Thor: Ragnarok Review

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2017)

Thor: Ragnarok is coming out at a time where people are starting to ask if we have reached comic book fatigue. To that, Thor: Ragnarok puts a big cross through that thought. Thor changes the game. We can't get tired of a sub-genre when the films keep reinventing themselves every time.
Ragnarok is a blast start to finish. If you are someone who liked laughing, then you will have a smile from start to finish. Every bit of humour hits and if you are an Australian like me, you will get a kick out of a few jokes.
If Ragnarok was a chain, there would not be a weak link. While some links are weaker than others, there is no outright weak part of the film. Everything was at the minimum, just solid.
Every character felt like like they were used close to their potential. Every actor and actress put in the performance they needed. You felt like 99% of characters were done perfectly. The only slight complaint that can be had about characters in this film was the villain of Hella.
Like most Marvel villains, she is terrifically performed by Kate Blanchett and she is a force when she needs to be, but by the time Black Panther comes around next year, she will be quite forgettable. What they did do well with her however was use her to set up some terrific Thor history.
As mentioned, the humour was outstanding, and I think that comes down to Taika Waititi. While he didn't get a writing credit on the film, you know by the style of the humour that he had a lot of input into what was happening on screen.
While still on Taika, his directing was fantastic. There are some shots in this film that I want as a wallpaper because they are look like they should be paintings. The action was shot really well, the emotional moments had an intimate to them and of course the wide shots of the landscapes were brilliant.
Something I really noticed this is the use of the music. They really tapped into the Guardians music style and it worked so well with what was happening on screen. They had a nice balance of using songs when needed but working in score when it is much needed.
Ragnorok is a film that if you are going to have a problem with something, chances are it is going to be something personal. For me, what stood out as a negative was the pacing, however that comes of the back of a massive positive. This film is trying to balance two stories that could have easily been a film separately, and does a really good job of it, however I felt as though the Ragnorok story line did feel a bit short changed at the end. They weave the two stories well but at the end of the day, Thor can only be present in one story at a time.
Overall, Thor: Ragnorok is a blast from start to finish. It captured the humour and light hearted fun that the first Guardians had and took it to a level you wouldn't of been able to think of. Taika Waititi was by far the stand out of the film both infront and behind the camera, and it couldn't have been achieved without him. As mention, if the film was a chain, the weakest link would still be over 90% strong.
9.5/10