Thor: Ragnarok

Colorful, funny and also strangely fateful. Thor has finally found his feet and he’s just the powerhouse that his solo movies needed. Waititi packed the movie full of his unreal director’s individuality which overturns genre rules on a level similar to Guardians of the Galaxy (not always better, but he isn’t afraid to take risks). The childish photos suit the videogame atmosphere and the newly built planets. Inspiration from Planet Hulk is obvious, just the heroes have swapped roles. Great one-liners, ingenious action scenes (the hammer finally has its say) and playful. Cate is real foxy in this movie and her acting is great, although she doesn’t get much room to display her skills. Incredible care is devoted to supporting characters (the theatre scene) and Korg the crusher shines whenever he is in shot. Ragnarok can’t stand alone, but at the same time it didn’t seem like the final part of a trilogy – it’s too high-spirited, but still, it’s the best movie about Thor that we’ve seen on the silver screen yet. (28/10/2017)

Thor: Ragnarok is an absolutely mainstream movie that brings the child-like elements of Star Wars into Thor’s world, while its costumes and makeup make it more colorful than The Fifth Element. But I didn’t really want Thor to go in this direction, as 70% of its runtime is filled with situational, slightly infantile humor that doesn’t address any plot points. Which doesn’t mean that the masses who adore Guardians of the Galaxy are not going to have a great time. And that seems to be the whole point of the movie. (13/11/2017)

I don't have any issues saying with a clear conscience that I was thrilled by the third Thor. It's very funny, fresh, unique... And it is not the laser disco parody that it might seem from the trailers, but a regular and in many ways important chapter from the life of the God of Thunder. Absolutely all the characters are interesting, none are excessive and no one is annoying (here I'd like to highlight mainly Loki and Grandmaster performed by the great Jeff Goldblum), and Cate Blanchett’s Hela,who was enjoying herself, was a safe bet. And one more observation - the Hulk is also funny, but Bruce Banner is even funnier, which Marvel had not accomplished up to this point. Taika Waititi pleasantly surprised me, he is good at humor and imaginative action (what he shows in the introduction with Mjolnir trumps the entire previous film), it all looks beautiful and thanks to Mark Mothersbaugh's retro music, it’s got exceptional zest. (28/10/2017)

The Thunder Emperor has a special place in my viewer's heart and his first adventure remains one of the best experiences not only within the universe but also in comic book adaptations in general. While the critical community has issues with all the parts, Thor's trilogy remains the most balanced series in the MCU for me. No matter who took it on and genre-wise, from romance to drama to fantasy, it always amazed me. And I am amazed for the third time because it moves away from the leading love story, isn't afraid to eliminate familiar characters, yet still walks regally towards the highest rating. It breathes all the ingredients of the fantasy genre, adding unquestionably the best action in the series. Not a few minutes pass without me bursting into laughter, and Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston clearly embody their characters. Something tells me that Thor: Ragnarok is the end for the classic Thor, but I'm glad the story ends so triumphantly. (26/10/2017)

“Darling, you have no idea what's possible.” I hope Waititi's next film is an adaptation of the Robot Unicorn Attack flash game, because this wasn’t far from it. Though the New Zealander with a fondness for pineapple-print shirts didn't write the screenplay, I think he deserves credit for how colourful, nutty and stylistically diverse the whole film is. In just the first few minutes, we become witnesses to the protagonist’s self-ironic conversation with a skeleton, a variation on the “Look at my shit” scene from Spring Breakers and a parody of the theatrical, statuesque nature of Thor’s first solo movie. I actually found it regrettable that Waititi had to stick to the Marvel canon and expand the MCU (the scene with Strange was a bit superfluous) and couldn’t construct the whole film as a laid-back buddy movie in which Thor’s patience is gradually tested by Loki, a talking pile of rocks who wants to start a revolution, a perpetually plastered Valkyrie, and an egghead with seven doctorates and a problem with self-control. The characters and their sparkling dialogue draw more attention to themselves than another generic plot with a goddess of death who wants to unleash hell because she has daddy issues. Fortunately, the narrative structure is partially adapted to this. After the main storyline gets rolling, the protagonist is plunged into a world where he has to deal with completely different concerns, so rectifying the situation on Asgard, of which Thor is informed only through hearsay, has to be delayed. On top of that, the protagonist is merely pulled along by fate (or by the Hulk) more than once and cannot freely make decisions; things happen without his input. The subversiveness of this approach, which turns the whole superhero concept on its head, culminates in the climax, when the problem is resolved differently (and by someone else) than you would expect. When you add the actors enjoying their roles (Tessa Thompson and Jeff Goldblum are particularly superb), the arcade-inspired action scenes and the cleverly dumb humour to the methodical rejection (or, as the case may be, commenting on and mocking) of the rules of the game, you get a movie that will either irritate you with its refusal to take anything seriously or thrill you as the most entertaining Marvel movie ever. For me, it was the latter. 85% (29/10/2017)