as well finish to finish the show- but I don't know who would be pleased with the ending. With the type of ending they went with, everything should've been explained and tied in a bow. However, there were still large plot holes and unanswered questions, somehow, which made it even worse. I have to give credit to the cast, very good acting overall. I also have to give credit to all for the first two seasons- they were good and the show had a lot of potential. Season 3 wasn't great, but the ending truly ruined it all. Very disappointing.
Surprised
annastoycheva1 February 2020
Pretty Good!
Rob133129 September 2022
Ragnarok was so much better than I thought it would be. It's a really good adaptation of Norse myth and the battle between Gods and Giants. It's a little over the top but remains surprisingly entertaining all the while delivering a strong pro-environmentalist message. While it may start off a little slow for some, stick with it because it picks up in a hurry. It's a refreshing take on Norse mythology. You get used to the dubbed edit pretty quick or if it bothers you you can watch with subtitles. I prefer dubbed. Each season is only 6 episodes long so you can binge through it pretty fast. If you're a fan or supernatural or sci-if then you should give this show a chance, you will not be disappointed.
I watched the whole season 1 in just 24hours! That js something!
jjad042 February 2020
I watched this on Netflix. I thought it is gonna be cheesy like most movies nowadays but as I watched the first episode, I found myself getting ready and preparing snacks whilst watching this. Overall casts have done a great job, all casts are likeable, that I find myself frustrated as well like the main character Magne. I would have rated 10 stars on this if only I could understand and have the English translation subtitle whenever the Giant Family and Magne speaks the old ancient language of their kind. I hope Netlfix would fix it.
They can not keep it grounded anymore...
gmusicd28 May 2021
Just finished watching season 2. I won't give up any spoilers below so it is safe to read.
The season 2 picks up immediately after season 1. The one thing I really liked about this series is how they've kept it grounded. I also applaud the reasoning behind each season having 6 episodes; there's always something happening and there are not so many dull moments you can find in seasons that have 13 or more episodes.
If you liked the first season, I'm pretty sure you will like the second one. It's basically the continuation of the storyline with some new characters introduced. They did pretty convincing job of translating Norse mithology to modern times: pollution, obsession with power, rich vs poor...
Without going into any details, after finishing watching the second season, I had a bland taste in my mouth. The one thing that this show has it going (keeping it grounded) is the one thing that brings it down. They've introduced so many new stuff and events that simply ask for major budget and a big showdowns. Unfortunately, this season has none of that and the ending is less than climactic - it makes you sigh because you've spent 6 hours watching new episodes expecting something towards the end which never came.
If they want to continue keeping the interest of the audience, my honest opinion is they need to stop keeping it grounded and deliver those big fights they keep teasing about. I'm not sure if the budget of the series allows it, but the writers set up the storyline trying to follow as closely as they could Norse and Viking mithology which, in the end, if it doesn't go big, it will be waste of time. If they wanted to keep it grounded, they could have avoided some of the new stuff they've introduced in the second season.
Like I've said, if you liked the first season, you will probably like the second one, but I am sure you will be left wanting more after it ends. I really hope that they will have more budget in the third season. Yes, this series takes pride in modern retelling of the well known story and keeping it grounded, but with the direction they took in this season, I can't really say it's a "grounded story" anymore. Hopefully third one will be big and climactic or else... this will be a complete waste of time.
The season 2 picks up immediately after season 1. The one thing I really liked about this series is how they've kept it grounded. I also applaud the reasoning behind each season having 6 episodes; there's always something happening and there are not so many dull moments you can find in seasons that have 13 or more episodes.
If you liked the first season, I'm pretty sure you will like the second one. It's basically the continuation of the storyline with some new characters introduced. They did pretty convincing job of translating Norse mithology to modern times: pollution, obsession with power, rich vs poor...
Without going into any details, after finishing watching the second season, I had a bland taste in my mouth. The one thing that this show has it going (keeping it grounded) is the one thing that brings it down. They've introduced so many new stuff and events that simply ask for major budget and a big showdowns. Unfortunately, this season has none of that and the ending is less than climactic - it makes you sigh because you've spent 6 hours watching new episodes expecting something towards the end which never came.
