Thor: Ragnarok

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

In some alternate reality, a movie bearing the title of Thor: Ragnarok has taken itself very seriously indeed: full of literal doom and gloom, it's an apocalyptic drama about the End of Days, as prophesied by Norse mythology. Since that pretty much describes the world in which we currently live, it's actually rather fitting that Marvel's 17th studio film is something else entirely. In our reality, Thor: Ragnarok is a wild, wacky and very welcome blast of pure joy - a raucous comedy that fuses an intergalactic road trip with buddy comedy, brotherly rivalry and battle domes. Thank Thor (and director Taika Waititi) for that!

We reunite with Thor (Hemsworth) - still free of new Infinity Stones, freshly confident that he's once again warded off the fabled Ragnarok - just as he discovers that something is rotten in the state of Asgard. As teased at the end of Thor: The Dark World, Loki (Hiddleston), his shape-shifting trickster brother, has been impersonating their ailing dad, Odin (Hopkins). When Odin's strength finally fails, the dark secret he's been keeping at bay storms into the lives of his sons: Hela (Blanchett), their bloodthirsty older sister, is back to claim the throne she believes is rightfully hers.

For (largely) better or (occasionally) worse, Thor: Ragnarok doesn't dwell as much on the royal family drama as its predecessors did. Instead, its second act plays out on the candy-coated, death-dealing planet of Sakaar. Ruled by the whims and fancies of the Grandmaster (Goldblum dialled to 11), Sakaar's people are relentlessly entertained in their very own battle dome. (Think the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, with holographic screens and super-powered alien beings.) Following an initial devastating confrontation with Hela, Thor is stranded on Sakaar, and brought in by the mercenary Valkyrie (Thompson) to stand against the raging primal force of the Hulk (Ruffalo) - not quite the "friend from work" Thor remembers.

If that all sounds like serious business, rest assured it's very much not. There's a gentle wit threaded through every frame of this film - a glorious, big-hearted silliness that fans of Taika Waititi will remember (and treasure) from such indie comedy gems as What We Did In The Shadows and Hunt For The Wilderpeople. Miraculously, Waititi has managed to infuse this gargantuan, green-screened epic with his trademark offbeat vibe, best exemplified in the way key plot points are revealed (via sardonic monologue or ironic stage play) and the character he plays (Korg, a chirpy rock monster who befriends Thor before our hero heads into the arena).

Waititi's involvement is a blessing for pretty much everyone involved in the film, but especially for Hemsworth. It's not that he hasn't been good in his previous appearances as the God of Thunder throughout the franchise - he was suavely charming in Thor and resolutely grim in The Dark World. But he's so remarkably good here, switching effortlessly between bright-eyed puppy and care-worn leader, that it feels like he's finally come home. Hemsworth's performance in this film is a fantastic balance of sunshine, silliness and subversiveness, and it's a joy to behold.

It's clear, too, that everyone in the cast - including respected veterans like Hopkins and Blanchett - were delighted to partake in the film's mirth and mayhem. Ruffalo continues to play the dual aspects of Bruce Banner - looming brute and mild-mannered professor - with so much winning charm that you want him to get his own Hulk movie, stat. Hiddleston is totally game for playing up the odd- couple comedy of Loki's rivalry with Thor, while shading unexpected complexity into his character's machinations. Thompson swaggers off with practically every scene she's in, finding the heart, humour and heroism in an Asgardian warrior who's lost her way.

Perhaps more impressively, Waititi handles every Marvel blockbuster's requisite action scenes with more clarity and flair than you'd expect from an indie director. He manages to find character and comedy beats even in swooping spaceship chases and bruising hand-to-hand combat. There's a thrilling fluidity to the action sequences - whether it's Thor soaring towards his enemies like lightning made flesh, or Hela unleashing her multiple projectiles of death with a dark, graceful beauty.

That's not to say Thor: Ragnarok is perfect. As it turns out, the film's greatest strength - apocalypse as afterthought - is also its biggest flaw. Waititi just about manages to find the emotional weight in Thor coming to terms with his power and leadership (a driving theme for this character), but it does get a little lost in all the knockabout comedy. Thanks to Blanchett, Hela is never less than terrifying: she oozes gleeful malevolence in her wake, forcing Thor to confront his own gold-tinted ideas of himself, his family and his history. Alas, she's also one of that peculiar breed of antagonist who's immeasurably powerful and strangely ineffective, all at the same time.

For years, Marvel has been making brave choices in terms of the directors to whom it has entrusted its stories and characters. This strategy has yielded films that are, for the most part, creatively diverse, ranging in quality from decent to excellent. Even so, handing the reins of the Thor franchise to a director with such a unique voice as Waititi might have been its biggest gamble yet. Fortunately, it pays off in spades. Smart, silly and self-aware, Thor: Ragnarok is a blockbuster that feels like it snuck into cinemas by way of the art-house. It's also that rare threequel which isn't just as good as its predecessors - it's easily the best of the lot.

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!

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

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