Hiddleston/Hemsworth fun-pack

Rating: 8/10 (8 November 2017)

What "Thor: Ragnarok" explicitly states is a doomsday catastrophe going on; what it really does is reinvigorate a dying cinematic hero with the power of comedy. Who would've known that the Thor universe could have so much comedic effect in the right hands, and that it would be the right direction for such a traditionally serious character. So that is the good aspect of this new Thor, which also happens to be the best of the three; the bad is that, unfortunately, even the creative Taika Waititi can't upset the tired Marvel formula of filling too many scenes with mindless action. It's not like action scenes are bad per se, as they are perfectly rendered in other recent MCU films like "Homecoming" or "Civil War": they just don't fit in this story as they would elsewhere because they ruin the flow of the story. The story itself is nothing special: just a series of bad guys to give Thor someone to punch or characters from other Marvel brands to team up with. Some of said team-ups are really cool and/or unexpected, and yes, my man Stan Lee has a funny cameo in this one as well.
As most people know, the main side-kick of Thor's in this one is the Incredible Hulk. Although they may not be the most sympathetic of characters in the Marvel Universe, it's undeniable that Waititi does a good job of making them fun, at least until they are bound to save Asgard in the customary final big fight. The main villain is a new entry in the MCU: Thor's sister Hela, the goddess of Death, played by a slick Cate Blanchett with a less slick headgear. Her character starts strong, but as the film goes on her personality gets flattened and it's ultimately relieving to see her go to Hel.
It is very clear that Disney knows how well received her Star Wars characters have been and it's trying to reformulate them in this Norse context. One can clearly see Han Solo's disinterest, confidence and ultimately reformation in the amazing Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, or Jabba the Hut's careless cruelty in Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster; both actors did incredible jobs on this one, by the way.
If it seems that this whole mess may be any fun, yes it is indeed, and its icing on the cake is the fantastic Korg, voiced by Waititi himself, and, even with his limited screen time, one of the best additions to the show. But again, it's the action pieces that really show how handcuffed the author is here, not being able to completely liberate his comedic genius by force of contractual restraints. I would've liked a completely different Marvel movie, but I know it's kind of a non-possibility. Nevertheless, he's able to save the movie with his outstanding witty dialogues, from which the first beneficiary is Chris Hemsworth, proving himself a better comic than he is a dramatic actor. His timing and delivery are simply perfect and it shows from the get go, when our hero is chained from the wall of Surtur's cave. Those chains he frees himself from are the token of him getting rid of his upright persona and finally able to behave the way he does best: having fun. And it only gets better as the next scene is one of the most hilarious in the whole movie: Thor realizing that Odin is actually his brother Loki while watching a Shakespeare-like play of his heroic death in battle. Loki himself, as expected, plays a core part in the film, and he has as effective comedic pieces as everyone else.
"Thor Ragnarok" really works under many aspects: for a change we get a memorable soundtrack, also graced by "Immigrant Song", that really works in the context it's put in.
It's a shame that the MCU format demands mindless, useless action at all costs, because outside that downgrade, this could've been the comedy of the year.
7.5/10