the_ruck’s review published on Letterboxd:
After the first Thor film that was okay at best and the second Thor film that was less than okay, Taika Waititi is now allowed to sit on the director's chair and what else can I say than: It was definitely a damn good decision.
Because Taika Waititi takes his own quirky humor, the character Thor and a wacky plot and the end result is Thor Ragnarok. Of course, this could deter some that Thor was almost made a laughing stock, as the first two parts were rather serious. But firstly, I don't mind at all, no, I even enjoy it and secondly, Thor Ragnarok is actually even the film of the series in which Thor loses the most and is put to the test the most. So in my opinion, there is much more behind the funny facade than you can see at first glance, as Thor finally becomes the worthy ruler of Asgard in the film.
Well and how much Thor Ragnarok differs from the two predecessors and how brilliant the film actually is can be seen in the first scene. The two previous films both started with a voice over from Odin that explained everything. Ragnarok also starts with a voice over, but this time by Thor himself and it also turns out that Thor talks to a skeleton in a dungeon. What is simply typical of Taika Waititi and shows how self-deprecating the film is and how entertaining, as it is followed by a fantastic action scene with the Immigrant Song in the background.
The entire rest of the film is still damn funny, with many cameos, great action scenes, a great soundtrack and also a few serious scenes. The entire change from Asgard or Earth to Sakaar and Thor's reinterpretation is just damn good for him.
Taika Waititi not only manages to incorporate his own humor and his own bizarre way into the film, but also many Marvel references. The film simply offers a perfect mix of Marvel and Taika Waititi.
This also leads to the biggest plus of the film, namely the humor. Although I've seen the film a few times, I still had to laugh. Well, Taika Waititi is just really good when it comes to comedy, as we have already seen in „What we do in the Shadows“ or „Jojo Rabbit“. It is not the typical Marvel humor, but a humor that is often simply much more complex. Because it is usually the case in MCU films that the plot is interrupted so that a short comedy interruption takes place, but in Thor Ragnarok the humor and jokes are perfectly integrated into the plot.
The entire design of the film of the spaceships, Thor himself and of course Sakaar is also really fantastic. It is more reminiscent of the Guardians films than the Thor films, which I definitely prefer. Since the Guardians movies are definitely the best movies from the MCU, I really like this colorful, cheerful and new look.
Of course, the actors are all great in their roles again. First and foremost Chris Hemsworth in his iconic role. He was born practically for this role and really gives everything and that's why it's always a pleasure to watch him slip into the iconic role.
Of course, Tom Hiddleston is back as Loki and of course the chemistry between him and Thor is great again as always. How the two simply can't do with each other and not without each other is really fantastic to watch.
Natalie Portman is no longer there for this part, but Tessa Thompson is somehow available as a replacement. She is also really convincing in her role and I think she fits even better into the film than Natalie Portman.
And this time Hela is the new antagonist embodied by Cate Blanchett and she is really fantastic in the role. Of the previous Thor villains, she is definitely the best, apart from Loki, of course. Because even if she may be a little over the top, you can still notice that she has a hell of fun in the role and that sets her apart from many other Marvel villains.
But probably the best guest star is Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster. I mean Jeff Goldblum can just be liked and he just plays his role fantastically.
To be honest, I would have thought that the film would now be significantly worse with the rewatch again. Because actually this is the case with all Marvel films that they are simply no longer so good with the rewatch. But I really had to laugh and enjoyed the movie a lot, even though I've actually seen it several times. So if that doesn't speak for the film, then I don't know either. That's why Thor Ragnarok is definitely one of my favorite MCU films, because although the film may have a few weaknesses, I always have fun with it and am well entertained.
