Thor stepped up his game

Like any good Marvel fan, I hit up the theaters on opening weekend to see the latest film the MCU has to offer. Thor: Ragnarok, directed by Taika Waititi, was released on November 3rd in North America, and the hype was real. With stellar reviews coming in before and after the release date along with cool trailers and visually stunning posters, expectations were high, even though I’m pretty sure no one would list the first two Thor movies (Thor in 2011 and Thor: The Dark World in 2013) as their favourites. 

If you’ve yet to see it, then don’t keep reading this, as there will be spoilers!

So though I had no idea what a Ragnarok is going in, I will say that this third Thor movie was rather good. It had good action, some heart, and a whole lot of laughs. It Ragnarok-ed my night (I’m not sorry). Apparently, about 80% of the movie’s lines were improvised, which I have to commend, because it was a really funny movie. Was it as funny as Guardians Of The Galaxy? I personally don’t think so, but a lot of people are claiming it’s the MCU’s funniest. I guess you’ll have to see it to decide. I also don’t think Ragnarok was the best overall movie of the whole MCU. I didn’t leave the theater desperate to see it again, and I at times found it trying a bit too hard to get a laugh.

All the characters were strong additions

The acting was great though. Chris Hemsworth is as lovable as ever as Thor, and the haircut only made him hotter. Tom Hiddleston returned as Loki, and I found the relationship between Thor and Loki to be great. Despite how you may feel about Loki based on his previous appearances, he and Thor are brothers, and the fact that we saw a little bit of a redemption for the Trickster God was enjoyable. Also returning was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, and both sides of this character were really done well. The differences between Banner and Hulk are really distinct and make for an interesting addition to the cast. I also liked how his presence helped tie the movie’s story and Thor’s actions back to earth and back to their time with the Avengers, as a light set up for the next time we’ll see them, which is in Avengers: Infinity War. The last notable return to the movie was Idris Elba as Heimdall, and it was great to see him have a larger role, and as a hero nonetheless. New to the cast was Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, a kick-ass warrior and bounty hunter. I hope we see her in Infinity Wars because she was great. I do wish, however, we learned her real name. She’s called Valkyrie because she fought in the all-female Asgardian warrior group called the Valkyries, but that’s like always calling Thor ‘God’ because he is a God. As for villains, there were two. Cate Blanchett plays Hela, the evil sister of Thor and Loki, and while she was visually really cool, she lost evil points the few times she tried to be funny and witty. And then we have Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, a quirky and commanding ruler who orchestrates battles between his “prisoners with jobs” (they’re not slaves, though. Nope.) on planet Sakaar. He was funny, but because every one of his lines was comedic, he got a little tiring too. Everyone gave strong performances and had their own personality, which definitely showed in the humor. 

Seeing Thor essentially level-up with his powers was cool and definitely helped me feel less sad about Mjölnir being crushed (it was iconic, okay?). The CGI in this movie was great and really added to the spectacle. 

Don’t miss out on these jokes

With all of Asgard now on a ship headed to earth, I’m excited to see what’s next. Will the arrival of Thor and his people play a huge part in Infinity Wars or not? Overall, Thor: Ragnarok is a solid MCU movie. While still delivering on some amazing action scenes, it’s fun and funny, and that’s what Marvel is great at. Thor is a cool character and unlike that of Iron Man or Dr. Strange, he needs and likes a team, making for the ensemble of this movie to be a huge selling point. Go see this movie if you’re looking for laughs. It’s definitely the best Thor movie yet and definitely a standout for the MCU, but is it the best superhero movie you’ll ever see? No.