Thor: Ragnarok

The cast for Thor Ragnarok are all matched well, and the sibling chemistry between Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth is as natural as can be. Cate Blanchett as Hela, the goddess of death is frightening in her cruelty as well as physical perfection. But, the reason this movie stands alone is the multi talented Taika Waititi, the director of the film. His offbeat New Zealand style shows in every scene, humor throughout and a rocking 80s electronica soundtrack, the film will transport you as fast as Heimdall and the Bitfrost!

Well for what it's worth, Thor Ragnarok is definitely a satisfying and suitable ending when speaking of this year's MCU movies. Despite enjoying Spider-Man Homecoming a little more overall, partially because there were things I didn't like about Thor Ragnarok but there was very little I disliked about Homecoming, all in all, this film is really, really good. It's explosive and fun and colorful and enjoyable and looks terrific and exquisite all throughout. Is it overdone? You decide whether or not they overdid some things for this one. I see lots of people comparing it to Guardians of the Galaxy and while I don't fully agree, I can definitely say that there are some things that are reminiscent of the Guardians' movies, but certainly not in a bad way.

What makes this film so good is its associates. They're not out of place and they're not really forced in; like, it fits perfectly, man. Everything comes together so nicely. Take Hulk for example. I was thinking, "Hulk may or may not work in this film. Could be great, could be straight out opposite." Well, overall, I think it's a good idea that they did include Hulk - even more so when they had him appear as Bruce, rather than Hulk himself. Mark Ruffalo's Hulk is by far the best one yet. Well, to me at least. Another thing I have to include is its humor. Some say it's either a little forced or it's just simply not all that funny. Well, the moments that were funny, were funny. Not much more can be said other than the fact that yeah, some stuff had me like, "Ehh.. okay", but for the most part, there's some solid laughs here and there.

Jeff Goldblum's role was unique, to say the least - but did kind of remind me of The Collector from Guardians of the Galaxy. I don't know, he just did. Not a bad thing, but you know. If I were to comment on his character, I would have to say he's pretty good. He's not amazing, but he's an interesting part of the film and makes an okay villain (assuming you would call him that). One thing that really stood out to me and made the film even more enjoyable was its brother scenes, aka, scenes that revolve around Loki and Thor together. That was good in this film. I actually enjoyed Loki in this more than I did The Avengers. And Hemsworth is superb in the film. Not a better guy out there that could have played Thor. He was the correct, undeniable greatest choice.

There's also a very good 'cameo' like role, if you will, which does add to the movie. The film also doesn't lose its identity, meaning that even though there are other characters and whatnot, it's first and foremost a Thor film.

Here's what I didn't like (or, who I didn't like, for that matter): Hela. My reasons for disliking her character are pretty much simplistic and generic, but they're not invalid by any means- she's annoying. She's boring. That's really all I can say. I mean, there's a scene in which I do love that includes her, but it's spoiler-ish, so maybe another time...

Overall, however, a great film. Bright, colorful, funny, loads of action, good character usage, and the third act is damn good! I think this is perhaps my sixth favorite MCU film overall, overtaking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but it is still right behind: 5- Spider-Man Homecoming, 4-The Avengers, 3-Captain America The Winter Soldier, 2-Guardians of the Galaxy and 1-Captain America Civil War. Ragnarok is a terrific film though, and it's one of this year's best.

8.5/10

Thor Ragnarok leaves the bland formula from it's first two films for an exciting and self-aware redemption story, traversing through the trash heap planet Sakaar and an Asgard under siege. Sakaar was my favorite setting out of any recent Marvel films, with Jeff Goldblum giving a hilarious performance as a playful dictator and the arena-centric atmosphere providing an intriguing set piece. Blanchett plays the best villain of the Thor trilogy, Elba's character is essentially Aragon from LOTR, and Tessa Thompson and Marc Ruffalo/Hulk are respectively well- motiaved and solid comic relief.

I admit it, I'm not exactly a Thor fan. I think the first two Thor feature films were passable efforts but paled in comparison to other heroes outings. For this reason I went in expecting a whole lot of meh!

Now Ragnarok was critically acclaimed, I never heard a bad thing about it despite the fact that I wasn't blown away by the trailer at all.

So with a new Thor outing, sprinkles of Planet Hulk and more humour than usual (Especially from Thor) how'd I think it did?

From the opening moments with Thor swinging from a chain awkwardly rotating as he's trying to have a conversation I was gripped. This wasn't the dull boring stoic Thor we'd grown to accept, this guy was cracking of the wise and I was laughing by buttocks off.

Cate Blanchett delivers as Hela like I never expected she'd manage, Jeff Goldblum is excellent in a role he felt almost born for and the entire thing is one joke filled roller coaster ride that I enjoyed considerably more than I expected to.

Did all the comedy diminish the impact of the Marvel Universe? Oddly not, it fit in perfectly even when a serious moment was underlined with a goofy slapstick laugh.

Kudos to Marvel once again, so far out of every single MCU movie I've only disliked 2 and for a harsh critic like me that's really something.

So much fun, so many laughs and has freshened up a character that in this guys opinion was getting a bit stale. Damn good job.

The Good:

Cast do a great job

Genuinely funny stuff

The Bad:

Could have done more with the Planet Hulk story arc

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

This is where Hulk and Thor were during Civil War!!!!

Immigrant Song just makes any scene better

It's probably best Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif) couldn't be part of the film

Hulk talking is weird, confusing and please make it stop

The action and humor mixed up in this movie was done with such quality that you forget about the problems with it, if there are even any at all! Thor kicks butt along with both new and old friends of his and unforgettable superhero power scenes that will make you smile! This was especially great seeing it in theaters!