Thor: Ragnarok

Never mind the destruction of the soul, never mind the darkness. Let's enjoy the ride. After the amazing second Guardians of the Galaxy, New Zealand joker Taika Waititi arrives in a garbage spaceship to transform Thor’s theatrical woodenness and mythological sculpture into a highly human portrait of a ripped daffodil that has daddy issues and is morbidly dependent on its phallic pride - a giant hammer. Marvel tried out this seriously unserious style in the third Iron Man, and thanks to the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel already knows that people want escape, retro, and nonsensical alien worlds inhabited by eccentric piles of rocks and other strange homuncules. The third Thor thus resembles a euphoric 8-bit arcade, which uses only the X and Y axes to move, but you can also enjoy a lot of gags, shooters and action escapades. It's not without its flaws. Hemsworth sometimes tries so hard that he distorts his face, and the joke-a-minute syndrome does lead to dead spots. Moreover, Thor does not have much of an elegant plot, where the traditional world-destroying motif is transformed into a moving statement about family relationships like the second Guardians of the Galaxy. The fashionable hooker Hela it's quite amusing, but everything around her is rather desperately generic, so the accumulated eruption of energy at the end eventually leads to clichés. Fortunately, Taika almost always accompanies them with some full-fledged ironic gags that will restore balance to the universe. Did you want an empty, badass, yet confidently biting spectacle? Here's your stuffed portion. (27/10/2017)

The funniest and probably also the best Marvel movie I’ve ever seen. Plus there’s even some 1980s music that fits the story perfectly. It was literally as if Daft Punk started yet another movie music orgy after Tron. Anyways, I realize that choosing a very alternative New Zealand director Taika Waititi must have been a big risk. Especially since most of the dialogues were improvised. You could expect anything at all, but once you know what kind of brilliant movies he’s already filmed, you can just hope that Thor: Ragnarok will be a success and so will Taika. Of course, it’s also important whether you like Thor as a character. I’d say it’s currently the best, the most original, the most inventive, the funniest Marvel cinematic universe character. However, the movie has taken this originality and wittiness to a whole new level. I haven’t laughed this hard watching a movie for a long time. The improvisation has brought some amazing scenes to life and I’d be surprised if people didn’t talk about them and even make parodies of them. Furthermore, the story itself is great, Jeff Goldblum is brilliant as a leader of a planet riddled with trash. And Mark Ruffalo as Hulk is probably the most prominent he’s ever been. Everybody has their say; Anthony Hopkins, Karl Urban, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, even Benedict Cumberbatch who has proved that he’s funny with a single scene. Unlike his own – often far too serious – movie Doctor Strange. And don’t even get me started on all the cameos in Ragnarok, one of them played by the director himself, as has become a tradition. Overall, I thought it was more than amazing. I don’t think I’ll see anything better or more fun this year. Or ever. (07/11/2017)

Thor: Ragnarok is an absolutely mainstream movie that brings the child-like elements of Star Wars into Thor’s world, while its costumes and makeup make it more colorful than The Fifth Element. But I didn’t really want Thor to go in this direction, as 70% of its runtime is filled with situational, slightly infantile humor that doesn’t address any plot points. Which doesn’t mean that the masses who adore Guardians of the Galaxy are not going to have a great time. And that seems to be the whole point of the movie. (13/11/2017)

Colorful, funny and also strangely fateful. Thor has finally found his feet and he’s just the powerhouse that his solo movies needed. Waititi packed the movie full of his unreal director’s individuality which overturns genre rules on a level similar to Guardians of the Galaxy (not always better, but he isn’t afraid to take risks). The childish photos suit the videogame atmosphere and the newly built planets. Inspiration from Planet Hulk is obvious, just the heroes have swapped roles. Great one-liners, ingenious action scenes (the hammer finally has its say) and playful. Cate is real foxy in this movie and her acting is great, although she doesn’t get much room to display her skills. Incredible care is devoted to supporting characters (the theatre scene) and Korg the crusher shines whenever he is in shot. Ragnarok can’t stand alone, but at the same time it didn’t seem like the final part of a trilogy – it’s too high-spirited, but still, it’s the best movie about Thor that we’ve seen on the silver screen yet. (28/10/2017)

The Thunder Emperor has a special place in my viewer's heart and his first adventure remains one of the best experiences not only within the universe but also in comic book adaptations in general. While the critical community has issues with all the parts, Thor's trilogy remains the most balanced series in the MCU for me. No matter who took it on and genre-wise, from romance to drama to fantasy, it always amazed me. And I am amazed for the third time because it moves away from the leading love story, isn't afraid to eliminate familiar characters, yet still walks regally towards the highest rating. It breathes all the ingredients of the fantasy genre, adding unquestionably the best action in the series. Not a few minutes pass without me bursting into laughter, and Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston clearly embody their characters. Something tells me that Thor: Ragnarok is the end for the classic Thor, but I'm glad the story ends so triumphantly. (26/10/2017)