Thor: Ragnarok Review: "Rock and Roll!"

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2017)

I loved my time with Thor: Ragnarok because it went for that feel good Guardians of the Galaxy vibe while also going in a more serious direction that previous Marvel films even Ragnarok's predecessor (The Dark World) mostly ignored. This makes me even more excited to see Thor again and other Marvel films to see if they go in the same direction as this film does and adds more flavour and excitement to the rest of the Marvel cast.
The film centres around Thor (Chris Hemsworth) of course as he witnesses the return of his powerful and demonic older sister Hela the Goddess of Death who in a surprising turn of events, catches and shatters Thor's hammer and begins her invasion of Asgard to return it to it's old conquering and corrupted ways. To top of all off, Thor is captured on the planet of Sakaar and forced to fight for his freedom. With the help of his morally twisted brother Loki, Valkyrie the last in a great line of Asgardian warriors and the most destructive and green being on Earth, the Hulk, Thor fights against time to defeat Hela and restore Asgard. The story may play out like any other Marvel film, but there are some great twists that I won't spoil that I'm sure you'll agree with dramatically change the path of Thor's character.
There were also some great and well-written side characters as well. For example, the rock-man character of Korg (Taika Waititi) never failed to add humour to any scene due to his unusually kind and light-hearted personality. Whether it be in the prison before Thor faces the grandmaster's (Jeff Goldblum) champion who is (big surprise!) Hulk, to the assault to take Asgard back near the end of the film.
The setting of Thor: Ragnarok was also greatly unique against it's predecessors. The setting of Sakaar looks bright, bold and really interesting as almost everything has bold neon colours and personality. But you also get the sense that the planet is plagued by poverty when you see the lower parts of the world. This creates the feeling of a brand new unique world that actually has depth rather then being just a crazy set piece used to get butts on seats.
Don't let the dumb over the top setting scare you. Thor: Ragnarok is exactly what a Marvel film is all about. Grand chaotic fun that both comic book and casual super-hero film lovers will love while also taking the character of Thor in a bold new direction. Here's to the Ragnarok!