Come for the Action, Stay for the Comedy

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2018)

If there's one area where superhero movies generally fall short, it's in the storyline and dialogue, while the fight scenes and special effects never disappoint. Ragnarok is the exception as they have finally put together a story that remains gripping throughout the film, largely due to all the laughs the movie provides.
I thought it was peculiar whe I heard the new Thor movie was being directed by Taika Waititi, who is known for comedies including the amusing well-known film, "What We Do In The Shadows". I have to give credit to him for showing his unknown talent in making terrific action scenes, but for also bringing a better comedic touch to the Marvel universe. I noticed IMDB Trivia points out how Waititi says probably 80 percent of the film was improvised or ad-libbed, so I reckon he deserves credit for adding funny lines and letting the actors have fun making the film.
Waititi doesn't only deliver in terms of comedy though, he also creates some of the neatest fight scenes I've seen from a Marvel movie. In particular, the fight between Thor and a fellow Avenger was very well done and a pleasant surprise to me when they encountered one another.
In the end, it's the most enjoyable superhero movie I have seen (and I've seen them all), because unlike the others that have cheesy, dull dialogue separating the stunning action sequences, Ragnarok is never boring between the action scenes. In fact, it's practically a comedy that is enhanced and made better by the action when it comes along. In other words, you're not just sitting and waiting for the next duel to come along, but you're excited when it arrives.
Some of the other superhero films, on the other hand, have been obviously hastily written, as if they came up with a few cool fights and then quickly wrote up a weak storyline with shody banter between characters to connect the fight scenes. With Ragnarok, I was never bored for a second and (shockingly) never had to roll my eyes even once due to the usual sappy, overly sentimental segment that is meant to touch our hearts, which had become fundamental to these superhero films.
Ultimately, Ragnarok brings the action as expected, but it also brings the comedy, and does so in a perfect balance, to create the best overall superhero movie to date.