Recommended

Rating: 8/10 (28 October 2017)

​*THIS REVIEW'LL BE MOSTLY SPOILER FREE. I'LL TELL YOU BEFORE A SPOILER*
'THOR: RAGNAORK' - 2017
Directed by Taika_Waititi{Hunt for the Wilderpeople}
Starring Chris_Hemsworth{In the Heart of the Sea}, Cate_Blanchett{Carol} and Tom_Hiddleston Kong: Skull Island}
Plot_Overview: Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his former ally and fellow Avenger. Thor's quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the omnipotent Hela from destroying his homeworld and the Asgardian civilisation.
So far, I've been disappointed by Thor's solo outings. The first was average at best and I consider The Dark World to be a quite frankly awful movie. Therefore, I had NO expectations going in and ignored the overwhelmingly positive reviews. But after watching it, I loved it. And while I don't agree that it's this legendary titan of cinema that some are declaring it as, I certainly think that it's a VERY fun and enjoyable way to spend a couple hours of your time. If you like superhero movies, be sure to check it out.
What SPECIFICALLY is good about this film? The drastic change in tone and style is probably by biggest praise. For me, Thor's previous outings have been dull and monotonous chores to get through so the new focus on comedy was welcome to me. And thankfully a lot of the jokes hit bullseyes. I was laughing constantly throughout this movie; it was a genuine COMEDY.
The action sequences in this movie were excellent and thoroughly entertaining. They were also, thankfully, well shot; like the rest of this movie. 'Thor: Ragnarok' is an excellently shot, edited and lit movie. Javier Aguirresarobe does an EXCELLENT job in shooting this movie. Combine this with the jaw dropping effects and 3D and you have one heck of a good looking movie.
Chris Hemsworth was an actor I didn't like before. I've always thought he was very one note and had a limited range. This movie proves otherwise. Hemsworth does excellent in the action sequences of this movie, but also has an excellent sense of humour and fulfils the quota for a couple dramatic moments reasonably well. I commend the man for proving me wrong. Accompanying Thor is his quirky brother, Loki, as portrayed by Tom 'Hiddlesticks' Hiddlseton. Hiddlesticks was great in 'Thor', eh in 'Avengers Assemble', okay in 'Thor: The Dark World' and, I'm pleased to announce, great in Ragnarok. Hiddlesticks delivers his best performance of the year(screw Skull Island) and returns to form as the extremely charismatic Loki, that we all love to hate. Mark Ruffallo{Avengers Assemble} also co-starred. Granted, he is Hulk for the majority of the run time but for the moments he's not, he does a great job. Expanding on the decision to include Hulk, I liked it. They certainly give Hulk a lot more personality, and make him feel a lot more relevant to the plot, unlike in other movies. Hulk is now a CHARACTER, no longer a giant green monster that smashes stuff. But don't worry, he is still a good smasher. Tessa Thompson{Selma} also appears in the movie as Valkyrie. Thompson does a reasonable job as this character and succeeds in the action segments of the movie. Alas, I don't think she was that good in the more sombre moments, or at making jokes. Jeff Goldblum is my spirit animal. I love the man as an actor and I thought he was pitch perfect in this movie. He's one of the brighter spots of the movie, despite not appearing in it THAT much.
As for issues, I unfortunately have a couple. Firstly, the story was very weak and the conclusion unsatisfying. The concept of 'Ragnarok' is a TERRIFYING idea, especially for the characters on screen. But it's not really that important to the plot. In fact, it's brought up at the start and then once more at the very end. So I don't really see the point in labelling the film as it. The actual story that we got was a very dull one. I wasn't expecting much but the story was so meaningless and pointless that I really wish more time was put into it. Furthermore, I also hated the conclusion of this movie. I was very disappointed about something. The thing I was disappointed about is TECHNICALLY a spoiler so if you have watched the movie, please read on. But if not, then please skip to the next paragraph from now!!!! Right, the thing that I wish happened but did not, was that I wish that Thor_would have been killed off. I know that may seem morbid but it's true. 'Ragnarok' means the end of everything, so what better of a way to have one of the movies that lead into Infinity War, have a main character die. It'd bring stakes back to this universe and give the Avengers something to Avenge. And I think it's be an EXCELLENT way to wrap this film, and Thor's saga, up.
Okay, there are no more spoilers no so feel free to read on. My second major issue with this movie is Cate Blanchett and the villain. I understand that Marvel's villains aren't typically good, but even by their standards: this was pretty poor. Hela, who is the GODDESS OF DEATH, is the villain of this movie and guess what she does? Sit in corner for the entire movie and contribute NOTHING to the plot. There was no point to her being there. In fact, I believe this film would've been better without a villain, and just have it be a buddy comedy. Blanchett wasn't AWFUL as Hela but she wasn't that good. It was a passable performance.
Overall, I liked this movie. It was fun and a passable way to end the Thor saga. I definitely recommend you watch. I'll rate it 8 'Haircuts' out of 10!