Thor:Ragnarok, American movie (2017)

Well, I could of course start this review with saying how Marvel is on a roll, the enormous amount of movies they are releasing, blah blah blah….been there, done that. There have been enough discussions on those subjects, and quite frankly I am not going to be lured into them again. Erm…I guess I just did that anyway. Sorry. Let’s talk about Thor though. The God of Thunder was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011. Played by actor Chris Hemsworth, Thor for me personally was always a bit of a dull character. They tried to give him some funny lines, added a touch of humour in his movies, but ultimately he was just way too serious most of the time. That’s not to say that I did not enjoy his films, or in any way want to say that Hemsworth’s performance isn’t good, but so far he has been one of my least favorite Marvel characters. And now we have the third movie. With the subtitle Ragnarok, which in Norse mythology signals the end of the world, will this third film change my opinion of this guy? The answer to this question might come as a surprise….

Seriously lady, get a haircut. Look at Thor, he did right?

Where has Thor been for the past two years? Well, let’s just say he has been out in the universe searching for some Infinity Stones, and finally ended up as a prisoner of a rather nasty demon called Surtur. Eventually Thor escapes and finds his way back to Asgard. Not a moment too soon it seems, as his brother Loki is up to his old tricks again, impersonating his father Odin and ruling over Asgard in his stead. But it seems Loki is the least of Thor’s problems. Unbeknownst to both brothers, Odin had a firstborn daughter called Hela. She is better known as the Goddess of Death though, and she is about to emerge from the prison she has been kept in for a very long time. Hellbent on revenge, the people of Asgard are about to face their greatest challenge yet. It would seem that Thor is greatly outmatched this time, and he will have to rely on some very unusual allies to take on Hela. One of them is his untrustworthy brother, but the other one is an Avenger that has been out of the game for quite a while. A lean, green and very mean fighting machine also known as The Hulk….

And now for the weather report….rain with a slight chance of lightning.

I have never taken any drugs in my life, nor do I plan on doing that anytime soon thank you very much. But I could imagine that a few of the scenes in this film would certainly feel a bit like you have just been on one of the best psychedelic trips ever. Because really, there is so much weirdness in this film, that you have to wonder what kind of drugs they have been taking. And just in case that you might take this the wrong way, that is actually a good thing. This movie has a completely different tone than the previous two Thor movies. The serious settings of those are instead replaced by a fun filled extravaganza filled with all manner of colourful and bright scenes, humour and just well…fun. We have a Thor that really seems almost like a completely different character. He is cracking jokes like there is no tomorrow, and for the most part, they work as well. It obviously also takes a bit getting used to that, as you don’t expect that from him.

Yes, we get to see Thor smiling in this film…it still needs a bit of work though.

This new movie introduces a couple of new characters. Let’s start with the villain first, because hey that’s always cool. Hela is played by actress Cate Blanchett, and she manages to create one of the best adversaries in the Marvel universe to date. It’s clear that Cate was having a blast playing this character. Blanchett is evil, seductive, and utterly convincing in her role as the Goddess of Death. Some of the best scenes in the movie were the ones with her and Thor. But the side of good also get’s a woman on their side in the form of a former Valkyrie. She is played by actress Tessa Thompson and is an absolute delight. It’s wonderful to see a lighthearted but at the same time tough as nails woman joining the established group, and she fits in perfectly. Lastly we have Jeff Goldblum, that portrays a rather dubious and shady Grandmaster who is in charge of the planet Thor eventually ends up on. Goldblum plays a very different role than what we are used to from him, and his character is deliciously evil but just in a very fun way.

This is what therapy sessions for superheroes look like.

The movie has even more new characters than the ones I just described, but I don’t want to spoil everything here. And obviously I do not have to say how awesome Tom Hiddleston is as Loki, because you all already know that. The movie contains a ton of action, as you would expect and most of these scenes are pretty awesome. One of the highlights has got to be the gladiator fight between Thor and The Hulk. To say more about it would be a disservice, but suffice it to say it’s an incredibly fun scene. I have been using the word fun quite a number of times now in this review, and that is pretty much the one word that I would use to describe this movie: fun! Sure, one could argue that the movie is again pretty long, and could have used a bit of trimming. I could also say that not every joke works, and it’s also a pretty radical change that takes a bit to get used to if you prepared yourself for a movie more along the lines of the other two installments. At the end of the day though Thor Ragnarok is a great addition to the Marvel films, and one that definitely deserves a trip to the cinema.

I give Thor: Ragnarok a 8 out of 10 score.