Thor reinventing himself with the backdrop of an 80's synth

Rating: 7/10 (27 October 2017)

Thor must stop Ragnarök! It's back again: The Marvel machine. Pumping out more and more movies for you. This movie is what you expect. It's a fun, enjoyable party. It's difficult to hate it, because you realize the movie itself isn't taking things that seriously. This time around they are more self-aware than usual. I liked that addition. It's true that we are so many movies in and you question when it will get tiresome. But to my surprise they shape-shifted the franchise again and got out on top. I never expected that I would like a third "Thor" film as much as I did. It's unexpected, but I'm so glad they took some chances by not making the same movie again. If you've had a stressful week or just a bad day, then you will not have a good time watching something that's too dramatic. That's when something like "Ragnarok" steps in. It's a nice refresher. Forget your problems for an hour and follow Thor while he jumps around with 80s synth music. The first act is basically a classic "Thor" sequel. But things pick up as soon as our hero lands on Sakaar, and the film enters an edgy science fiction zone. It's funny, full of great jokes. It's distracting at first because its obvious how much the humor has been turned up compared to some previous chapters. I easily started enjoying it though. Everyone had fun making this movie and that fun feeling transcends to me as well.
Cate Blanchett's Hela is one of those scenery chewing villains. It's classic, but whenever we cut back to her it does feel like an entirely different film. Like with "Homecoming", I enjoyed the character interaction scenes more than the action. The final battle feels like an easy training match. It's like we are on autopilot, but then again we get some neat visual elements. Every supporting character is great for this story. The Hulk, Loki, Grandmaster, Valkyrie.. They are all like-able. Jeff Goldblum is playing himself and its fantastic for what it is. Also, the director of the movie plays one of the best new characters. There really isn't much that I can add to the things that everyone else already is saying. It would sound that I'm just repeating every other review for this film. The truth is that "Ragnarok" is a very laid-back watch with some retro feels sprinkled in just the right scenes. Know this though; It doesn't strive to become emotionally engaging or inspirational in any way. It won't hit you in the feels as they say. But it's a funny space party where every friend is included and appreciated.