Thor: Ragnarok - 20 WTF Moments

That cameo though.

By Simon Gallagher /

Marvel Studios

Let's get one thing straight - Thor: Ragnarok is a stunning achievement for Marvel, who gambled on hiring Taika Waititi (and letting him make a comedy movie out of two of the most dramatic story events in Marvel comics) and who went about making the Thor threequel in the least safe way possible.

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Considering this was the direct follow-up to the disaster that was The Dark World, that courage already looked colossal. Given Ragnarok's success, it now looks even more impressive (and hopefully it sets out a model for even more surprising choices in the future of the MCU).

The film is one of the most provocatively weird in the franchise's entire run, revelling in Waititi's idiosyncratic imagination and sense of humour, channelling the work of Jack Kirby affectionately and allowing Jeff Goldblum to go full Goldblum all over the place. And if anyone ever accuses it of being "just another identikit Marvel movie", you have permission to beat them about the head with their terrible assessment.

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It's a strange film, to say the least, and there are lots of moments that will shock, baffle and occasionally annoy...