A crucial element to the success of Marvel Studio's cinematic universe is the diversity between each entry. Despite all featuring in the same world, each film covers vastly different themes and storylines. Captain America:The Winter Soldier was a paranoid spy thriller, Ant Man was a heist comedy and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is a glorified space opera. This is surely due to the wide array of directors Marvel have assigned to their projects. Of the 17 MCU movies, 13 different directors have been at the helm, all offering their own spin on the superhero genre. The appointment of Taika Watiti for 'Thor:Ragnarok' was a left of field and perhaps slightly risky choice, but it has absolutely paid off as he has crafted perhaps the most odd and audacious movie yet. A surreal mix of entertaining and consequential action and outrageously daft humour that is blended extremely well - 'Thor:Ragnarok' is a fast paced, genuinely hilarious romp.
In exile on the other side of the universe, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must do battle with a very familiar face and enlist the help of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and new ally Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) in order to return to Asgard to prevent the all powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home and its people.
Despite being the definitive 3rd entry in the Thor series, 'Ragnarok' is a vast departure from anything we have seen from his character before. It was a wise move for the franchise to leave behind the regal stoicism of the first film and the dreary and uninspired nature of the sequel. Chris Hemsworth is an actor with incredible comedic understanding and timing and under the genius vision of Taika Watiti, he is finally allowed to show off this talent in a way that the MCU has never demonstrated before. He's still big-headed, noble and at times ignorant but this is coupled with new found sense of humour. Sometimes he means to be funny, others not so much but he's hilarious throughout the film. In fact, everybody is. You can see how much fun the actors are having bouncing their lines of dialogue off each other. Mark Ruffalo offers his best Marvel performance yet as Hulk and Bruce Banner. Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie offers a perfect counterpart to Thor. Tom Hiddleston is charming and devious as always, but even he gets his comedic moments which he handles very well. Jeff Goldblum goes all into his role as the eccentric and unhinged Grandmaster. Idriss Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch and Anthony Hopkins are all great in more fleeting roles. Cate Blanchett offers one of the most powerful and menacing Marvel villains yet in the Goddess of Death. Her strength is demonstrated almost instantly and she proves a worthy adversary to Thor. Taika Watiti even appears as the loveable Korg, who is one of the most enjoyable parts of the film.
The tone of this movie is spot on. It incorporates classic elements of superhero movies and combines them with the outlandish nature of the director's comedic brain. Slapstick is balanced perfectly with more cheeky irreverent humour, that feels fresh out of What we do in the the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is all executed brilliantly by the cast. It could be argued that at times more serious moments are undercut by the use of a pun, but on the whole the high stakes are partnered with the levity really well.
There are also some stunning action set pieces. Hela's initial conquest of Asgard, high speed spaceships battles and the Hulk taking on a giant wolf all spring to mind as highlights. The Thor vs Hulk showdown does not disappoint. It was the part of the trailer that got everyone excited and it fully delivers. It's funny, tragic and throughly entertaining to watch.
There are certain freedoms allowed to directors by having your film set away from earth. Much like in Guardians of the Galaxy, there's really no restriction to the sets and characters you can implement and this movie does not hold back. Of course its nice to see the golden streets of Asgard again, but the star of the show is Sakar. A junk planet used by the rest of the galaxy to dump their unwanted crap turned into a gladiator arena by the Grandmaster. Miles and miles of weird and wonderful alien tech, three headed aliens and a giant hologram of Jeff Goldblum. Sakar acts as a physical example of the style of this film. Its colourful, camp and at times very stupid but its all intentional to assure that the audience has as much fun as possible whilst watching, which he has definitely achieved.
Taika Watiti (Honestly, I cannot stop saying his name, I mean seriously try saying it aloud) recently said in an interview that he was sick of the current state of our world and wants to offer his audiences and fun and ridiculous escape. He has achieved this and then some. His direction and general approach to filmmaking has breathed new life into an already tremendous cast who all offer hilarious performances. As Marvel movies go, its certainly one of the weirdest and most ridiculous we've seen but its also right up their with the very best of them. I promise you that you will leave 'Thor:Ragnarok' with a grin plastered across your face.
4/5 Stars.
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