Marvel's most audacious film to date.... and it pays off

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2017)

Under the direction of New Zealand director, Taiki Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok is Marvel's most audacious film in their cinematic universe to date. Not only does it supersede the previous Thor films, but does so in the funniest and entertaining of ways. By far the most unorthodox character change within the Marvel universe, the new direction for Thor is pleasantly unique and sought-after, filled with Waititi's trademark humor and exuberance from start to finish. However, Thor: Ragnarok is more than just a comedic act. There are dark undertones that prevail throughout the core plot of the story, and the fundamentals of a superhero movie are all present. From the opening sequence, the action and visuals are on point, the quality never deterred for a second. And it has now become quite clear that Chris Hemsworth has embraced the role as Thor Odinson, showing off his comedic range and immediately making the character much more compelling than the darker and least fun of the Avengers that we were previously used to. In the film, Thor must prevent Hela (Cate Blanchett) from unleashing Ragnarok, the end of everything, and in doing so, must assemble a team to face her head- on and save the Universe because-as he quotes-"that's what heroes do". The "Revengers" as he names them includes the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), "his friend from work", Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), a hard-drinking former warrior, and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the mischievous brother who no- one should trust by now. And it is not a Waititi film without an appearance by the man himself, which came in the form of Korg, a hilariously voiced rock-monster who was the champion of cracking a joke whenever he popped up. Waititi's style of filmmaking is palpable to the point where it becomes evident that everyone had so much fun making this movie, that is carried through to what audiences were seeing. This is why Thor: Ragnarok works so well and is so fun.