大象传媒

Cast out of Asgard by the mysterious Hela (Cate Blanchett) and imprisoned on a backwater planet, the once-mighty God of Thunder Thor () somehow finds himself fighting former friend The Hulk () in a gladiatorial grudge match. If he gets out the arena alive, he must dodge the intergalactically eccentric Grandmaster (), deal with his perennially treacherous brother Loki (), travel back home, save his people and prevent the end of the world. As you do.

Pros:

• Thor: Ragnarok is FUN. More fun, perhaps, than (Vol 1 or Vol 2), or any other of its Marvel superhero movie brethren. Funny, pacey and irreverent, this – the third standalone Thor film – finally gives us the movie he’s long deserved: a bold, bonkers, knowing space opera full of jokes and references and wit. It is, as they say, “a blast”.
• It’s directed by New Zealander Of The Year 2017 Taika Waititi, who previously brought us such five-star tongue-in-cheek comedy gems as vampire flatsharing mock-doc and culture clash adventure comedy The Hunt For The Wilderpeople. What Waititi pulls off with Ragnarok is a minor miracle: a big budget, explosion-filled action spectacular that still feels like his film, full of clever nods and deft changes in tone. He even acts in it, playing a rock alien – yep, they’re a thing – called Korg, who’s one of the funniest characters in the movie, behind Jeff Goldblum’s delightfully Goldblummy kinda-sorta bad guy Grandmaster.
• This is the best slice of Hulk we’ve had yet. Bruce Banner’s angry alter-ego has only been seen – in Mark Ruffalo form, at least – playing sixth fiddle in the previous two Avengers movies, and it’s a joy to see him stretch out a bit more here, a definite second lead to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. In this story, Banner has been in his Hulk form for so long that he’s now able to speak proper sentences, albeit in a Hulky fashion, and it’s so enjoyable to discover whole new, dry, droll sides to him.

Cons:

• There’s a certain amount of disappointment/over-excitement control required here. Currently enjoying a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, Ragnarok has earned the support of the critics at large, and while it is very, very good, die-hard fans of Waititi’s previous work, as well as dyed-in-the-wool Marvel aficionados may read all the “Better than life itself!” review quotes and be let down in the final result. It’s great fun. It’s worth watching. It’s just not, you know, Citizen Kane (whatever superhero he was).
• If you found the jocky, jerky, full-of-himself version of Thor seen in the Team Thor Captain America: Civil War shorts a little grating, then do not watch this movie. Ragnarok lives and dies on the evolution of the seemingly-perfect character, putting him in his place and popping his arrogant bubble time and again. It’s unlikely you won’t enjoy this, but you never know.
• To be fully appreciated, you might want to brush up on the previous Marvel movies, particularly the second Thor film, . Ragnarok may be in the top three “most fun” Marvel releases, but it’s in the top one for references and in-jokes and nods and all the rest. There are cameos left and right, allusions to loads of different backstories… and you’ll want to stay to the very end for the credit stings, put in that way.

Three word review: An absolute blast