Thor: Ragnarok

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.

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!

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

It's hilarious, choreographed well, only issue is there is no emotional bits. And nothing is serious

Frankly, I didn't like the first two Thor movies, the game plan was so clear from the get go. Same old "save the world" routines, brooding hero with a burden, a love connection born out of necessity and bloated battle scenes. It is the same blueprint for many superhero movies, but Thor has the God element that made the stories feel even more preposterous and ridiculous. It is hard to be vested in his quests because God don't die, hurt as much and can always employ one last deus ex machina that solves the unsolvable problem. But Thor: Ragnarok throws that over-used game plan out from Bifrost into an unknown territory, making it this year's best superhero movie. I know I know… Justice League has not descended, but looking at the trailer it doesn't take a genius to see that it will be doing the above-mentioned routine.

New Zealand director Taika Waititi seems like an unusual choice to helm Thor's third standalone movie. He has the indie root in him and he makes superbly smart comedies with oddles of heart, just watch What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) to see his outstanding oeuvre. Apparently, the Marvel-Disney studios have given him full reins and he went ahead and make a comedy. But how do you inject an indie comedic vibe into a superhero franchise that has not been done before?

Essentially, Waititi throws out all the cumbersome weights that hampered Thor and tells a simpler but no less cool story about a superhero trying to get back to his home to clean house. In between he gives Thor ample opportunities to be a beer-swigging beefcake, negotiate some treacherously outlandish situations and strip him off the one thing that makes him Thor, the Mjolnir. At one point, Odin even asks a defeated Thor "What are you, the God of Hammers? " that had me laughing till my tears rolled down.

The tone is light but no less serious, populated by so many colourful characters in a vivid world trapped in impossible situations. At first I thought the introduction of Hulk in the early trailer is a misstep, but Mark Ruffalo's casting would have been close to impossible to keep under wraps. By giving Planet Hulk comic fans a look-in would have been a better move. The repartee between Thor and Hulk/Banner is so hilarious. No less funny is also the dialogue between Thor and Loki, gone is that "he ain't heavy, he is my brother" vibe and this is a Thor that will give Loki a smackdown if he is out of step.

Cate Blanchett plays Thor's estranged sister with evil relish and you don't cast Jeff Goldblum without allowing him to be Goldblum. Waititi even voices a gladiator-mentor character named Korg that practically steals all the scenes he is in. Chris Hemsworth hams it up just to a safe degree and nails all the one-liners with an A+. In fact, the whole cast seems to be having fun.

Thor: Ragnarok embraces its preposterousness and swims in a pool of ridiculousness with the deadpan and self-mocking humour hitting all the bullseyes. In the midst of it all, it still manages to tell a super duper cool story of a superhero saving his people. Yet it manages to remain fresh and zip along with a zany lightning pace. What an inspired choice for a director. The risk taken will pay huge dividends. This has superb rewatch value and I already feel like buying another ticket just to catch all the one-liners one more time. This Thor is Thor-some!