Thor: Ragnarok is in cinemas and not only it’s the best of the Thor films but also one of the best and most interesting of Marvel films to date. Taika Waititi has delivered a fresh and funny cosmic tale revolving around the God of Thunder, resulting in a welcome breath of fresh air for the character as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Taking a comedy route as opposed to the darkish drama of some of the previous Marvel films, with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok sees the God of Thunder going on a cosmic adventure in search of, first his father, and second to rally some troops for a showdown with an evil goddess that has taken over Asgard.
The opening moments of the film immediately puts viewers in the thick of the action, strapping them in for the ride ahead that takes them across the universe with a number of appearances by key characters as well as cameos. Do look out for the ones with Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Doctor Strange himself.
But at the core of the story is family, and that involves the journey of both Thor and Loki as they search for their father Odin. Unfortunately the reunion is short-lived with the arrival of Hela, the Goddess of Death who immediately destroys Thor’s trusty hammer, Mjolnir and despatching him across the universe.
Without his trusty weapon and thrust across the cosmos, Thor finds himself on the planet Sakaar where he has to face an old friend, turned foe in the Hulk. But allegiances soon form and eventually Thor and his teammates, the scene-stealing Valkyrie, Loki and Hulk make their way to Asgard for an epic showdown.
The beauty of Thor: Ragnarok is that it’s a non-stop fun ride that takes a piss at itself at every opportunity. That’s not saying it is all out hilarity as the storyline has some rather deep emotional scenes and takeaways but it still manages to be light-hearted and entertaining, much how a film of this genre should be in the first place.
Waititi takes liberties with the characters from the Thor films (and one Avenger) and manages to reboot them in a way, leaving audiences wanting more. This is especially true for Chris Hemsworth’s Thor as well as Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who clearly benefit a lot from the director’s vision resulting in further development of their characters, something previous films have failed to materialise. The director himself pulls double duty voicing Korg, an alien warrior, who becomes a standout supporting character.
Granted there are consequences mainly in the continuity of some of the more beloved supporting characters of the franchise, but it ultimately proves necessary in the continuity of the franchise. Waititi’s depiction of the Warrior’s Three for instance is but one of the few let downs of this film.
At end of it all, when the end credits begin to roll, Thor: Ragnarok left us wanting more of this new cosmic universe that was just been crafted before our eyes. And that’s because for over two hours, we rode shotgun on a fresh, exciting, funny and downright entertaining cosmic road trip across the universe.
As the end credits state, Thor will be back in Avengers: Infinity War, but we’re probably going back to see Thor: Ragnarok once more before thunderous return.
Clearly, that is a hallmark of a good film and a sure fire box-office hit.
****1/2