Synopsis

Thor: Ragnarok picks up after the events of Thor: The Dark World and Age of Ultron. It adapts elements of the Planet Hulk comic storyline and combines it with elements from the Ragnarok story line. Ragnarok follows Thor as a new threat rises to threaten Asgard – one much closer to Asgard than anyone would like to admit. In an desperate attempt to protect his home, Thor finds himself on the alien planet Sakaar, unsure of himself and fighting for his life. In order to stave off Asgard’s destruction, Thor has to gather an unlikely group of allies and learn a few things about himself.

Ragnarok, at it’s core, is a torch passing story. Thor coming into his own, and doing so in time, is arguably the greatest conflict of the movie. Moreso than his family squabbles, deathmatches on Sakaar or Hela’s plans for Asgard, even. This extends to the rest of the cast as well. This trial by fire induced introspection (and eventual assertion of self that comes with it) is a main theme of the film and serves it well.

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston reprise their roles as Thor and Loki respectively, while Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba return as Hulk, Odin and Heimdall. The new faces amongst the cast are Tessa Thompson as Scrapper 142, Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster and Cate Blanchett as Hela.

What it Does Right

Humor – Just like Homecoming, Ragnarok shows a penchant for utilizing humor as a great cohesive element. Ragnrok uses humor as a great palate cleanser, never lessening the overall stakes, but certainly making the character’s exploits much more enjoyable to watch.

Cons

Rushed Sad moments – While Marvel does a bangup job with humor and pumped up brawls, other elements of the experience are a bit off. There are few sad moments throughout the film, with the (I’m assuming) standout one coming early on. Arguably, this is the weakest element of the film. This scene in particular lacks the build up it could’ve had. Didn’t ruin the movie by any means, but it did feel a little odd.

Verdict

I’m not here to say that Marvel does no wrong, but they do seem to have cemented a reputation of making assuredly enjoyable movies – and the same holds true here. Even if you haven’t seen the previous Thor films (as I haven’t) you should have a good time and as long as you’ve seen at least The Avengers and Doctor Strange, you ought to be able to follow the individual elements of the story. I’d definitely recommend giving Thor: Ragnarok a watch.

I personally give it a 4.25 out of 5