Taika Waititi Does It Again

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2017)

"Thor: Ragnarok" is be the best time I've had at the cinema in a long time. And the most enjoyable superhero film I've yet seen.
Possibly what makes this even more delightful is how unexpected it is. Cards on the table. Prior to this film, Thor was boring. I have seen "Thor: The Dark World" twice. I still can't really remember what it was about.
And here's where Taika Waititi's talent shines through. We hear a lot about those directors who make "beautiful" films. And here I'm mainly thinking of Ridley Scott and Zack Snyder who make great-looking films, but seem to feel that characterisation and motivation just aren't important.
But Taika Waititi appears to be a director who understands that it's characters who drive a great story. Here, he allows the actors room to find their characters through improvisation. "Thor: Ragnarok" finally allowed Chris Hemsworth to show us that Thor is more than a god-like superhero with a firm jaw, and it pays off in spades.
But it's not just Hemsworth who benefits from Waititi's direction. "Thor: Ragnarok" is so stuffed full of great performances you'll walk out of the cinema arguing over who was your favourite character. The "new & improved" Hulk? Cate Blanchett clearly having great fun at the Goddess of Death? The dazed & confused Bruce Banner? Amazingly enough, that's just the start of it. Often the stars of the film are the new side-characters. Valkyrie is absolutely terrific, Scourge has a believable journey; Korg is a hoot and the banter between Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster and the wonderful Rachel House as his guard is a joy.
But focusing on Waititi's directorial strength as an actor's director isn't to diminish the visual style of the film either. Some of the scenes - most notably the Valkyrie attack on Hela are stunning. And the scenes on Siccar take the retro-cool 1970's aesthetic of James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" and runs even further with it.
Finally, the story is genuinely satisfying with an ending that doesn't rely on constant bashing and brute force winning the day. There's actually a pretty smart resolution at work here, involving a major sacrifice.
"Thor 3" flies in the face of those who predict the bursting of the superhero bubble. This film opens so many doors I can't wait for Marvel and DC to keep on exploring new ways to tell these stories.