If they want to continue keeping the interest of the audience, my honest opinion is they need to stop keeping it grounded and deliver those big fights they keep teasing about. I'm not sure if the budget of the series allows it, but the writers set up the storyline trying to follow as closely as they could Norse and Viking mithology which, in the end, if it doesn't go big, it will be waste of time. If they wanted to keep it grounded, they could have avoided some of the new stuff they've introduced in the second season.
Like I've said, if you liked the first season, you will probably like the second one, but I am sure you will be left wanting more after it ends. I really hope that they will have more budget in the third season. Yes, this series takes pride in modern retelling of the well known story and keeping it grounded, but with the direction they took in this season, I can't really say it's a "grounded story" anymore. Hopefully third one will be big and climactic or else... this will be a complete waste of time.
Finally! Loved this
tarawoiderski1 February 2020
Ragnarok is more than what was expected
lhulhu1 February 2020
To me the trailer looked ok for this, and I am an all around hero movie kind of guy. But the directors killed this movie. They put heroes in today's world and made them think for themselves. And the lessons I got from this show alone is crazy, this is a must watch for anyone who loves hero tv shows/movies and wants to feel motivated to do good at the end. 10/10!
A Nordic Beliefs represented in modern times.
kenvis19762 February 2020
Really nice to see this show, I think the reason is so good is because is created by Nordic people and not by a Hollywood noob, I see a lot of people comparing it with Marvel approach to Nordic mitology and is a complete misunderstood. I hope there will be more seasons, I watched totally in Noruegan audio with subtitles.
Fantastic series <3
dfzidane3 February 2020
10/10 from me!
Amazing how good this series is. Hope to see more seasons of it, it has a huge potential.
It takes you through the stories you know, in a totally different way. The quality of it is also great, and every episode takes you into your own little world, and you forget time and place IRL. Love hehe...
Again, I hope to see much from this series! <3
Amazing how good this series is. Hope to see more seasons of it, it has a huge potential.
It takes you through the stories you know, in a totally different way. The quality of it is also great, and every episode takes you into your own little world, and you forget time and place IRL. Love hehe...
Again, I hope to see much from this series! <3
Great series, horrible ending.
bryan-byl29 August 2023
First two seasons were absolute bomb and I was reaaaally looking forward to seeing how it would all go down. Until the last episode, that is. The ending was extreeeeemely disappointing and the writers have made a huge mistake ending the show like this. They have done brilliantly the first two seasons and even the majority of season 3. I do not understand what made them write the ending like this? Lack of budget for effects? Idk... This series wss fully ruined for me, sadly.
Ragnarok is a great series to watch because it is mostly truthful towards Norse mythology in its own adaptation, truely sad to have ended like this.
Ragnarok is a great series to watch because it is mostly truthful towards Norse mythology in its own adaptation, truely sad to have ended like this.
Slow build up but great show
chrisfa-942793 February 2020
Very interesting play on Norse mythology although it is a little slow.
If you read all the negative reviews it becomes apparent that almost all of them are simply complaining due to the show having a gay character and talking about climate change.
I do agree with that some Netflix shows do overdue the climate issues and throw lgbt relationships in where not needed but this show does it amazingly well.... plus is true to the mythology. Loki makes love to everything (including a horse lol) - read a book before you complain about characters that you don't know.
If you read all the negative reviews it becomes apparent that almost all of them are simply complaining due to the show having a gay character and talking about climate change.
I do agree with that some Netflix shows do overdue the climate issues and throw lgbt relationships in where not needed but this show does it amazingly well.... plus is true to the mythology. Loki makes love to everything (including a horse lol) - read a book before you complain about characters that you don't know.
It's different and I really enjoy it.
joannechrisco1 February 2020
Enjoyed it!
rmidby1 February 2020
I was skeptical going into it but pleasantly surprised. Watched entire season in one sitting, btw. The acting was way better than I thought it was going to be, the story is very twighlighty in a way and that's probably the worst thing I can say about it but for what type of show it's trying to be, it does it very well. If you have a Solid story and good actors you usually can't go wrong, it has both. Watch at least 2 episodes before righting it off. GS
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