thor: ragnarok

I'm aware it's just about to be released in the US so I'll try not to spoil any details.

Watched it on Tuesday in a full theatre, which was the best way to watch something like this. Is this the funniest Thor movie? By a long shot. Is this the best Marvel film yet? Not by my preference. Is this a flawed movie? Definitely. Is this an enjoyable movie? Also definitely.

If you've exposed yourself to any reviews at all, you'll know that this movie capitalises on the comical talents of its cast, so I don't think I'll comment much on that.

Other things that worked in its favour this time around is abandoning the incredibly hamfisted romance between Thor and Jane Foster. In her stead, there is one of the most charismatic female characters MCU has introduced - who is blessedly free of a romantic subplot. In a movie that juggled action and humour smartly, the Valkyrie and Loki fistfight was one of the highlights, and it was a shame there wasn't more action for either of these two characters (particularly Loki).

The relationship between Thor and Loki gets taken a slightly different way this time, and it's a shift that happens so naturally, you don't think about it. Loki has often stolen the show as the more complex and tragic shadow to Thor, but this time Thor is clearly the main character, and seems to have assumed the reins in their choppy relationship. Loki still toes that fine line between antihero and antagonist, but he is mostly "mischievous" here rather than villainous, and Thorki fans will probably be very happy with the ending...until Loki hightails it to Thanos' side in Infinity War, that is.

The pace and tone was riveting, so that 130 minutes later you feel like you've enjoyed the movie, but it's not something that bears thinking back on, because when you do, you'll realise how little actually happened.

The humour also undermines any gravity that should have been given to certain scenes. One of the (few..ahem) charms of the Thor series is the family dynamic in Odin's dysfunctional family, and it was probably what made the first two movies bearable. Without spoiling anything...let's just say that a few deaths in the movie should have been awarded with at least some time for Thor (and the audience) to feel a sense of loss and grief. As messy as Thor: the Dark World was, Frigga's send-off is still one of the more beautifully done farewells in the MCU.

The Thor franchise (and MCU in general) has always been blessed with thespians but has had a track record of under-utilising them. Cate Blanchett's Hela falls into that same trap. Don't get me wrong, Cate is amazing and commanding and full of I'm-too-fabulous-for-your-sh!t, but if you look past the menace the actress brought to the screen, there really isn't much substance to her character. To a certain degree, Cate has made her more understandable than some of the Marvel villains, but she's not given enough story for you to care.

It's not a perfect story (in fact, there's really not much of story), but it is a much needed tonal shift and the perfect entry into a sub-franchise where the main character had been plagued by poor character development. Think of this entire 130 minutes as a humourous character-building exercise. I had started the movie feeling uninvested, and ended the movie feeling like I would be genuinely sad if Thor were written out of the MCU in Infinity War.