Thor: Ragnarok Review - 9 Ups & 4 Downs

Thor: Ragnarok is a film about difference. It might be a threequel in the midst of a huge extended universe narrative, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of style and tone and substance from the rest of the MCU. Part of that probably comes down to the decision to hire a director who feels like a real auteur.

The decision to hire Taika Waititi was always going to lead to one thing - a film absolutely slathered in Waititiness - so it's no surprise that that's what Ragnarok is. If you're already a fan of him, that will be like a warm bath of his references and his particular brand of humour, but if - for some reason - you like your comic book movie homogenous, it might not be for you.

But maybe try broadening your horizons, yeah?

The film is a solid four star movie, better than Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 and certainly the most successfully funny addition to the MCU. It's not entirely as expected, but that isn't always a bad thing, and for the most part, anything that detracts from it being a great film is far from fatal. But there are definitely some things that stop it being among the very top level of Marvel movies.

Then again, having said that, it's an experiential release, and it really has to be seen for the high-points and the laughs alone.

First the positives...