A much needed jolt of life that was lacking greatly in its two predecessors

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2017)

Thor: Ragnarok is the third standalone Thor movie and the fifth film in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), this installment gives the Thor films a much needed jolt of life that was lacking greatly in its two predecessors.
Two years after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself imprisoned on a distant planet where he is forced to do battle in a gladiatorial duel against his former friend, The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Meanwhile, Thor's home realm of Asgard is under attack by the powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett), who plans to bring it to an end during the oncoming apocalyptic event known as Ragnarok.
Considering how bleak and serious the first two Thor films were (mainly the second film), Thor: Ragnarok thankfully takes a different route by injecting more humour and colour into the story to become one of the most fun and entertaining films in the MCU to date. All of the film's comedic moments worked well, and didn't feel as though they were just inserted for the sake of generic comic relief. Another issue I feel is that the original two focused too much on Loki (Tom Hiddleston), making us forget that Thor was supposed to be the main character. Thankfully, Loki, while still having an important and amusing role in the story, is merely a supporting character and Thor himself is given the proper development needed to move the film along nicely. As with all films in the MCU, be sure to stay after the credits for two bonus scenes.
I rate it 8/10