Thor Ragnarok - Thor is cool now

Making a trilogy is such a strenuous job, it needs proper coordination among actors, directors and studio executives but the Marvel Cinematic Universe has managed to make three movies in a single year, making us lose count of how many movies they've made so far and how good they've all been. Thor Ragnarok is another such movie reminding us once again that they can't go wrong in picking their directors and cast. Taika Watiti doesn't disappoint us with this but just know that almost ninety percent of this movie is improvisation but it all seems to fall in place perfectly.

It stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Marl Ruffalo as Hulk, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, and Idris Elba as Heimdall. There are other veteran actors in it but these are the ones that get the most screen time.

Thor was always an Avenger who always kind of had to be there, but this movie just makes him so much cooler than he used to be, almost like what Captain America: The Winter Soldier did with Steve Rogers. He's funny, commanding and ruthless when it comes to facing baddies. As shown in the trailers, he loses his hammer and the hammer jokes in this movie are just downright amazing.

Marvel Cinematic Universe has always given importance to humor and Thor Ragnarok doesn't shy away from them, with most of the jokes falling perfectly in line. I just remember sitting there and laughing so much that I had to be careful not to drop any popcorn or soft drinks on the floor, seriously if you want to have a laugh, then go see it. The movie starts off with a special cameo from Doctor Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch and the special effects for that scene was just off the charts. It was one of the best scenes in the entire movie and Cumberbatch displayed so much style in the limited screentime.

The main villain in this movie is Hela, the goddess of death played by the ever so beautiful Cate Blanchett. I think Marvel has been listening to our complaints about how bad and forgettable their villains are and Hela is here to prove us all wrong just the way Michael Keaton did in Spiderman homecoming. Hela was malevolent, ruthless, menacing but very predictable. I'd put her right between Loki from Avengers and Toomes in Spiderman homecoming. We just thought she was going to be another forgettable villain wearing eye makeup like Caecilius from Doctor Strange but Cate Blanchett puts all doubts to rest.

If Thor is cool, then one of the reasons for him being so cool is the people around him. Tom Hiddleston kills it as Loki who gives us another outstanding performance as the God of Mischief. His chemistry with Thor is fantastic, and for a change, he tries to play the good guy in this but he's still trying to stab Thor in the back every chance he gets and that's what makes him amazing. Another thing that I loved about him is his reaction after seeing the Hulk. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie but those reactions which he gives on seeing Banner fighting Thor is nothing but some of the best acting ever in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe making the audience die of laughter. Loki was probably my favorite character in the entire film.

Mark Ruffalo plays Hulk and we can all agree that Marvel did the right thing by replacing Edward Norton with Ruffalo. Hulk has a lot of dialogue in this and he's so hilarious. Ruffalo kills it as both Hulk and as Bruce Banner and his chemistry with Thor is once again perfect thanks to some brilliant writing. Hulk had a lot of screentime and I enjoyed every bit of it. Other commendable performances came from Tessa Thompson who played Valkyrie and Idris Alba as Heimdall.

Jeff Goldblum plays The Grandmaster and I have to say, I really don't see what people like about him so much, I found him boring and annoying, more like those silly Golden people from Guardians of The Galaxy 2. His presence felt like a waste of time and the entire time spent in the planet Sakaar was just an excuse to delay the final fight sequence between Thor and Hela.

Overall Thor Ragnarok was a really fun time and I guess that's the issue. It doesn't make a significant effort to improve the tone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it concerns me because Infinity War is so close. It felt like this movie was going to be the gamechanger for Marvel, certainly had the capacity to do so but the 'fun' part is getting a little out of hand. The plot was very predictable, one minute they keep saying 'Ragnarok' is the end of everything, we see people dying and the next minute, we see Thor cracking jokes with the Hulk in Sakaar. I have complete faith in Russo brothers for Infinity War, they already proved that they can make the best Marvel movie ever by giving us Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but a sudden shift in tone for Infinity War might scare the audiences and it could be a huge risk. The Harry Potter Universe did that great with Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire making it a smooth transition from fun, school, friends to destruction, death and chaos. That's my only issue with the movie and the Universe as a whole, otherwise its perfect.

Verdict:
Fan in me: 7.5/10
Critic in me: 8/10