Thor: Ragnarok

I think for most people the Thor films represent the worst tendencies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bland plots, forgettable villains, CGI heavy action scenes and not quite the wit one would expect from these films. Which is frustrating because Thor has the potential to be the craziest, most out-there property Marvel has. So as news about Thor: Ragnarok began to break out, I slowly became more and more interested. It was going to be partly based on the bat-shit crazy storyline Planet Hulk, it boasted a lively early trailer featuring Led Zep's The Immigrant Song and they had hired quirky New Zealand director Taika Waititi to helm the project. Waititi, of course, directed the wonderful vampire comedy film What We Do In The Shadows a couple of years ago. So what can this creative director inject into the very tired Thor series? Fun. Loads and loads of fun.

So right off the bat, Ragnarok jettisons all the very worst elements of the previous films. There's no Natalie Portman, no Earth setting, no excruciatingly unfunny Kat Dennings performance. And Stellan Skarsgård doesn't get naked at any point. Gotta count our blessings. The biggest shift though is the injection of new personality into Thor himself. I think most people agree that Thor is the wettest of the Avengers and the hardest sell for a feature length film. There are times when the character comes to life in the previous films but he definitely didn't leave the same mark as Tony Stark or Captain America. Call it weak direction but the previous Thor films always struggled to tease out some much needed personality from the Norse God. Whatever Waititi did has worked absolute wonders. Chris Hemsworth is largely excellent in the film - heroic and larger than life but ultimately a big of a goofball. This new found centre for Thor allows Hemsworth to really run riot with the comedy and make up for lost character time. The guy actually has really great comic timing.

With a new look and wittier personality, Chris Hemsworth really manages to sell this slightly re-imagined Thor, with a penchant for great comedy timing

We open with this newly lightened up Thor in the middle of a jam - he has been imprisoned by a giant fiery demon who is threatening to end all life on Asgard - Ragnarok, if you will. Thor glibly shrugs this off, defeats the villain and makes his escape attempt. He eventually finds himself back on Asgard and discovers that his cheeky brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), previously thought to be dead, has been impersonating their father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). The kingdom is disary as Loki has been glibly ruling the kingdom. It's easy to forget why audiences love Loki so much but Ragnarok features plenty of great moments for Hiddleston to shine, which ultimately remind us why we became infatuated with this character in the first place. This is probably Loki at his most playful yet and these plenty go great back-and-forth between him and Thor.

Any loose ends left at the end of Thor: The Dark World are tied up pretty quickly (it's not long before the mystery surrounding Odin's disappearance is resolved) before the plot proper kicks in. With of announcement of the God of Death Hela's (Cate Blanchett) return, the prophesied Ragnarok (a 'real' piece of Norse mythology) begins to unfolded as she starts to stake her claim to the throne of Asgard. Hela is ... what you'd expect for a Marvel villain. Sufficient enough motivation without being particularly interesting. At least Hela boasts an exaggerated art design and a massively over-the-top performance from Cate Blanchett. It feels almost perfunctory to have a big villain to fight in one of these movies and while I wish the film concentrated on the more interesting elements (more on that later) Hela at least makes an impression unlike some of the other villains in this series. I've heard some draw colonist comparisons with Hela's backstory and motivation...if that was the intention then these elements are not really concentrated on to make a big statement...

Hela is a fairly standard Marvel villain (you know all the problems that come with this) but Cate Blanchett gives a suitably hammy performance

Following a massive defeat by the villain, Thor is exiled from Asgard and winds up trapped on a planet at the centre of many different inter-dimensional portals. The planet is literally home to rubbish from all over the universe and is ruled over by the Grandmaster, played by the master of ham himself Jeff Goldblum. It's fair to say that filmmakers just put some silly make-up on the actor and told him to "Jeff Goldblum" as much as he wanted to.  He might not be for everyone but the awkward line reads and strange timing really works for this clearly insane villain. He elevates what could have been a pretty flat Big Bad.

There's nothing quite like an unleashed Jeff Goldblum performance

This middle third of the film is easily the highlight. It's a lively world built on a hierarchy of gladiatorial combat, overseen by the Grandmaster. Thor must rise up through the ranks and try to find a way off the planet to confront Hela, now casting her dominion over Asgard (with the help of a buff and bald Karl Urban). This is where Waititi's humour really shines through, as manifested by a rock creature played by himself and gets some of the biggest laughs. It's not long before the rock creature gives Thor some quick advice and warning before facing up against his first opponent, who turns out to be non other than the exiled Hulk, last seen flying away in Age of Ultron. From here it's a crazy array of bright battles, funny one-liners, clever call backs to previous films (Loki's reaction to seeing the Hulk again is particularly great) and a laid-back yet oddly fast pace. Throw in some variety with Tessa Thompson's alcoholic Valkeryie and its a massively motley world with a population of bright characters to fill it. I actually wish this could have made up more of the film. Get rid of the villain of the week plot and make it entirely about Thor trying to get off this planet. Anytime the film cuts back to the action happening on Asgard (there are some returning faces from the previous Thor films) it is a bit of a chore compared to this main sequence, even if some unsavoury truths are revealed about the foundation of the kingdom.

The Hulk and Bruce Banner are an absolute treat in this

What really helps to sell Ragnarok though is the relationship between Thor and Hulk. After the pair get over their epic arena fight over with, their banter evolves into what can almost be described as a buddy cop comedy. Mark Ruffalo is a great returning cast member and his presence has been missed from the previous films. This time though, Hulk actually gets a speaking role, with Ruffalo providing the motion capture. The actor shines though as the long-suffering Bruce Banner, having woken up from his longest-stint as the Hulk yet. There are some genuinely tender moments between the two characters but it isn't long before Waititi gets back to the zaniness of the plot. Ruffalo is absolutely still the definitive on-screen Bruce Banner/Hulk for me and Ragnarok offers no reasons for me to think otherwise.

While Thor: Ragnarok does nothing particularly ground-breaking with the genre, it is above and away the funniest film Marvel has ever produced. With a new found sense of life and colour, Waititi manages to bring out the weird and wonderful elements that should have always been in the Thor series. I do find it a bit of a shame that the film felt the need to include a standard villain-of-the-week plot, even if Cate Blanchett's over-the-top performance somewhat makes up for it. Ragnarok, from a plot perspective, is basically like the previous two films but with the addition of a comedic, playful and light tone. While it does have the standard third-act-big-battle issues we have come to expect from modern blockbusters, that middle section is just so infectious that it more than makes up for the more standard elements of the film. It just shows what a creative talent can do to add meat to some pretty well-worn bones. All that said, I walked out of the cinema with a broad smile on my face.