Thor: Ragnarock

Rating: 5/5

Easily the best in the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok is a comedic and exciting ride from beginning to end. 

Just when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) thinks his life is going to be back to normal on Asgard, he his thrown some very unexpected curveballs. First, his supposedly deceased brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) makes a return and Thor discovers his sibling has sent his father away. Once the brothers find Odin (Anthony Hopkins) they learn of their sister Hela (Cate Blanchett), Goddess of Death, who is in fact the first born and heir to Asgard. When she is unleashed from her banishment, Thor and Loki are thrown from the bifrost and out of Asgard. After being exiled from his home, Thor finds himself on a planet inhabited by scavengers, and is then kidnapped and taken to a planet where he is forced to fight in an arena for sport and entertainment. Without the use of his hammer, Thor must get creative in order to hold onto both his pride and his life. Knowing that Hela is wreaking havoc back on Asgard, Thor will stop at nothing to escape his prison and return to his home. 

Where the other Thor films suffered from not being able to decide whether it wanted to be a comedy or given a more serious tone, Ragnarok dominates by giving into the humor and allowing the cast to live up to their full comedic potential. With the perfect blend of jokes and action, Ragnarok is an astonishingly good time, and without a doubt in the top five of my favorite films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are times where the comedy is found in the subtle way in which Thor turns himself around while being tied up, or something on a grander scale like a humor filled battle between Thor and the Hulk. Whether it be a large comedic gesture or something more minor, it is all perfectly played out. 

This film pretty much struck gold with their cast. We already knew that Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were perfect in their roles, with Hemsworth really showing his comedic prowess in this movie, but the addition of Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum were truly strokes of genius. Blanchett's voice was made for villainy, as proven by her role as the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella, but allowing her into the action of this film just enhanced her brilliance as an actress. It occurred to me on this most recent rewatch, that Blanchett is the first female villain in the MCU, and what a triumph she is in completing that milestone for the franchise. Though some may disagree, I would consider her one of the best villains in the MCU, even if she doesn't get a large amount of screen time. Her power dominates all who attempt to stop her, and there's no need to create a cushy backstory to make the audience sympathize with her. She just gets to be a malevolent and powerful force of evil that's incredibly easy to enjoy. On a completely different form of antagonism, Goldblum is his typical bizarre and quirky self, and I wouldn't want it any other way. As the oppressive and colorful leader of a planet where gladiator style fighting is in fashion, Goldblum hits the performance right on the head. 

It is such a rarity to have the third installment of a series be an improvement upon its' two predecessors, but Thor: Ragnarok proves it can be done. Apparently all the Thor franchise needed was to leave the earth nonsense behind and take to the realms of the galaxies. By making this change, Thor suddenly went from two mundane films to something pretty phenomenal. As I have been reworking my way through all the Marvel films, this was the one I was the most excited to get to again, just because I remembered how undeniably enjoyable it was. It holds nothing back in its humor and is also a great lead into the events to come in the later films of the Marvel universe. 

I suppose if you're a completist, you would need to view the two previous Thor films in order to get the full experience. However, with that being said, if you're just looking for an exciting and amusing action film, ignore the other two and just watch Ragnarok, because it's all you really need to see.