Thor: Ragnarok

Third time's the charm, right?

Thor has had a bit of a rough track record when it comes to movies. Apart from Avengers, Thor 1 was a fun but nearly forgettable action film, and Thor 2 was a bit of a mess. Nevertheless, he's one of the more famous and notable heroes in this expanded universe, so it's only fair to give him one last chance, I suppose. One last hurrah.

Ragnarok is just that. If Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 let you down like me, Ragnarok will make up for it. It's a lovely blend of humor, sci-fi, and the mythology we've come to love from Thor, all wrapped up in a lovely tight package that is doused in some lovely vibrant paint.

Basically, Thor is horrified by the prospect of nightmares of Ragnarok, or the end of Asgard. But when Hela comes to enact her terrifying rule of his home, Thor is banished to an outlying planet, where he's destined to fight for the odd being known as the Grandmaster. However, things end up heating up when he finds his old friend Hulk/Bruce Banner has been staying on this planet for years, and the two form a team to get back to Asgard.

And it's pretty much just a romp and a great time from start to finish. Thor: Ragnarok is all of the best qualities that we've come to expect from the MCU formed into one, and it's not cringy like Guardians 2 or overdone like Civil War. It's just the right recipe, which is why it climbs above the rest. Ragnarok will keep you glued to your seat, in awe of the visuals and begging for more of the fantastic chemistry between all of these characters.

I'm surprised it took them this long to make it happen, but nevertheless, they got the right formula for Thor this time. Chris Hemsworth was always great in this role, but this time he shines beautifully, not being bogged down by stupid gags forced upon him by humans who don't understand him. The dead weight caused by Natalie Portman in The Dark World has been cast out, and replaced by an energetic and completely badass performance by Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. Other notable mentions include Cate Blanchett, whose sexy and dark Hela would make even Captain America swoon and of course Mark Ruffalo as Hulk...cause who doesn't love more Hulk.

Basically, even though some of the humor was a bit distracting, if you haven't noticed I'm not in my overly judgemental mood for these types of films, it's because I really enjoyed Ragnarok. Even though we've seen that DC is getting a grip on how to do things right, Marvel still proves at why they're the standard for these things. Ragnarok gets a very well deserved 9.4/10 from me.