Thor: Ragnarok

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Thor: Ragnarok is the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this film, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) must stop the villainous Hela (played by Cate Blanchett) from conquering Asgard and the rest of the nine realms. Despite the number of movies we have had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this still felt like a fresh take on the character. The first two movies were generally considered decent, but far from the greatest films in the MCU. Thor: Ragnarok manages to take Thor into the stratosphere. At first, you might think Ragnarok and Planet Hulk wouldn’t mesh very well, but they actually do manage to make the two stories combine really well. The action sequences are amazing, with the right blend of action and humor. Every single actor brings their A-game. As always, Chris Hemsworth has pretty impeccable comedic timing. Tom Hiddleston is excellently weasely as he always is, perfectly transferring into the anti-hero role as opposed to the straight villain he was in Thor and The Avengers. Cate Blanchett really hams it up as Hela in the best way possible. As always, Anthony Hopkins shows exactly why he’s one of the greatest actors of all time. Karl Urban really gets to flex his comedic chops, and does so incredibly well. There are three actors in this movie I really felt stood out though. The first was Jeff Golblum as the Grandmaster. He was just kind of this weirdo, and felt like Jeff Golblum at his most Jeff Goldblum. The second actor that really stood out to me was Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner a.k.a. the Hulk. The Hulk’s attitude and dialogue felt like that of toddler, while in previous MCU films, he felt more like an infant. He kind of talks in bare-bones sentences and complains when he doesn’t get what he wants. But the real MVP might just be Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. She was a hard-drinking badass with a don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. The characters felt surprisingly well developed for a movie like this as well. You understand why Thor, Hulk, Hela, and Valkyrie are the way they are. They show Skurge’s reactions to Hela’s villainous behavior, and the place he feels he’s in, practically through his facial expressions. They actually give some strong resolution to Thor and Loki’s conflict through these movies. Overall, Thor: Ragnarok excelled in almost every way possible, making for one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the best of the three Thor films.

10 / 10