The director delivers a true action comedy. What Taika Waititi does with Thor: Ragnarok? It shatters all those hopes in the most hilarious way possible.

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2020)

Thor is one of the icons of the Marvel shared universe, being the second hero presented by Marvel, in a first film with a good dose between humor and family conflicts. His sequence was better in terms of action, but it was marked by having an uninspired script, a much more somber tone and a disappointing villain. Since then, the Thunder God has participated in the first two Avengers and has not won another adventure as a protagonist, until now. This third film of the hero brings a completely new tone and is free to not worry about practically not maintaining connections with Earth's plots, being able to plunge headlong into the development of this cosmic world, with extreme freedom and courage.
For this new phase 3 adventure, Marvel Studios hired New Zealand director Taika Watiti, from the great What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and Rick Baker's Amazing Adventure (2016), which focus on comedy and achieve excellent results. The director does not act as a screenwriter on this project, but has a direct influence on the creative decisions of the direction of the text created by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher L. Yost, absurdly raising the initial potential of the story.
Here, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is trapped on the other side of the universe. He must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his world, which is in the hands of the powerful and relentless villain Hela (Cate Blanchett).
The plot begins with Thor explaining to the viewer that after the events of 'Age of Ultron', he went through the universe in search of the Jewels of Infinity, but found none. Then he went on a journey of death and destruction until he found himself in the cave of the fire demon Surtur. Right in these first sequences, we can notice the style of jokes much more acid and, still a brief explanation of what the Ragnarok was about. We still see an incredible action sequence between Thor and Sutur and dozens of his followers. The action, jokes and boldness in the camera frames would be just a prelude to the whole rhythm of the two hours ahead. It's ten minutes that already leaves the viewer waiting for a unique experience.
We also have Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when the brothers Thor and Loki come to Earth in search of their father, Odin. This scene is an extended version of the one shown in the credits of Doctor Strange (2016) and it is excellent to see the interaction of the brothers with the Doctor showing their magical exploits in a more than special participation. In this part of the brothers on Earth we also learn that the relationship between Thor and Jane is over and we see the brothers' final encounter with Odin, who reveals that he has a firstborn, Hela, the Goddess of Death, who is arriving after his imminent death, to cause Ragnarok (end of Asgard, end of time).
After a confrontation between the brothers and Hela, we see that Thor ends up in Sakaar where he is captured by a waste picker (Tessa Thompson) who was, in the past, a Valkyrie - an elite force of warriors from Asgard. There, he meets the Grand Master (Jeff Goldblum), a creator of Sakaar and the tournament of champions. The actor is one of the great successes of the film with his slow pace of speech and the joking treatment he has with everyone around him makes the character remarkable. We still have Korg (voice of Taika Waititi), of the Kronan race, another great comic highlight. All the grandeur of the character combined with the calm voice and accent of the production director, who also lends a voice to the character, are part of the most hilarious scenes in the production.
One of the main moments in the feature is the Tournament of Champions, which Thor is obliged to participate in and beat the champion of the Grand Master to gain freedom. That's when he finds out that the champion everyone is referring to is the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). With the confirmation of the Hulk, elements of the story arc of the "Planet Hulk" comics were adapted for Ragnarok. The fight between them in the arena and the subsequent interactions between them is formidable, where Hulk, this time, is more evolved being able to think and is able to hold a conversation, although he is still angry all the time. When Hulk turns into Bruce Banner, the fun gets even bigger. Finally, Mark Ruffalo has a chance to have plenty of space on the scene and shines like Hulk and Banner, being responsible for sharp dialogues and priceless scenes.
One of the dynamics that works most is the interaction between the members of the new group of "avengers" formed by Thor, Loki, Valkyrie and Hulk, who come together to try to save Asgard from Ragnarok. The whole phase of adapting to the new reality, forced exile and the complete lack of perspective on returning and defending the kingdom is marked by good humor. Nobody philosophizes, nobody questions their own nature. Everyone is there for the journey, for the joke, for the entertainment. Without the burden of questioning or developing concepts, Ragnarok allows himself to make mistakes and get it right - in obscene, childish, sarcastic or long jokes, in casting choices and even in exaggerated looks. Speaking of visual, Sakaar's construction - where more than half of the plot takes place - is as bold as the visuals of the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' planets and galaxies. The city is different, colorful, modern, high tech, rustic, wild, chaotic and lawless, all at the same time. There, we can still see several different races and the most different and curious beings. The visual conception of that place as a whole is deliberately exaggerated and daring, which is not a problem. High tech luminous weapons, spaceships and air chase scenes are pure fun and bring many references from the 'Star Wars' saga, which is a delight for those who love the most genuine science fiction. Visually, Watiti paid tribute to "King" Jack Kirby. The director, along with the production design team, used and abused straight lines, geometric symbols and hypersaturated colors.
In Asgard, Thor and his newly formed team star in incredible scenes against the army and the giant wolf Fenris reborn by the Eternal Flames, highlighting the fight between Hulk and Fenris and the rebirth of Surtur to fulfill the prophecy. The whole final part is grand and exciting, but the film also has flaws. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II finds the ideal balance between weight and lightness, Thor: Ragnarok is in a questionable back-and-forth. The emergence of Hela (Cate Blancett) is not necessarily problematic - the threat is felt and Blancett's choice was right - but there remains the constant sensation of two films completely different from one another, packaged in a single production. The narrative ties of one block to another could have been better resolved. Asgard is the scene of the dominion of the Goddess of Death over a people on the verge of extinction. Without any of that, Sakaar is ... indescribable.
Also drinking from the adventures of the galactic team, Ragnarok brings pop songs on his soundtrack, masterfully fitting Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" in two scenes and "In the Face of Evil" by the synthwave group Magic Sword. Taika Watiti proves to be one of the most creative minds in Hollywood and adds features still unheard of in the arc of Thor's story, being definitely the best in the hero's trilogy. The director delivers a true action comedy, supported by the great supporting cast. The fans therefore yearned for a work worthy of being featured in Odin's son. An epic about Norse mythology, with great battles, huge armies and a lot of seriousness. What does Taika Waititi do with Thor: Ragnarok? It shatters all those hopes in the most hilarious way possible.