The best Thor movie yet!

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2017)

To see my full review, go to: https://wp.me/p1M609-4jg
Somehow I have missed the other Thor movies so "Thor: Ragnarok" was my first venture into this franchise and it was fun! I took my husband with me to see this film and he has seen the other 2 movies and was able to give me a little background.
In this 3rd installment, directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Taika Waititi, Thor (played again by Chris Hemsworth), is imprisoned on the other side of the universe by Surtur and he is without his mighty hammer. He knows he needs to get out quickly, because as Surtur tells him Ragnarok is coming. Ragnarok is the prophecy that claims Asgard is going to fall. Thor is able to break his bonds, reclaim his hammer and fight his way out defeating Surtur. He gets back to Asgard where he learns Loki has sent their father to Earth and has taken over control of Asgard. They go to find their father in order to restore peace through out the realms and discover the retirement home Loki left Odin in was being demolished. This is where Doctor Strange makes his cameo helping them find their father in Norway.
In Norway Odin tells Thor and Loki that they have a sister called Hela, who was the first born and is the true heir to the throne. As soon as Odin is dead, she will return from her exile and gain more and more power the longer she is in Asgard. Odin then says his good-byes to Thor and Loki and leaves the world setting into motion the prophecy. The clouds open up and Hela comes in. She is set to oversee her plans returning Asgard to a ruthless and dominating force not only in the 9 realms but beyond. While traveling back to Asgard, she ejects Thor and Loki to other parts of the galaxy where they have to survive a lunatic "Grandmaster" played by Jeff Goldblum and where they team up with the Incredible Hulk and Valkyrie, knowing they are working against the clock to save Asgard and the Asgardians.
The story line was solid and Cate Blanchett was a very wicked villain and I am not sure there is someone with more love of her job and her power than Hela. Ms. Blanchett plays that perfectly. Her army is every inch of the evil she possesses and the battles are great.
The film is chock full of adventure, action, plenty of humor and lots of killing (Hela is the Goddess of Death after all). We were a little surprised by the rating after seeing the film. Some of the humor is sexual in nature but I have a feeling most of that will go right over the heads of kids (just a head's up for parents).
That being said, I did not feel like I was missing out on anything at all not having seen the other films and I was able to keep up with the story line. In fact, my husband said that may have been to my advantage. If you haven't seen the other movies, you will do fine seeing this movie as a stand alone. I enjoyed the action and the humor and the story kept the viewer engaged. It was a really good bit of fun.
My husband thinks this is the best Thor movie yet. He says it takes a very different turn from the other movies and it really worked.
Heads up, there is the usual extra scene during the credits and then a secret scene at the very end, which we found hilarious.