Thor: Ragnarok
Whilst posing as a prisoner to as fire demon, Thor learns that his father Odin is missing from the realm of Asgard. Fearing the worst, he returns home to discover that his brother Loki has been pretending to be their father. In exposing his charade, both of them journey to earth, and with the help of Stephen Strange, they finally find the old man but all is not well.
Stood over a Norwegian fjord, Odin explains to his sons that he is dying. However much than more this, he has something terrible to confess to. With his death fast approaching, a great evil that he never wanted to acknowledge, will again be released into the world intent on bringing about “Ragnarök” – the prophesied destruction of Asgard – and they must face it alone.
Since the intervening years since the battle of Sokovia (‘Avengers Age of Ultron’) Thor as a character has been absent from the Marvel cinematic timeline. only appearing in a mock vacation video (‘Team Thor’) released during production of ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ we then got our first taste of what director Taika Waititi had in mind for the character and I’m glad to say that the anticipated film does not disappoint.
…a riotous two hours and ten minutes of unabashed humour and knock-about action.
After the dour drama of ’Thor: The Dark World’ a change of direction was clearly needed and by drafting in ‘What We Do In Shadows’ and ‘The Hunt For The Wilder People’ director Taika Waititi, that’s exactly what has happened. If you’ve seen either of Waititi’s aforementioned films or his excellent ‘Eagle vs Shark’, you’ll be delighted to know that Marvel have not reigned in his sense of the ironic or the absurd. In fact, quite the opposite. In trusting Waititi’s vision, this third Thor movie is a riotous two hours and ten minutes of unabashed humour and knock-about action.
With a stellar cast (both credited and un-credited) Thor: Ragnarok delivers on both the acting front and big screen spectacle. In adding the ever loquacious Jeff Goldblum as ‘The Grandmaster’ and the suitably sneery Cate Blanchett to its roster of characters, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ tips its hat to both adults and younger fans alike. Brimming with Easter eggs, deadpan one-liners and an array of attractive special effects, Waititi has delivered upon Marvel’s trust to deliver something genuinely different. If the off-beat nature of ‘Ant-Man’ pointed the way to Marvel’s change of tone, then ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ leads the charge right through it. In fact watching this movie you might be concerned about how Marvel will plan to top this or attempt a return to its darker Shakespearian roots. Fear not though, the thunder clouds of ‘Marvel’s Infinity War’ are already brewing and if you wait for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’s’ two post credit teasers at the end, they will point the way.