Cast Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson. Directed by: Taika Waititi

Marvel Studios are a brazen bunch, aren’t they? Three movies, two ABC shows, three Netflix shows, a Hulu and a Freeform series all in one year. It takes giant godlike nuts to do that without fear of over saturation. With their ongoing need to hire some of the oddest directorial choices for big blockbusters, Taika Waititi, the director of the brilliant Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the very funny What We Do in the Shadows gives us Thor: Ragnarok, an easy to enjoy romp that sits as one of the best solo Marvel Comics Universe films to date.

With a sort of neon drenched Saturday morning cartoon look about it, this is the world of Marvel comics at it’s most colourful; out-joking, out-breezing and out-colouring even the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy. Picking up two years after Age of Ultron, Thor has been travelling across the nine realms trying to make sense of the Infinity Stones and their place in the world. This is where the film gets off to a running start, with Clancy Brown’s monstrous Surtur preaching death and destruction.









From here, Ragnarok very quickly begins taking apart everything we thought we knew about the Thor series and does it’s own thing. Asgard is less a CGI Disney land, and more a world of grit and feeling, complete with political turmoil, with many of the supporting players from the previous two films gone – criminally the Warriors Three and Lady Sif are given short shrift in this film. What follows is an adventure comedy that never lets up on the gas for a second.

The great things are this: it’s fun. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man and Spider-Man: Homecoming, there is a sense of fun, and it’s an 80s sci-fi madness film in the mould of great adventures. The cast are all exceptional, those who have been in the role for years feel so comfortable that it never appears like they need direction. Chris Hemsworth excels at the now Earth-literate Thor who is two parts cocky Avenger, one part Royal and still the biggest dummy in the universe, while Hiddleston continues his route of imbuing Loki with a strange sense of trust, pathos and likeability. Gone is the tragic antagonist of Thor, no longer is he the genocidal villain of The Avengers, or even the untrustworthy anti-hero ally of The Dark World. He is funny, concerned, and ultimately playing the role like he’s truly unsure of who he is. It’s brilliant that in the film there are moments for the two brothers and a returning Anthony Hopkins to discuss the nature of their strange family, and their love for one another.

Idris Elba is also brilliant as watcher Heimdall. Being both an action man, and a wise older figure, he works in the film hiding in the forest like a strange sword swinging Gandalf. Of course, the big coup is Mark Ruffalo as Banner / Hulk; yes, we’ve all seen the she’s a friend from work line, but what really clicks here is that it feels like an odd couple style comedy, with the Hulk taking centre strange. What’s more, a two year stretch as the big green guy means there’s a tension about whether or not the Hulk will take over. It’s also wonderful that Thor has remembered the events of Age of Ultron and is using it to help Banner.