Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Instantly one of my favorite Marvel Universe movies. Despite there being dark elements to the story, this is really one of the more lighthearted of the comic book flicks. The script is one reason. The performances by Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Jeff Goldblum are another. From the first Thor film to this one (with Avengers films in-between), Hemsworth has really come a long way in his role as Thor. He just slides naturally back into the role with ease, and has a whimsical style all the way through, cracking jokes at exactly the wrong time like any good guy should to the baddie. For instance, when hanging from a chain over a lake of fire with giant underworld creature Surtur talking doom to him, Thor cannot help being silly while the chains slowly spin him around, away from the face of Surtur, so Thor humorously apologizes for his own rudeness while Surtur is trying to give this big, important speech. I loved that about this movie.
Everything is big, loud, and colorful. As anyone who's seen the previews from months and months back when this movie was at the cinemas, Thor faces off against the Hulk in an arena on a distant planet and there are lots of goodies for us to enjoy while he's there. There is a "B-Card" fighter made of rock named Korg who has lots of great lines and is a very amusing character despite his looks. Goldbum is the Grandmaster who holds fights in his arena, and as played by Jeff Goldbum, well, he's Jeff Goldblum, but he's a blast with his lightly-applied "space makeup," upswept graying hair, and usual halting Goldblum speech pattern. He steals pretty much every scene he's in. Tessa Thompson is beautiful and effective as Scrapper-142 who has another name that I won't give away here. And no Thor movie would be complete without Loki and Odin as played by Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins, respectively. Loki is not to be trusted as usual, and Odin adds help when it is most needed. Our star player Thor truly comes into his own here.
If you think I'd leave out the wonderful Cate Blanchett, you are so wrong. She is on hand as Thor's sister, Hela, and she is pure evil. She's decked out in a skin-hugging dark costume, with long black hair, and every time she gets ready to lay the smack down, she pulls her hair up into a crown of antler-like horns. She brings her dead army back to life along with her gigantic wolf, whose name is Fluffy, I think. I don't know. Anyway, there are surprises and cameos as per usual in Marvel movies. Plus, always look for at least a couple of extra scenes through or at the end of the credits. Already close to the top of my favorite comic book films and certainly the best Thor movie.
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