Thor: Ragnarok

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Mark Ruffalo and Jeff Goldblum

Director: Taika Waititi

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 2hrs 10 minutes

Genre: Action/Fantasy

Rating: 12

Format: Theatrical Cinema Release

Synopsis:

Imprisoned, Thor finds himself in a gladiatorial contest against fellow Avenger Hulk. Thor must fight for survival and do everything he can to prevent his home from being destroyed.

Marvel have had a tremendous year with the incredible success of "Spider-Man: Homecoming", it was really no surprise that the next film in the universe would go onto be as good, if not even better. Two years have passed since the events that took place in the last film. After unsuccessfully searching for the infinity stones and being imprisoned by fire demon Satur. Thor (Hemsworth) and his brother Loki (Hiddleston) must embark on a journey to Norway to find their father Odin (Hopkins), Odin however explains that he is dying and that his firstborn child Hela (Blanchett), has escaped prison and has taken over Asgard, destroying everyone and everything in her path. Thor, with the help of avenger Hulk must travel through a wormhole to stop her before it's too late.

Fantastically directed by Taika Waititi and magnificently written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. The storyline is what really makes this film excellent. Chris Hemsworth delivers excellent comic timing, Thor is no longer the narcissistic prince that he was in the first film, he has learnt to love and care and does everything he can to save the people of Asgard from Hola. Cate Blanchett is excellent as Hela, the Goddess of Death, giving her the rulership of the dead. Blanchette doesn't necessarily show a lot of emotion or characterisation, however she does perform very well in her role. Unfortunately Jeff Goldblum was a little bit disappointing, not only do we not see a lot of his character, his performance wasn't that good, although he looked the part, he didn't act the part.

The arena in which Thor must fight Hulk, is amazing on it's own. The idea to have a reference to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was absolutely excellent. Not only does it add humour to the scene, it works brilliantly alongside the storyline and the world that Thor finds himself entering. A neon infused planet that looks like it'd be more suitable for the likes of  "Ready Player One", than a Marvel film, however it really does work beautifully. Director Taika Waititi really worked well with cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe and production designers Dan Hennah and Ra Vincent, they really created an excellent fantasy world. Marvel have once again delivered a magnificent film. Trilogy's don't always work, in this case it really did, hilariously funny and wonderfully entertaining.

5/5 stars